The Meaning of ‘Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi’
First, let us discuss ‘Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi (صلى الله عليه وسلم)’.
The Arabic word ‘Eid’ (عيد) means joy, happiness, etc.
The word ‘Milad’ (ميلاد) means the time of birth, birth moment, or the time of arrival. Here, the word Milad is used in a temporal (time-related) sense.
Therefore, ‘Milad-un-Nabi’ (ميلاد النبي) means the time of birth or arrival of the Noble Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Simply put, Milad-un-Nabi refers to the blessed birth or arrival of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم).
In technical terms, Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi (صلى الله عليه وسلم) refers to expressing joy and happiness in a Shariah-compliant manner to show gratitude to Allah for the birth of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم).
Some claim that the word ‘Milad’ (ميلاد) is an Ism Aala (اسم آلة), meaning a noun of instrument. However, this claim is incorrect, as none of the earlier scholars accepted this interpretation. In hadith literature as well, the word Milad has been used to mean the time of birth, i.e., as an Ism Zarf (اسم ظرف – noun of time).
For example, a hadith states:
“قَدَّمْنَاهُ فِي الْمِيْلَادِ”
Translation: “We gave him priority at the time of birth.”
Here, Milad is used as an Ism Zarf, or time-indicating noun.
Below are quotations from renowned Arab linguists and Imams:
1. Allama Ibn Munjim Al-Afriki (رحمه الله) said:
“ميلاد الرجل اسم الوقت الذي ولد فيه”
Translation: “A man’s Milad is the time at which he was born.”
(Lisan al-Arab, Vol. 3, p. 467, Dar al-Sadir, Beirut)
2. Allama Ibn Abi Bakr Razi (رحمه الله) said:
“ميلاد الرجل اسم الوقت الذي ولد فيه”
Translation: “The time of a person’s birth is called Milad.”
(Mukhtar al-Sihah, Vol. 1, p. 740)
3. Allama Jawhari (رحمه الله) said:
“ميلاد: اسم الوقت الذي ولد فيه الرجل”
Translation: “Milad is the name of the time at which a person is born.”
(Sihah Taj al-Lughat, Vol. 3, p. 269)
4. Allama Zubaidi (رحمه الله) said:
“الميلاد: الوقت”
Translation: “Milad means time.”
(Taj al-‘Arus, Vol. 1, p. 2353)
5. Allama Abu Ibrahim Farawi (رحمه الله) said:
“الميلاد: اسم الوقت الذي ولد فيه الرجل”
Translation: “Milad is the time when a person is born.”
(Diwan al-Adab)
6. In the Farhang-e-Jadid dictionary, it is written:
“ميلاد” means birth, birthday.
(Farhang-e-Jadid, p. 794)
Read More:What is Nafs and Why? A Detailed Analysis
Furthermore, in Hadith literature, the word ‘Milad-un-Nabi’ is used to indicate the time of the Prophet’s (صلى الله عليه وسلم) birth. For example:
Imam Tirmidhi (رحمه الله) titled one of the chapters in Jami‘ Tirmidhi as:
“باب ما جاء في ميلاد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم”
Translation: “Chapter: What has been reported regarding the birth of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم).”
(Tirmidhi Sharif, p. 203)
Hence, none of the scholars accepted Milad to be an Ism Aala (instrument noun); rather, they unanimously agreed that it denotes the time of birth or birthday of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم).
Understanding this, the reviver (Mujaddid) of the 9th Hijri century, the great hadith scholar and Hafiz, Imam Jalaluddin al-Suyuti (رحمه الله) said:
“قال الإمام السيوطي قدس سره: فيستحب لنا أيضا إظهار الشكر بمولده بالاجتماع وإطعام الطعام ونحو ذلك”
Translation: “Imam Suyuti (رحمه الله) said: It is recommended for us to express gratitude on the Prophet’s birth by gathering, feeding others, and similar virtuous acts.”
