Polemic in celebration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad

Abstract

The celebration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is one of the most popular practices among Muslims in the Malay archipelago. However, these practices often get resistance from a group of Muslims. Various labels are given to such practices as bid’ah, synonymous practices from Christians during the birth of Prophet Jesus, zindik practice and it is Jewish planning to destroy Islam. Therefore, this study is conducted to analyze the polemics in relation to the celebration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and to analyze the opinion of Islamic jurist to the related issues. The study involved qualitative and quantitative data through interviews, content analysis, and questionnaires. A total of four respondents were interviewed, 34 documents were analyzed, and 233 respondents answered the questionnaires. The findings of the study found that the issue of the celebration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was an issue of ijtihad. The study concludes that the celebration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is a bid'ah hasanah, even it is encouraged with the purpose of expressing love to the him.