Prophets Muhammad’s Birthday is commemorated during the month of Rabi’ al-awwal, the third month of the Muslim calendar.
Various names are interchangeable in different Countries and regions.
The date is variable each year, and may have different dates in northern and southern hemisphere.
Mawlid is derived from the Arabic root word (Arabic: ولد), meaning to give birth, bear a child, descendant.[4] In contemporary usage, Mawlid refers to the observance of the birthday of Muhammad.[1]
Eid Milad un-Nabi
Eid Milad-un-Nabi, also known as the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, is a public holiday in Pakistan. Sunni Muslims observe Milad-un-Nabi on 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal (third month of the Islamic calendar) while Shia Muslims observe it on 17 Rabi-ul-Awwal, coinciding with the birthdate of their sixth Imam Jafar-al-Sadiq.
Mawlid (Arabic: مَولِد النَّبِي mawlidu n-nabiyyi, “Birth of the Prophet”, sometimes simply called in colloquial Arabic مولدmawlid, mevlid, mevlit, mulud among other vernacular pronunciations; sometimes ميلاد mīlād) is the observance of the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad which occurs on the 12th day of Rabi’ al-awwal, the third month in theIslamic calendar.[1] The Fatimids began celebrating Mawlid in the 10th century, and the Ottomans declared it an official holiday in 1588.[2] The term Mawlid is also used in some parts of the world, such as Egypt, as a generic term for the birthday celebrations of other historical religious figures such as Sufi saints
History
The oldest Mawlid text is claimed to be from the 12th century and most likely is of Persian origin.[8]However The first mention ever made of the mawlid celebrations in any historical work comes in the writings of Jamāl al-Dīn Ibn al-Ma’mūn, who died 587 AH/1192 CE. His father was the Grand Vizier for the Fatimid Caliph al-Amir (ruled 494-524 AH/1101-1130 CE).Mawā’īẓ al-i’tibār fī khiṭaṭ Miṣr wa-l-amṣār[9]
The earliest observation of the Prophet’s birth as a holy day was arranged privately somewhere in the late twelfth century. The only difference from before was that there was an increased number of visitors to the Mawlid house that was open for the whole day specifically for this celebration. This particular event took place on Monday, 12 Rabi’i,[10] which is commonly known as the third month of the Islamic calendar that is associated with the beginning of Spring.[11] This celebration was introduced into the city Sabta by Abu ‘l’Abbas al-Azafi as a way of counteracting Christian festivals and to strengthen Muslim identity.[12] The mawlid was not the only celebration that was sponsored by the Fatimids. Al-Maqrīzi, in his Khiṭaṭ [13]
Al-Maqrīzi writes in his Khiṭaṭ
The Fatimid Caliphs had, throughout the year, a number of festivals and celebrations. These were: 1. New Year’s Eve, 2. Beginning of the year celebrations, 3. The Day of ‘Āshūrā’, 4. The birthday of the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, 5. The birthday of ‘Alī, 6. The birthday of al-Ḥasan, 7. The birthday of al-Husayn, 8. The birthday of Fāṭima al-Zahrā’, 9. The birthday of the current Caliph, 10. The first day of Rajab, 11. The fifteenth day of Rajab, 12. The first day of Sha’bān, 13. The fifteenth day of Sha’bān, 14. The festival of Ramaḍān, 15. the first day of Ramaḍān, 16. The middle of Ramaḍān, 17. The end of Ramaḍān, 18. The Night of the Khatm, 19. The Day of ‘Īd al-Fitr, 20. The Day of ‘Īd of Sacrifice, 21. The Day of ‘Īd al-Ghadīr, 22. The ‘Cloth of Winter’, 23. The ‘Cloth of Summer’, 24. The Day of the ‘Conquest of the Peninsula’, 25. The Day of Nawrūz [Persian festival], 26. The Day of Veneration [Christian], 27. Christmas [Christian], 28 Lent [Christian] [9][14]
