to commemorate imagined victories. Indeed, I am astonished at people who make festivals out of defeats: commemorating the day of defeat, or the anniversary of the enemy’s occupation of such-and-such a land. This indicates the foolishness of the minds of many people today. When they became somewhat distant from the religion of Islam, they began to behave, even in their conduct, like fools. Nor are there any festivals to mark the birth of any human being. Even for the Prophet ﷺ, whose birth is not a legislatively prescribed occasion for a festival—and he is the noblest of mankind—so what then of those beneath him?!

If someone says, “We hold these occasions for the sake of remembrance,” we say: As for the Messenger ﷺ, Muslims are individually obliged to mention him at least five times a day and night, and they are collectively obliged to mention him likewise at least five times a day and night. In the call to prayer, Muslims say, “I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”; and in the tashahhud during prayer, they say, “I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.” Indeed, every act of worship through which a person worships Allah is a reminder of the Messenger ﷺ, because the worshipper must observe two matters in his worship:

1. Sincerity to Allah ﷿: that he performs the act of worship seeking nearness to Him and complying with His command.

2. Following the Messenger ﷺ: that he performs the act of worship in emulation of the Messenger ﷺ, as though the Prophet ﷺ were before him in it, so that this act of worship may be properly fulfilled. Thus, even if a person uses the siwak in adherence to the sunnah, this is a remembrance; and if he steps forward with his right foot when entering the mosque, in adherence to the sunnah, this is a remembrance; and if he places