This Feb. 4 (the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal) is the birthday of Prophet Muhammad. Then there are those who will pretend as if there is nothing special about that day. Prophet Muhammad's Birthday Please scroll down to end of page for previous years' dates. Since Sudan is mostly Sunni, Muhammad’s Birthday is celebrated on 12 Rabi al-Awwal instead of on 17 Rabi al-Awwal as the Shia calculation would have it. Most such information thus comes from the sīrah (“biography”) literature, consisting of accounts of his life by various writers dating mainly from the 8th and 9th centuries. The practice began in Egypt in the 11th century and then gradually spread to other parts of the Muslim World. Is monarchy not bid'ah? Undoubtedly, beauty lies in the heart of the beholder. There are many who will celebrate his birthday (Mawlid) with abandon, immerse themselves in cherishing his memory and enjoy moments of spiritual ecstasy singing his praises. Neither does the Qu'ran command Muslims to celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad, nor did the Prophet or his companions do so. Professor of Islam and Global Affairs at the University of Delaware, Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost's next chapter. Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday is celebrated by organizing street parades. According to Islamic tradition, the Qurʾān, understood as a literal transcription of the speech of God (Allah), was revealed to Muhammad in stages by the archangel Gabriel, beginning in 610. This is clear from the Qu'ran and some Hadith (prophetic traditions). His youngest daughter, Fāṭimah, married Muhammad’s cousin ʿAlī, the fourth of Muhammad’s successors as leader of the Muslim community. Birthday of Prophet Muhammad and Imam Jafar al-Sadiq is an important religious observance in the Muslim communities, and it is observed on 17 th of the Rabi' al-awwal, which is the third month in the Islamic calendar.. Birthday of Prophet Muhammad and Imam Jafar al-Sadiq commemorates the birthday of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad and Imam Jafar al-Sadiq. Thus, statements of the sort that on March 21 of the year 625, Meccan forces entered the oasis of Medina are inherently problematic. We seek His refuge from the evil in our souls and from our wicked deeds. Allah did not send him except as mercy to all the worlds (Qu'ran 21:107). Why permit monarchy and forbid Mawlid? At least to historians who are reluctant to admit reports of divine intervention, the problem is reinforced by the miraculous elements of some of the material included in Ibn Isḥāq’s work. For example, before Muhammad’s emigration to Medina he is said to have received an oath of allegiance by twelve inhabitants of the city, an obvious parallel to the Twelve Apostles, and during the digging of a defensive trench around Medina Muhammad is said to have miraculously sated all the workers from a handful of dates, recalling Jesus’ feeding of the multitude. And, while we enjoy good food, I will regale my family with traditions and stories about the mercy, the wisdom, the compassion and the struggles of the most praised man -- Muhammad. Today (30 November) signals the start of Mawlid al-Nabi, the date that commemorates the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Updates? Isn't that bid'ah? They add comfort and beauty to the place of worship, but are not elements of worship. It is on this basis that we permit all the technological and institutional innovations, which were not present at the time of the Prophet and his companions. Here are some of their sources: I must confess, I find the Sufi narratives on the Prophet Muhammad uplifting and also befuddling. Also known to Muslims in Malaysia as Maulud Nabi. Happy Birthday, Ruhi dear. Tap here to turn on desktop notifications to get the news sent straight to you. After all, his name is Muhammad, which means the most praised one. Celebrating Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Every time Muslims mention his name and every time they offer prayers, they seek blessings for him. For me the day of Mawlid has extra meaning, for my daughter Ruhi was also born on the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal (1423). Without the Sufi imagination, one would think that word "light" in 5:15 was metaphorical, as something that illuminates, meaning the Prophet's sunnah illuminates the shariah. 2) Allah honored and blessed mankind by sending His Prophet, (Salla Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam), and by preserving His Book. I find the Sufi theories of Prophet Muhammad's excellence very interesting, but too far from sacred texts to be employed in making legal rulings about the permissibility of an act of worship. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. From Damascus to Delhi, Tehran to Timbuktu, there will be sweets, music, poetry and celebration. The holiday is observed on the 12th day of Rabi-ul Awal, which is also the third month of the Islamic calendar. Others view the celebration of birthdays as contradictory to Islamic law Part of HuffPost Religion. Nonetheless, some accretion of popular legend around a figure as seminal as Muhammad would be entirely expected. 