Birthday of Muhammad
The day of the Prophet
Muhammad (moo [ham]{.smallcaps} uhd) was the founder of Islam, one of
the world’s great religions. Millions of people celebrate his birthday.
Muhammad was born in Mecca, Arabia, about the year 570. No one knows the
exact date. But the date of his death is known. So the day he died is
celebrated as the date of his birth.
Among many stories told of Muhammad is one about how he was named.
Before he was born, his mother is said to have dreamed of many angels.
The angels told her that she would have a son. She was to name the boy
Muhammad, which means ‘\’Praised One.”
Muhammad believed that he was the messenger of God. He thought he had
been sent to call people to worship God (Allah). The religion he
preached is called Islam. Islam is an Arabic word that means
\”submission.” That is, people are to accept the will of God. People who
follow the religion of Islam are called Muslims. Muslim is Arabic for
\”one who submits,” or accepts the will of God.
In Arabic, Muhammad’s birthday is called maulid an-nabi, which means
\”birthday of the Prophet.” The day is one of happy festivities. Some
Muslims go to a fair, where their children can enjoy the rides. Many
others flock to see parades. In some
countries, cannons boom and fireworks explode in the dark night sky. And
Muslims everywhere feast on holiday foods.
According to the Gregorian calendar (see page 26), which is the calendar
used in most parts of the world, Muhammad died on June 8, 632. On the
Islamic calendar (see page 28), this is the thirteenth day of the month
of Rabi I.
The Islamic calendar is based on the moon. Because of this, the time of
year in which Muhammad’s birthday falls keeps changing. In 1988, his
birthday was celebrated in October, but by the year 2,000, it will be
celebrated in June.
For Muslim children, the birthday of Muhammad is a time to enjoy the
rides at a fair.
