What is the ruling on someone who says that celebrating the Mawlid is not a bid‘ah (innovation), citing as evidence the verse: "Say, 'In the bounty of Allah and in His mercy - in that let them rejoice'" [Quran 10:58], interpreting Allah's bounty as the Quran and His mercy as Muhammad (peace be upon him), and that rejoicing in blessings is مطلوب (required/desirable), and also citing the verse: "That you [believers] may believe in Allah and His Messenger and honor him and respect him" [Quran 48:9], and the Prophet's (peace be upon him) endorsement of the Jews' celebration of the day Moses was saved?

Rejoicing in the birth of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and loving him, is not a point of contention. However, restricting the manifestation of this joy to a single day of the year contradicts his practice, peace and blessings be upon him. He used to fast on Mondays of every week, explaining that it was the day of his birth and prophethood. Yet, he would not gather his companions on that day for remembrance, praise, studying the سیرة (Prophet's biography), or feeding people. This is the prophetic way of celebration, not transforming it into a festival marked by decorations, gatherings for remembrance and praise, and exchange of visits and congratulations. Neither the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, nor his companions did this, nor was it known in the blessed generations. Furthermore, there are doctrinal and practical abominations that often accompany these celebrations. The exact day of his birth in the year is not definitively known, and had there been a specific act of worship for this day, the companions would have meticulously ascertained it. The fasting of Ashura is not limited to the Prophet's, peace and blessings be upon him, affirmation of the Jews' practice, for he used to fast it before the Hijra, and Quraysh used to fast it in the pre-Islamic era (Jahiliyya).