celebrating URS

[Saa'd]

my dear brothers and sisters in Islam

Assalam-o-alaikum

I want to know the rulings of celebrating URS in Islam. is it permissible to attend the URS of saints , or these types of acts can be termed as bid'ah?

If this question has already been raised or discussed, please provide me with the link.

I do believe that none of blessed saHaaba, taabaaeen, taba' taabaaiin celebrated the URS of saints , but I want to increase my knowledge in this issue.

ma'ass.salaamah

Saa'd

[Omar HH]

Actually I have no clue to be honest and I was wondering the same thing. It's like Mawlid right but for Walis and Sahaba and stuff?

[JayshAllah]

*takes aim with Bidah Blaster*

[Saa'd]

Actually I have no clue to be honest and I was wondering the same thing. It's like Mawlid right but for Walis and Sahaba and stuff?

Yes brother, it looks like celebrating birthdays of Great Saints (Awliya).

I have come accross with the point of view from my bareilwi brothers but still searching for some more details.

[JayshAllah]

Yes brother, it looks like celebrating birthdays of Great Saints (Awliya).

I have come accross with the point of view from my bareilwi brothers but still searching for some more details.


Seriously, why the heck would you do such things???? Celebrate birthdays of "saints"?????

Sigh, I don't even like calling people "saints."

Shrines, saints, birthdays, etc -- what is all this stuff but Jahiliyya?

This stuff makes me sad / upset.

[Zahra]

Assalamu Alaikum,

I'm still confused about urs but as I lack knowledge about this practice I won't say celebrating urs is biddah.

[JayshAllah]

Assalamu Alaikum,

I'm still confused about urs but as I lack knowledge about this practice I won't say celebrating urs is biddah.


Why do it unless you do it as an act of worship?

If you do it as an act of worship, was it part of the Sunnah?

If it was not part of the Sunnah and it is an act of worship, then it is Bidah.

Did the Prophet (s) celebrate the birthday of Prophet Jesus (as). And who is superior in rank? Prophet Jesus (as) or the so-called Sufi "saints."

[iqadeer]

I remember once asking a Catholic about Sainthood and he said that Catholic's believe in many Saints as their protectors and even pray to them like asking for help, etc. You can imagine my surprise and disbelief when I noticed the uncanny resemblence in this statement with what some of our own brethren do in the name of tawassul.

[JayshAllah]

I remember once asking a Catholic about Sainthood and he said that Catholic's believe in many Saints as their protectors and even pray to them like asking for help, etc. You can imagine my surprise and disbelief when I noticed the uncanny resemblence in this statement with what some of our own brethren do in the name of tawassul.


“And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allaah, so call on Him...” [al-A’raaf 7:180].

“You ALONE do we worship, and Your aid ALONE we seek.” (Quran, Surat Al-Fa’tiha)


Allah Almighty says clearly in the Quran: "And invoke not, besides Allaah, [anyone since that] will neither profit you, nor hurt you, but if (in case) you did so, you shall certainly be one of the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers). And if Allah should afflict you with harm, then there is none to remove it but He; and if He intends good to you there is none to repel His grace." [Quran 10:106-107]


Say [O Muhammad]: "I have no power over any good or harm to myself except as Allah wills" (Quran, 7:188)


"And your Lord says: 'Call on Me, I will answer your (prayer).' (40: 60)


Allah Almighty says it so clearly in the Quran: "Verily those whom you call upon besides Allah are servants like you. Therefore, call upon them, and let them listen to your prayers, if you are (indeed) truthful!" (7: 194)

"If you invoke (or call upon) them, they hear not your call; and if (in case) they were to hear, they could not grant it (your request) to you....But you cannot make those hear who are in graves…" (Quran, Chapter 35)

Allah Almighty continues, “Call upon those whom you imagine beside Allah! They have not an atom’s weight of power either in the heavens or in the earth, nor have they any share in either, nor does He need any of them as a helper.” (Quran, 34:22)


Allah Almighty says again in the Quran: "Yet have they taken, besides Him, gods that can create NOTHING but are THEMSELVES CREATED; that have NO control of hurt or good to themselves; nor can they control Death nor Life nor Resurrection." (25: 03)

[abuhajira]

:salam:

The question has a couple of aspects.

Well in my research I have come across few people who do so for their love for that personality. The biggest URS you may see is that of either Rasul Allah :saw: , comonly known as Milaad ; or that of "Piraan e Peer" Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani. The daleel of love does not hold true, because love is only in practicing upon what the deceased person suggested. And if you go to the URS they have in Pakistan and India and then read the books of these shuyukh...its a complete opposite. So love is just a name..

But regarding the other half of the people who try to prove it through Nusus etc.. Esaal thawab is the only link they can use. Mufti Ebrahim says regarding similar celebration upon deceased... the 7th 10th 40th etc...

