If your question means, whether the Muslims can use the occasion of Rabi Al-Awwal to commemorate the life and achievements of the Prophet, peace be upon him, then I would say, it is not only permissible, but should be encouraged by all Muslims. In this way, we would be providing an excellent forum to express our love for the beloved of Allah and our role model, and educate everyone, including our own families as well as others, about the greatest benefactor of humanity.

In my mind, there is no greater challenge for us Muslims today than educating ourselves about the exemplary traits, character and achievements of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and project his true message to future generations in a way that everyone can relate to in their personal lives.

While commemorating the great Prophet’s life, we must stay away from all forms of an excessive show of veneration bordering on shirk (associating partners with Allah); shirk is the antithesis of tawhid, the fundamental teaching of the Prophet, peace be upon him.

Coming to your question, whether to do so is a bid`ah (reprehensible innovation), my answer is: commemoration of the Prophet’s life can only be considered a bid`ah if we were to mix it up with questionable practices. As we all know too well the people of Madinah commemorated the arrival of the Prophet, peace be upon him, with great fanfare and celebrations –including the girls and boys singing nasheeds. Likewise, the Caliph `Umar used the event of Hijrah to mark the beginning of the Islamic Calendar.Nations commemorate the milestones of their history in order to unify themselves and weave collective memories. Can the Muslims find anything in history far more momentous than their memory of the Prophet, peace be upon him?

If you need further details on this, you may read my article published here: