Maulidur Rasul
Next: August 14, 2027
A day of selawat and gathering.
The story
Where it comes from
Maulidur Rasul, 'the birthday of the Messenger', marks the birth of the Prophet Muhammad. His exact birth date is not known, but tradition keeps it on 12 Rabiulawal, the third month of the Islamic lunar calendar, so it comes about 11 days earlier each year by the Gregorian calendar. At the end of the 11th century the Fatimid court in Egypt marked the day with daytime processions of officials, and in 1207 Muzaffar al-Din Gökböri, brother-in-law of Saladin, began an annual public festival in Erbil, in present-day Iraq, from which the custom spread.
How it's celebrated
It is a public holiday in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. In Malaysia thousands join processions (perarakan) through towns and to mosques, reciting selawat, verses of praise for the Prophet, together as they walk. Gatherings at national and state level follow, with Qur'an recitation, zikir and prayers, and a reflection on his life and character. Many people simply spend the morning at their local mosque.
Did you know
- In Erbil, as the historian Ibn Khallikan, born in the town, described it, the eve of the festival ended in a torchlight procession led by the prince.
- In Yogyakarta the Sultan's palace keeps Sekaten from 5 to 12 Rabiulawal, playing two sacred gamelan sets at the Great Mosque, and on the last day a gunungan, a 'mountain' of sticky rice, fruit and vegetables, is carried in the Grebeg Mulud procession.
- The high point of Malaysia's national celebration is the Maulidur Rasul award, presented by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to people whose work has served their community and country.
The greeting
Salam Maulidur Rasul
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