Who was Malik Muzaffar ud din who started mawlid in sunnis? I have heard that he was brother in law of Sultan Salah al-Din Ayubi. could you please quote some ullema who are against him as again I have heard that Ibn Kathir and ad-Dahabi praised him. How can ullema praise an innovator

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

Ath-Thahabi and Ibn Katheer praised the King Muthaffar Ad-Deen, on account of his great achievements in courage, Jihaad, generosity and kindness. However, it does not necessarily follow from them reporting that he celebrated the Prophet's birthday that they approved of him doing so.

As regards them praising him, there is nothing wrong with this, as a person could be right and wrong, do what is a Sunnah and what is an innovation, so he can be blamed on one hand and praised on the other hand.

Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said in Majmoo‘ Al-Fataawa: "One single person may have both the characteristics for which he will be rewarded and matters for which he will be punished, matters for which he will be praised and matters for which he will be blamed, matters that one would love in him and matters that one would hate in him." [End of quote]

Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah also said in Al-Istiqaamah: "Error and mistake along with man's good and sincere intention, the righteousness, virtue, religiousness, asceticism, piety and esteem are very common. It is not a condition for one who is close to Allaah to be immune to mistakes and errors, and even to sins."

He also said in Minhaaj as-Sunnah: "If a person treads the path of moderation, he would venerate whoever deserves veneration, and he would love him and become an ally to him, and give the truth its right, so he would glorify the truth and be merciful to the creation, and he would know that one single man may have good deeds and bad deeds, and so, he is praised (for the good deeds) and he is blamed (for the bad deeds), and he is rewarded and punished, and he is loved on one hand and hated on the other hand. This is the methodology of Ahl As-Sunnah wal-Jamaa‘ah, unlike the Khawaarij, the Mu‘tazilites and those who follow them."

The History Encyclopedia under the supervision of Shaykh ‘Alawi ibn Abdul-Qaadir As-Saqqaaf reads: "He is the King Muthaffar Abu Sa‘eed Kukuboori, son of the King Zayn ad-Deen Ali ibn Tubuktukeen al-Turkumaani, Abu Sa‘eed Al-Mu'aththam. He governed Erbil (in Iraq) after the death of his father, and he settled there for a period of time and then he moved to Mosul and then he entered Greater Syria and contacted the King Salaahuddeen who honored him greatly.

"He had left good monuments as he refurbished Al-Muthaffari Mosque in Mount Qasioun, and he was about to take water to it from Batheera water but he was prevented from doing so by the King Al-Mu‘ath-tham who argued that it could pass by the graves of Muslims at the foot of the mountain. He was very interested in celebrating the Birthday of the Prophet () to an extent that he himself used to dance and practice this innovation himself. Shaykh Abul-Khattaab ibn Dihyah edited a volume for him which he entitled At-Tanweer fi Mawlid Al-Basheer An-Natheer and he (Muthaffar) compensated him for this with 1,000 Dinars.

"During the reign of As-Salahiyyah (Salahuddeen Al-Ayyoobi's) State, he ruled at length, and he besieged Acre, and until this year, he has a praised biography and conscience. He had a guesthouse for the newcomers from anywhere and in any condition. He used to give in charity to the two sacred mosques (Makkah and Madeenah mosques) and others. He also used to free prisoners of war from the hands of the Crusaders each year to an extent that it was said that the total he freed was 60,000 prisoners. He died in Erbil castle, and he had asked to be buried in Makkah, but this was not possible, so he was buried in Mash-had ‘Ali." [End of quote]

Allaah Knows best.