Shaikh Abdel Aziz Aal Abdel Latif:

http://alabdulltif.net/index.php?option=com_ftawa&task=view&id=15739

Question: Why does Saudi Arabia permit celebrating the commemoration of Muhammad bin Abdel Wahhab in a conference, paying hundreds
of thousands for it, and it is not allowed for us to celebrate the commemoration of the mawlid of the Messenger of Allah -Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam-?
Who is more deserving of that: the Messenger of Allah -Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam- or Muhammad bin Abdel Wahhab?
This is a question that some of the people of knowledge of Damascus ask, please give us an answer.

The Answer:

All praise be to Allah alone, and Salat and Salam be upon the Messenger of Allah
The week of shaikh Muhammad bin Abdel Wahhab was only an academic conference held in 1400 Hijri, under the supervision of the Islamic
University of Imam Muhammad bin Sa’ud in Riyadh, it consisted for a number of researches regarding the dawah of shaikh Muhammad bin Abdel
Wahhab in terms of its emergence and its affects, and the doubts created surrounding it with its refutation. In addition to that, the works of
shaikh Muhammad bin Abdel Wahhab were printed after compiling and organizing it.

The difference between that conference and the celebration of the Prophetic Mawlid is obvious, as the week of shaikh Muhammad bin Abdel
Wahhab was not an act of worship itself, what was meant by it is to inform about this dawah and to do justice to its reviver; also, the week of the
shaikh does not reoccur or return as is the case with the ones who celebrate the Prophetic Mawlid, tending it every year; while this week was
held about a quarter century ago, and has ended.

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Shaikh Ibn Uthaimeen -rahimahullah-:

The shaikh was asked: What is the difference between what is called “The week of shaikh Muhammad bin Abdel Wahhab” -Rahimahullah, and
the celebration of the Prophetic Mawlid, as the second is condemned, while the first isn’t?

So he answered:
“The difference between them -according to our knowledge- is from two sides:
The first is: the week of shaikh Muhammad bin Abdel Wahhab -Rahimahullah Ta’ala- was not done as a means to get closer to Allah -Azza wa Jal-, it is only meant for removing doubts that are in the hearts of some people towards this man, and to show what Allah has blessed the
Muslims through this man.
لإhe second is: the week of shaikh Muhammad bin Abdel Wahhab -Rahimahullah- does not reoccur and return (every year) as is the case with
‘Eids; it is something that has been clarified to the people, things were written in it, and the truth regarding this man, that was not known before,
was shown to many people, then it ended.”

Source: Majmu’ Fatawa wa Rasael Shaikh Muhammad Saleh al-Uthaimeen, volume 16 – Prayer of the two Eids.

He also said in “Liqa’ al-Bab al-Maftooh” :

The Question:
The people of innovation say: You commemorate some individuals or like the week of shaikh Muhammad bin Abdel Wahhab – rahimahullah-,
they say: what we do is similar to that, and the Messenger -alayhi assalam- is greater than Imam Muhammad?

The answer:
The Messenger of Allah is greater than all human beings, but the commemoration of the Messenger (Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is not specific to to this night. I have mentioned to you before, that every act of worship includes the commemoration of the Messenger -alayhi assalatu
wasSalam-, this is from one point, and from another point: the week of Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab, was it made into a eid that reoccurs? we
say: it was not made an eid … and an eid is something that returns and reoccurs, you made this (i.e. mawlid) an eid that reoccurs every year, and
this is munkar; that is why if someone, one day, stood up and spoke about the mission of the Messenger – alayhi asSalatu wasSalam- and his
visiting, we would not call him an innovator, but to make it into an eid that reoccurs every year like a the religious eids such as Eid al Fitr and Eid
Al-Adha, then this is munkar; and if we assume that the week of the Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab was wrong, does that mean we compare a
wrong with wrong? we don’t.