Mawlid / Birth of The Prophet (12 Rabi 1)

Mawlid, also known as Mawlid an-Nabī or Birthday of The Prophet, is an Islamic Feast to commemorate the birthday of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. Muslims in the world observe Mawlid on the month of Rabi’ al-awwal based on Islamic calendar. Most Muslim countries, except Saudi Arabia, observe Mawlid as a national holiday.

Mawlid Terms in Different Languages

Muslims in different countries recognize Mawlid in different terms. Here is the list of terms referring to Mawlid in different languages.

• Mavlid or Mavlidi (Albanian)
• Mawlid an-Nabī (Arabic)
• Eid al-Mawlid an-Nabawī (Arabic)
• Yawm an-Nabī (Arabic)
• Mūled en-Nabi/el Mūled (Egyptian Arabic)
• Milād an-Nabī (Arabic/Urdu)
• Mawlūd-e Sharīf (Dari/Urdu)
• Eid-e-Milād-un-Nabī (Urdu)
• Mevlid-i Şerif (Turkish)
• Mevlud/Mevlid (Bosnian)
• Mawlid en-Nabaoui Echarif (Algerian)
• Milād-e Payambar-e Akram (Persian)
• Maulid Nabi (Indonesian)
• Mulud (Javanese)
• Maulud Nabi (Malaysian)
• Mūled en-Nabi (Malay)
• Maulidi (Swahili)
• Nabi/Mahanabi Jayanti (Sanskrit)

The Date of Mawlid

When is Mawlid 2013?

Sunni and Shi’a Muslims observe different date of Mawlid. Sunni Muslims observe Mawlid on the 12th day of Rabi’ al-awwal while Shi’a Muslims commemorate it on the 17th day of Rabi’ al-awwal based on Islamic calendar. Since Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, the date of Mawlid keeps changing from year to year according to Gregorian Calendar.

Mawlid 2013 for Sunni Muslims falls on Thursday, 24 January 2013 while Mawlid 2013 for Shi’a Muslims falls on Tuesday, 29 January 2013. Note that the day in Islamic calendar begins on sunset, thus, the commemoration of Mawlid begins on the sunsets before the actual date of Mawlid.

Masjid Kg.Yayasan Al-Jenderami - Photo: abdulhalimshah.blogspot.com

Mawlid 2013 Celebration

Muslims all over the world celebrate Mawlid or birthday of The Prophet Muhammad. Many Muslim countries including United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Pakistan observe Mawlid as a public holiday. Indonesia and India also acknowledge Mawlid as a public holiday due to the big number of Muslims in both countries.

Different countries observe Mawlid in different ways. Some of them celebrate Mawlid festively by decorating house and mosque as well as holding large street procession, Islamic concerts, and Koran reciting competitions. Some others observe the day quietly and solemnly by increasing their worship and pray to Allah and seek forgiveness for the sins done before.

Source: publicholiday.org