Mawlid

Mawlid () is an annual festival commemorating the birthday of Islamic prophet Muhammad on the traditional date of 12 Rabi' al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar. A day central to the traditions of Sunni Islam, the Mawlid is also celebrated by Shia Muslims.

The history of this celebration does not go back to the early days of Islam, although some of the Tabi‘un began to hold sessions in which poetry and songs composed to honor Muhammad were recited and sung to crowds in the major cities but this was in response to attacks on his honor and were not done on a specified day. The celebration was continued much later either by the Abbasids and the Fatimids. The Muslim general Gökböri, a deputy of Saladin (), is believed to have been the first to publicly celebrate Mawlid, which he did in an impressive ceremony at the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. The Ottomans under Murad III () declared it an official holiday.

Celebrants hold on Mawlid in which religious poetry is recited in praise of Muhammad accompanied by a feast. Other customs affiliated with Mawlid are supererogatory fasting, Islamic music and . Most denominations of Islam approve of the commemoration of Muhammad's birthday.

The Mawlid observance is generally approved of across the four Sunni schools of law, by mainstream Islamic scholarship and it is a recognized national holiday in most of the Muslim-majority countries of the world. Provided by Wikipedia