He says,



Upon the death of a person, it is a common practice to make Fateha. Contextually, Fateha is the recitation of a few Aayaats of the Qur'aan followed by a Du'aa for the deceased.

There are innumerable number of Ahaadith expounding the virtues of reciting the Qur'aan and making Du'aa. There are also many Ahaadith on Isaal-e-Sawaab (sending reward to the deceased). Surely, the deceased eagerly await for rewards from his beloved wife, parents and friends by them making Du'aa for his forgiveness, giving charity, etc. on his behalf.

However, in order for the deceased to benefit from the gifts of his beloved, they must be channelled to him in the correct way, the way of our beloved Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam). During the time of the Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam), many deaths occurred. It was his noble habit to comfort the bereaved families and widows. Many Sahaaba (Radhiallaahu Anhu) enquired from the Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) about Isaal-e-Sawaab (sending Sawaab to their deceased). It is not proven on any one occasion that the Prophet himself practised or ordered the customary practise of Fateha (7 days, 40 days, and 100 days). Had the customary practise of Fateha (7 days, 40 days, and 100 days) been of any significance, he surely would have at least practised it or ordered its practise at least once in his lifetime.

To emphasise and carry out a particular practise not proven in Shari'ah, for example, Fateha leads to distortion of Deen. Many people may regard the practise as necessary and an integral part of Deen as is the case among many unwary people today. Any practise which leads to a possible distortion of Deen is prohibited and a major sin. Obviously, such a practise leading to sin invokes the anger of Allah. How can such a practise benefit the deceased?

The only way to benefit the deceased is to send Sawaab to him by carrying out acts of virtue, for example, reciting Qur'aan, making Du'aa for him, giving charity, etc. as advised by our beloved Rasul (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam). May Allah Ta'ala bless all our Marhooms and grant them Jannatul Firdaws.


Even in Milaad appointing a specific time would definitely render it a Bida'

:ws:

[Saa'd]

Hadhrat Shah Abdul Azeez Muhaddith Dehlwi (rahmatullahi alaih) was asked whether it was correct to specify a day for visiting the graves or to go there on the day of Urs, which was held on a specific day? Hadhrat Shah Sahib (rahmatullahi alaih) replied:

“To specify a particular day for visiting the graves is a Bid`ah, whilst actual visiting (of the graves) is permissible. It was not a habit of the Salf-e-Saaliheen to specify a particular day. It is a Bid`ah for this reason that while in reality it is permissible but the specifying of a time is Bid`ah. An example of this is the making of Musaafahah after the Asr Salaat, which is a custom in certain areas. However there is no harm in making Dua for the deceased on the day of Urs, but to deem it as being necessary is a Bid`ah.” [Fataawa Azeezi, page 89, vol.1]

[talib al-habib]

salams

There's a story about a man who had a cat that disturbed him when he used to pray, so before each prayer he would lock the cat in another room. His son grows up seeing this, so when he becomes an adult, he also locks the pet cat up in another room before praying. When his son grows up, he stops praying. When asked why, he says, 'I can't pray, I don't have a cat!'

It is my experience that most so-called bidas have an originally solid grounding - usually based on maslahah. However, as time has gone by and the original purpose has been lost, they degenerate into customary practice. Conversely, if one researches - or asks the people of knowledge, what had seemed like superstition becomes clearly acting on the spirit - and often the letter - of the sunna. I used to (inwardly) raise an eyebrow at my dear grandma and auntie-ji's telling me to 'bring the kids in at maghrib time or the jinn will catch them' - until I actually read much the same in hadith...

Urs - done in its proper form (which it has been by many saints and scholars including Shah Waliullah) - is ultimately a form of calling to good and tadhkira. It is a way of (1) increasing the love for the friends of Allah, and (2) using the love that common (often non-practising) people have for the awliya-allah to teach them about the practices of Rasulullah (s) as shown in the life of that saint. Much depends on how much control and knowledge is posessed by those in charge of the event.

Additionally, an urs is not necessarily specified on a particular day - it can be done (like the mawlid) on any day at any time. If it is fixed, it is for maslahah, in the same way that any Islamic gathering is prepared, announced and advertised. No urs is fomally specified (ta`yin shari`) like the Eid - such that it becomes invalid if not done at that time. They can be extremely informal - a few friends or murids gathering and speaking about one of the masters of their sufi order over tea and cakes, for example.

Those who partake in urs use several textual justifications:

1. the (some say annual) visitation of Uhud by Rasul (s) on the anniversary of the battle, where he would deliver a sermon and pray. His own mimbar used to be taken out to Uhud for this. (don't have exact refs, but pretty sure it's in Bihaya wa'Nihaya). This is the proof for 'formal' urs.

2. the hadith, 'remember your dead and speak kindly of them.'

3. the hadith, 'the firends of Allah. Allah is remembered through remembrance of them.'

