Mawlid around the world in 2023

When is Muhammad's Birthday?

'Mawlid' is Celebrated by Muslims during the month of Rabiulawal, the third month of the Muslim calendar.

Also commonly known as 'Milad un Nabi', this day is observed as a public holiday in many countries with a large Muslim population as it commemorates the anniversary of the birth of the founder of Islam and the proclaimer of the Qurʾan.

Shias observe the event on the 17th of the month, while Sunnis observe it on the 12th of the month. Some branches of Sunni Islam, such as Wahhabi and Salafi do not celebrate Mawlid, meaning that it is not a holiday in some countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

As the Islamic calendar is based on lunar cycles, the date in the Gregorian calendar will vary each year. The Islamic Calendar is about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, meaning that in some years this holiday will occur twice.

Traditions of Muhammad's Birthday

Also known to Muslims in Malaysia as Maulud Nabi. This is purely a religious festival and is marked as a public holiday.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was born in Mecca on 12 Rabiulawal in the year 570 CE. The prophet’s full name is Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib ibn Hāshim.

Muhammad is believed to have been a descendant of Ishmael. According to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Isaac and Ishmael were two sons of Abraham. Whereas Jews are believed to have descended from Isaac, Arabs are believed to have descended from Ishmael.

By his 6th birthday, Muhammad was an orphan and was raised by uncle Abu Talib and his grandfather Abdul-Muttalib. He learned about business from his uncle and earned a reputation as a trustworthy trader.

It was not until Muhammad was 40 years old that he was commanded by the angel Gabriel, who carried God's message, to declare God's oneness and to shun the idolatry of his tribesmen. 

Over the following 20 years, his preaching of the Qur'an which was revealed to him would establish one of the world's great religions, Islam.

Around the Islamic world, Muhammad's birthday is celebrated with religious lectures and recitals of verses from the Qur'an, in mosques decorated with lights to mark the occasion.

The basic earliest accounts for the observance of Mawlid can be found in 8th century Mecca when the house in which Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was born was transformed into a place of prayer by Al-Khayzuran. Al-Khayzuran was the mother of a caliph, Harun-al-Rashid.

Though public celebrations of the birth of Muhammad did not occur until four centuries after his passing away. The oldest Mawlid-text is claimed to be from the 12th century and most likely being of Persian origin.

The Sunni and Shia branches of Islam have different ways of marking the day. The Shia community believes that on 12 Rabiulawal, the Prophet Muhammad chose Hazrat Ali as his successor. The Sunni community holds prayers throughout the month and they do not practice mourning on this day.