12th Rabi' al-awwal is the accepted date among most of the Sunni scholars, while most Shiasc… Clearly this innovation is not leading to hell, since the Prophet himself attested that Caliph Umar was destined for heaven. We worship Allah the most high, not Prophet Muhammad, who is his messenger. For these scholars, the very existence of the universe is a celebration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad, so they find even the suggestion of not celebrating Mawlid appalling. Please select which sections you would like to print: While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. But all is not well in the Kingdom of Muhammad. ©2021 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Many (though not all) Muslims reject visual representations (e.g., images and sculpted figures) of religious figures, or even visual representations of living things, seeing it as a form of idolatry (worship of physical objects), which is inconsistent with their monotheism. Indeed all praises are due to Allah, we praise Him, we seek His help, we ask for His forgiveness, and we rely solely on Him. Traditions of Muhammad's Birthday. It is enough that it is a pleasure here and now that neither embellishes the hereafter nor imperils it. Some people see the Prophet's birthday as an event worthy of praise. In more conservative countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the practice is forbidden as there is no record of the Prophet observing the day. Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday 2021, 2022 and 2023 Most UAE Muslims observe the birthday of their religion’s founder, Muhammad, but not all on the same date. We all celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on 12 Rabi-ul-awal. Each such report is normally introduced by a list of names tracing it through various intermediaries back to its ultimate source, which in many cases is an eyewitness—for example, the Prophet’s wife ʿĀʾishah. The Qurʾān yields little concrete biographical information about the Islamic Prophet: it addresses an individual “messenger of God,” whom a number of verses call Muhammad (e.g., 3:144), and speaks of a pilgrimage sanctuary that is associated with the “valley of Mecca” and the Kaʿbah (e.g., 2:124–129, 5:97, 48:24–25). O you who believe! Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday, also called “Mawlid“, is a national public holiday. A one-day holiday will be observed by all private sector employees on Thursday, October 29, on the occasion of the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be … "Indeed, Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. “He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves” [al-Jumu’ah 64:2] 4 – They may say that the celebration of the Prophet’s birthday was introduced by a knowledgeable and just king who intended thereby to draw closer to Allaah. (Qu'ran 5:3)", "Every innovation is a misguidance, and every misguidance goes to Hell fire. It's like saying my beloved is more beautiful than the moon. ", "Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you, [O Muhammad] -- they are actually pledging allegiance to Allah. Muslims glorify him in prayer and poetry: "Do not ask me, friend; where is Muhammad? Why pray 20 rakath in taraweeh? We do not want any divine reward for celebrating the Prophet's birthday, celebrating it is reward enough. This is purely a religious festival and is marked as a public holiday. In 610 he experienced a vision of the archangel Gabriel. All things considered, there is no compelling reason to suggest that the basic scaffolding of the traditional Islamic account of Muhammad’s life is unhistorical. However, this work is extant only in later reworkings and abridgements, of which the best known is ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Hishām’s (died 833–834) Sīrat Muḥammad rasūl Allāh (“Life of Muhammad, the Messenger of God”). Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, Biography according to the Islamic tradition, Status in the Qurʾān and in post-Qurʾānic Islam, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Muhammad, JewishEncyclopedia.com - Biography of Mohammed, Muhammad - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Muhammad - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Learn about the life of Mohammad, the founder of Islam. For Muslims, the Prophet Muhammad's actions, words and silences all tantamount to divine law. Prophet Muhammad’s birthday is commemorated in the Maldives on 12 Rabi’ al-awwal of the Islamic calendar. On the Gregorian Calendar, its date migrates forward by about 11 days each year. After his clan withdrew its protection, he fled to Medina in 622 and repulsed two attacks by Meccan forces in 625 and 627. The Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) birthday is marked on Rabi Al Awwal 12, according to the Islamic calendar. Tradition holds that when Muhammad had his first vision, he fled from the cave in terror. The Prophet Muhammad's Birthday is a public holiday. They also conclude that the celebration of Prophet Muhammad's birthday is the celebration of tawhid (oneness of God), the birth of Islam and the birth of the one who is most beloved to God All Mighty. Ibn Isḥāq’s original book was not his own composition but rather a compilation of autonomous reports about specific events that took place during the life of Muhammad and also prior to it, which Ibn Isḥāq arranged into what he deemed to be their correct chronological order and to which he added his own comments. We celebrate marriages, we celebrate national days, independence days, and we celebrate the victories of our favorite soccer and cricket teams. Muslims have their religion Islam, and they also have their culture. Muhammad, in full Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib ibn Hāshim, (born c. 570, Mecca, Arabia [now in Saudi Arabia]—died June 8, 632, Medina), the founder of Islam and the proclaimer of the Qurʾān. Although polygamy was then prevalent in Arabic society, he was monogamously married to his first wife, Khadījah, until her death after about 25 years of marriage. 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