The federal government has announced a public holiday on 12th Rabi ul Awwal throughout the country.
According to a notification issued by the ministry, on Friday, October 30, all federal government institutions will remain closed.
Muslims around the world celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), known in Arabic as the Mawlid al-Nabawi holiday and locally as Eid Milad un Nabi, on the 12th of Rabi ul Awwal, which is the third month in the Islamic lunar 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.
Also known to Muslims in Malaysia as Maulud Nabi. This is purely a religious festival and mark 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.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) believed to have 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, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) 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 Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) became 40 years old that he 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 revealed to him would establish one of the world’s great religions, Islam.
Around the Islamic world, Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday 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 found in 8th century Mecca when the house in which Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) born 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 Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did not occur until four centuries after his passing away. The oldest Mawlid-text 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 (PBUH) chose Hazrat Ali as his successor. The Sunni community holds prayers throughout the month and they do not practice mourning on this day.
During Mawlid celebrations, the national flag hoisted on all public buildings. A 31-gun salute in Islamabad and a 21-gun salute at the provincial headquarters fired at dawn. Hundreds of thousands of people gather at Minar-e-Pakistan Lahore; between the intervening night of 11th and 12th Rabi’ al-awwal for Mawlid celebrations. This is the world’s biggest gathering for Mawlid celebrations.
All public and private institutions will remain closed for the day. Important buildings and mosques illuminated at night to mark the public holiday.