Mawlid (Qur'anic Arabic: مَوْلِدُ النَبِيِّ mawlidu n-nabiyyi, “Birth of the Prophet” Standard Arabic: مولد النبي mawlid an-nabī, sometimes simply called in colloquial Arabic مولد , mawlid, mevlid, mevlit, mulud among other vernacular pronunciations) or sometimes ميلاد , mīlād is a term used to refer to the observance of the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad which occurs in Rabi' al-awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar.[1]
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.[2]
Mawlid is derived from the Arabic root word (Arabic: ولد), meaning to give birth, bear a child, descendant.[3] In contemporary usage, Mawlid refers to the observance of the birthday of Muhammad.[1] Other terms used for this event include:
- Mawlid an-Nabī (pl. al-Mawālid) – The Birth of the Prophet (Arabic)
- Milād an-Nabī – The Birth of the Prophet (Arabic/Urdu)
- Mevlid-i Şerif – The Blessed Birth / Mevlüt – The Name (Turkish)
- Mevlud/Mevlid – Birth (Bosnian)
- Mawlūd-e Sharīf – The Blessed Birth (Dari/Urdu)
- Zadruz-e Payambar-e Akram – The birth of the great/blessed Prophet (Persian)
- Eid al-Mawlid an-Nabawī – Festival of the birth of the Prophet (Arabic)
- Eid-e-Milād-un-Nabī – Festival of the birth of the Prophet (Urdu)
- Mawlid en-Nabaoui Echarif – The Blessed Birth of the Prophet (Algerian)
- el Mūled (en-Nabawi)/Mūled en-Nabi – The birth (of the prophet)/Birth of the prophet (Egyptian Arabic)
- Yawm an-Nabī – The Day of the Prophet (Arabic)
- Maulidur-Rasūl – The Birth of the Messenger of Allah (Malay)
- Mulud – The Birth (Javanese)
- Maulid Nabi – The Birth of the Prophet (Indonesian)
- Maulud Nabi – The Birth of the Prophet (Malaysian)
- Maulidi – ? (Swahili)
- Meeladu Nabi – The Birth of the Prophet (Sri Lanka, Maldives, South India)
- Gamou – ? (Wolof)
- Nabi/Mahanabi Jayanti – The birth of the (great) Prophet. (Sanskrit), (Indian Languages) 'Maha' means g
History
The basic earliest accounts for the observance of Mawlid can be found in 8th century Mecca, when the house in which Prophet Muhammad was born was transformed into a place of prayer by Al-Khayzuran (mother of Harun al-Rashid, the fifth and most famous Abbasid caliph).[5] Public celebrations of the birth of Muhammad did not occur until four centuries after his death. It was originally a festival of the Shia ruling class, not attended by the common people, with the first official Mawlid celebrations occurring in Egypt towards the end of the 11th century.[5][6] The early celebrations included elements of Sufic influence, with animal sacrifices and torchlight processions along with public sermons and a feast.[7][8] The celebrations occurred during the day, in contrast to modern day observances, with the ruler playing a key role in the ceremonies.[9] Emphasis was given to the Ahl al-Bayt with presentation of sermons and recitations of the Qur'an. The event also featured the award of gifts to officials in order to bolster support for the ruling caliph.[9]Abu al-Abbas al-Azafi (1162–1236) established the custom of celebrating Mawlid in Morocco. His son Abu'l-Qasim propagated it throughout the Maghreb.[10]
The first public celebrations by Sunnis took place in twelfth-century Syria, under the rule of Nur ad-Din Zangi Though there is no firm evidence to indicate the reason for the adoption of the Shi'ite festival by the Sunnis, some theorize the celebrations took hold to counter Christian influence in places such as Spain and Morocco.[11] Theologians denounced the celebration of Mawlid as unorthodox,[12] and the practice was briefly halted by the Ayoubides when they came to power, becoming an event confined to family circles.[13] It regained status as an official event again in 1207 when it was re-introduced by Muzaffar ad-din, the brother-in-law of Saladin, in Arbil, a town near Mosul, Iraq.[7][8]
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