Is it allowed for me to eat food that’s prepared for the Mawlid?

by Asma bint Shameem

ANSWER

It depends on what kind of food it is. 

1. If it’s non-meat

If it’s anything that’s vegetarian or it’s just fruits or sweets or cakes etc, then there’s nothing wrong with eating that. 

Although celebrating the Mawlid is an innovation in the Deen and the one who celebrates this is guilty of bid’ah, the food prepared for this occasion itself is “generally” permissible. 

So as long as you’re not participating in the innovated festival or condoning it or assisting them in it in any way, then it’s permissible to eat this food, if someone brings it to you or you happen to come across it.

That’s because generally speaking, things are PERMISSIBLE in principle  unless there’s a Shar’ee text to prohibit them. 

In fact, we can even eat sweets, veggies and fruits prepared by the non Muslims for their shirki or innovated festivals. 

Their shirk doesn’t ‘change’ it or ‘affect’ it in any way. 

🔺Proof:

🍃 Someone said to our Mother Aaishah radhi Allaahu anhaa:

“We have some wet nurses from among the Magians, and they have a festival on which they bring us gifts. 

She said: 

As for what is slaughtered for that day, do not eat it, but eat from their vegetables.”

(Ibn Abi Shaybah)

If it was wrong, Aaishah radhi Allaahu anhaa would have never eaten from their food. 

🍃 And Abu Barzah said that he had some Magian neighbors who used to bring him gifts on the occasion of Nayrooz and Mahrjaan, and he used to say to his family: 

“Whatever is of fruits, eat it, and whatever is otherwise, reject it.”

2. If the food is meat

If the food contains meat, then there are two scenarios:

A) If the meat is from an animal  that they’ve slaughtered especially for this occasion, in the name of the Prophet ﷺ  then it’s not permissible to eat that meat. 

That’s because the meat has been slaughtered in the name of other than Allaah. 

That is shirk and that is haraam. 

🍃The Prophet ﷺ said:  

“Allaah has cursed the one who slaughters (a sacrifice) to other than Allaah.”

(Saheeh Muslim 1978)”

OR 

If the animal is slaughtered by someone who commits shirk by making Duaa to the Prophet ﷺ or believes that he’s “haadhir naadhir” (present everywhere), or that he knows and hears us or that he’s in control of the universe or other shirki beliefs.

That is again shirk and it’s not permissible to eat meat slaughtered by such a person.

🍃Someone asked the scholars of the Standing Committee:

“Is it permissible to eat meat that was slaughtered to commemorate the Prophet’s ﷺ birthday (Mawlid)? Would it be considered among that over which a name other than Allaah was invoked, or not?”

The scholars said:

“It is not permissible to eat from what is slaughtered to commemorate the birthday (Mawlid) of the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ, because it falls under the same category as that over which a name other than Allaah was invoked.

Another example of this is an animal slaughtered at a place where animals are slaughtered for other than Allaah, as well as an animal slaughtered in a town when a king or prominent person, for example, passes through its sky in an airplane, as an act of honoring his passing.”

(Fataawaa al-Lajnah ad-Daaʾimah, Collection 1, vol. 22, p. 496)

🍃 The scholars of the Standing Committee also said:

“Sacrificing animals on the occasion of commemorating the birth of a prophet or a Waliy (pious person) to glorify them is judged as sacrificing an animal to other than Allaah, which is Shirk (associating others with Allaah in His Divinity or worship). 

Therefore, it is not permissible to eat from these animals.”

(Fataawaa al-Lajnah ad-Daaʾimah

10685)

B) If the meat is from an animal that’s been sacrificed for Allaah Alone and the slaughtering person does not commit shirk, then it’s permissible to eat this meat, even if the person is guilty of committing bid’ah.

🍃 Ibn Taymiyyah said:

“As for accepting gifts from them (ie: the disbelievers) on the days of their festivals, then we have already quoted from ʿAli radhi Allaahu anhu that there came to him a gift on the celebration of Nayrooz and he accepted it.

And Ibn Abī Shaybah narrated in al-Muṣannaf:

Jarīr narrated to us from Qābūs from his father:

“A woman asked ʿĀ’ishah radhi Allaahu anhaa:

“We have some wet nurses from al-Majoos (ie: the Magians); and when it is their festival, they give us gifts.”

So she said:

“As for what is slaughtered (of animals) on that day, then do not eat it.

However, eat from their vegetation (ie: vegetables and what grows on their trees).”

And he (ie: Ibn Abī Shaybah) also narrated:

Wakīʿ narrated to us from al-Ḥasan b. Hakim from his mother from Abū Barzah that he used to live in the locality of al-Majoos;

And they would give him gifts on the celebrations of Nayrooz and Mahrajaan,

So he would say to his family: “Eat from the fruits they give you; and reject what is besides that.”

So all of this proves that the festival do not forbid one from accepting their gifts.

Indeed the ruling of accepting gifts during the celebratory days is the same as any other days (ie: whether it is their festival or not); because it does not entail aiding them in making apparent the symbols of their kufr (ie: disbelief).

However, accepting the gifts of the disbelivers from Ahl al-harb wa Ahl al-Dhimmah (ie: the people of war and those disbelievers living in the Muslim lands) is a separate issue.

There is in it differences of opinion and in need of a detailed explanation.

This is not the place for it.

And it is allowed to eat the food of Ahl al-Kitaab (ie: the People of the Book) on their days of festivals, regardless of whether it is bought or received as a gift,

Or other than that as long as it was not slaughtered for the purpose of the day of celebration.

As for the (meat) slaughtered meat of al-Majoos, then its ruling is well known.

It is haraam (ie: prohibited) at all times.”

(Iqtidaa al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem 2/51)

🍃Someone asked Shaykh Ibn Baaz:

“What is the ruling on meat that is slaughtered for the Mawlid?”

Shaykh Ibn Baaz said:

“If it is slaughtered (as a sacrifice) to the one whose birthday is being celebrated, then it is major shirk, but it is slaughtered just to be eaten, there is nothing wrong with that.

But it should not be eaten, and the Muslim should not attend (the feast), so as to denounce them in word and in deed, unless he attends in order to denounce them without joining them in eating or anything else.”

(Majmoo’ al-Fataawa 9/74)

🔺 Conclusion

As long as the food is vegetarian, or it’s fruits, sweets, cakes, etc., or if the meat is from an animal that’s not been slaughtered in the name of other than Allaah or by someone who commits shirk, it’s permissible to eat it. 

Of course, keep in mind that it’s not allowed to participate in these innovated celebrations in any way. 

But if someone just brings this food to you or you happen to come across them without you seeking out these sweets, or food then the basic principle is that they’re permissible.  

And Allaah knows best