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A Reply to the Sufi claim that Ibn
Katheer Supported Mawlid

From: "Rafi Shafi"
Subject: Ibn Katheer's 'Mawlid'

From 'al-Qawal al-fasl fee al-Ihtifaal bi Mawlid Khayr al-Rusul' (pg.
110+) of Shaykh Ismaa'eel al-Ansaaree:

As for the claim of the author of the letter published in the magazine
'al-Mujtama' (no.559), while listing the authors who considered the
celebration of the Mawlid to be permissible and their works (concerning
this), that the author of 'Kashf al-Dhunoon fee Usaamee al-Kutub wa
al-Funoon' mentioned on page 319 that al-Haafidh ibn Katheer authored a
number of treatise concerning the noble Mawlid. From amongst them: 'Jaami
al-Aathaar fee Mawlid al-Nabiyy al-Mukhtaar' in three volumes, 'al-Lafdh
al-Raa'iq fee Mawlid Khayr al-Khalaa'iq' and it is succinct. And his
claim that ibn Fahd mentioned that ibn Katheer authored a book which he
entitled, 'Mawrid as-Saadee fee Mawlid al-Haadee.' And his saying that
al-Haafidh as-Sakhaawee had a book concerning the Mawlid entitled,
'at-Tibr al-Masbook fee Dhail as-Sulook'  then all of this is a grievous
error having no basis for being correct.

As for 'Jaami al-Aathaar fee Mawlid al-Nabiyy al-Mukhtaar' then looked up
'Kashf al-Dhunoon' to ascertain the truth of his words and we found it
under the letter 'jeem' (pg.533) and the text is, 'Jaami al-Aathaar fee
Mawlid an-Nabiyy al-Mukhtaar of Shams ad-Deen Muhammad bin Naasir ad-Deen
ad-Dimishqee, died in the year 842, being in three volumes commencing with
the words, "all praise is due to Allaah Who displayed Muhammad as the most
purest of the Universe"

And we found under the letter 'laam' page 1559 the words, 'al-Lafdh
al-Raa'iq fee Mawlid Khayr al-Khalaa'iq' a short booklet by al-Haafidh
Shams ad-Deen Muhammad bin Naasir ad-Deen ad-Damishqee who died in the
year 842.'

And we found under the letter 'meem' page. 1910 the words, 'al-Haafidh 
as-Sakhaawee mentioned in his 'Daw al-Laami' a group who wrote concerning
the Mawlid of the Prophet (SAW) from amongst them al-Haafidh ibn Naasir
ad-Deen ad-Damishqee who authored in this regards 'Jaami al-Aathaar fee
Mawlid an-Nabiyy al-Mukhtaar' in three volumes and a booklet 'al-Lafdh
al-Raa'iq fee Mawlid Khayr al-Khalaa'iq' and it is shorter than the one
mentioned before it'

As for 'Mawrid as-Saadee fee Mawlid al-Haadee' then the claim of the
author of that article that ibn Fahd attributed it to ibn Katheer is
without basis for ibn Fahd said in 'Lahdh al-Alhaadh bi Dhail Tabaqaat
al-Huffaadh' (pg. 320-321) under the biography of ibn Naasir ad-Deen
ad-Damishqee, 'he authored, and some of them concerned the Mawlid of the
Prophet (SAW) and it is 'Jaami al-Aathaar fee Mawlid al-Mukhtaar' in three
volumes, and 'Tawdeeh al-Mushtabah' and 'Mawrid as-Saadee fee Mawlid
al-Haadee'..'

And this which is mentioned by ibn Fahd is declared with certainty by
as-Sakhaawee and ash-Shawkaanee.

So it becomes clear with all of this that the claims of the author of that
article published in 'al-Mujtama' magazine has no basis.

Then what ibn Katheer mentions in the section on the Prophetic biography
in his 'Bidaayah wan Nihaayah', and in his lengthy 'Seerah' and in the 
sections of 'Ikhtisaar Seerah ar-Rasool', and in his stand alone treatise
on the Mawlid published with the tahqeeq of Salaah ad-Deen al-Manjad,
and in his revision to the Mawlid of his shaykh Kamaal ad-Deen Abee
Ma'aalee Muhammad bin Alee al-Ansaaree contained in the section detailing
'Dalaa'il an-Nubuwwah' in his 'Bidaayah wan Nihaayah'  he does not present
anything in these concerning the celebration of the Mawlid of the Prophet
(SAW) and neither of the evil practices that have occurred amongst the
later generations with respect to the Mawlid. Therefore as long as the
matter is like this then we cannot accept the claim of the author of that
article.

[fn: and what Muhammad bin Alawee al-Maalikee vainly thinks in his work
'al-Ihtifaal bi Mawlid an-Nabawiyy ash-Shareef' (pg. 38) that the
'Mawlid' of al-Haafidh ibn Katheer is from those works that present
celebrating the Mawlid of the Prophet is not correct.]

As for the saying of the author of that aricle that as-Sakhaawee authored
a book about the Mawlid entitled 'at-Tibr al-Masbook fee Dhail al-Sulook' 
then this is also incorrect as-Sakhaawee said in his autobiography 
contained in 'Daw al-Laami li A'yaan al-Qarn at-Taasi' (8/17) while
listing his works, 'and 'at-Tibr al-Masbook fee Dhail alaa Taareekh
al-Maqreezee as-Sulook' containing the events and deaths (of scholars)
since the year 45 to this day in 4 volumes' so this is what as-Sakhaawee
himself clarifies and it is clear that the subject matter of the book is
not the Mawlid even though it may contain things connected to the Mawlid.

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