From a more spiritual point of view, urs is the remembering, celebrating and learning from the occasion of the passing away of a saint. It is to realise that the reality of death, for them, is not a loss but rather the culmination of a lifetime's unceasing worship and sincere sacrifice by one of Allah's beloveds. It is the ecstatic moment when they finally break their life-time's fast with the vision of and communion with their Lord.

As our beloved Prophet (s) said, 'a believer has two joys: when he breaks his fast and when he sees.' Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (ra) said, 'the fast is the fast of the elect, abstaining from all other than Allah. It is broken only upon death. The seeing is the vision of Allah.'

Urs is also the sanctification of time - that a particular day is marked out as special because of its connection to one of Allah's manifest signs on earth. In this despiritualised, desanctified world, we are much in need of holiness. As my teacher often tells us, 'what would you being doing right now if you weren't here?'

that's a brief and incomplete skim. I'm sure more knowledgable bros/sis can do better. Peace and blessings upon the best of creation, his family, his companions and his beloved ones, in every breath and heartbeat.

`afwan
was salam
talib

PS: 'urs is not the 'birthday' of the wali, but the death anniversary. Urs means 'bridal night.' It takes its name from the hadith wherein angels say to the true believer when he is placed in his grave: 'sleep you the sleep of a bride (`arus). It refers to the removal of the veil between lover (the wali) and beloved (Allah).

[tazkiyyah]

Sidi Talib,

I see some of the points that you make.

But I do feel that within the sunnah(e.g. reciting Quran/ Praying Nawaafil/ Attending Jumuah salah) etc etc
There are abundant occasions to reconcile profane man with the sacred sustenance from the divine.

In my experience the Urs has not fulfilled this function well, so perhaps other ideas should
be used to this end?

[Omar HH]

I saw in the Maliki school `Urs is Makruh or generally disliked.

As well as walking backwords from a grave so as to not put one's back to it. This is also disliked or discouraged (not neccessarily the ruling "makruh").

Shaykh Abu Qanit mentions this in his online sessions.

Wassalam.

[talib al-habib]

salams sidi Tazkiyyah

I too, understand your point. This touches one of the primary causes of ikhtilaf between our ulama, which unfortunately thereafter become issues of unnecessary debate among the ignorant.

Shaykh Faraz puts it very well:


" Now, I think that they need to be engaged because the very great need to reform (and reawaken) the religious practice of Muslims is in many ways made MORE DIFFICULT by the often stern, puritanical way of presenting Islam to the common Muslim, especially in these times. We live in an age of entertainment, haram entertainment. We live in an age where Muslims have become distanced from the Sacred Law and its injunctions; where Muslims have little respects for scholars and saints; where Muslims have weak iman, little understanding of their deen, and little to hold onto besides feeling Muslims. Dry presentations of "brother, pray, fast and give zakat" do not reach the hearts and minds of many.

This is where the wisdom of many of the halal celebrations such as the Mawlid, and dhikr gatherings, emerges: it is halal religious entertainment. It gives the common Muslim something light and fun to do. It is non-threatening, unlike heavy lectures on the fiqh of whatever, or the heat of hell. At the same time, such celebrations have a way of bringing those distant back into the fold, as well as keeping those of merely mild commitment in it. "

As my own shaykh once explained to me, 'if you were to reach the spiritual level of the early generations, and experienced what they experienced in their 'simple' prayer and tilawat, you too would not require anything else. But because we are weak, we need to find that spiritual bliss and nourishment in other forms of ibada, such as group dhikr, mawlid, and so forth.'

People of different cultures, times and temperaments find that 'sweetness of faith' in different ways. It is for the enlightened ulama amongst us to determine which of these is within the parameters of sacred law, and which is most appropriate in a given time and age.

Inevitably, there will be disagreements. But we need to keep in mind that the unity of the Ummah is not in agreeing with each other, but loving one another even though we disagree. May Allah give us wisdom and inner strength.

was salam
talib

[tazkiyyah]

Okay. That makes sense
As halal entertainment , to gather to remember the saints without fixing any date.
I dont have any problem with that.

Some people I have met seem to think you have to celebrate the gyarvi sharif or something to love shaykh abdal qadir jilani. I might love him and be reading his books on tasawuf
and reflecting on his advices personally,but not festively.

Some sufis actually abhorred public gatherings. they just ran to the masajid for the fardh and fled away from nawafil etc in the masajid fo fear of riya.
so many of them wouldnt be too fond of events or big gatherings of mawlid and urs etc.

It all depends on which angle one is viewing from....

The other point you made was that we live in an age of entertainment
there fore we need to appeal to people using light media such as qasaid etc.

Iactually disagree.
I read Postmans treatise amusing ourselves to death about tv
and it focuses on mcluhans idea of the medium as message.
|By making the deen entertainment, one runs the danger of
forming masses of awaam for whom everything has to be funny and light and entertaining. Celebrities abound and gravity has no place.
Postman has a chapter on tele-evangelism and education and infotainment which is worth reading and reflecting on.

Its just my viewpoint- I don't enforce it on you...