Eid Milad-un-Nabi 2020: History, importance and significance of event marking birth and death anniversary of Prophet Muhammad

Muslims who belong to the Sufi or Barelvi school of thought celebrate the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad as Eid Milad-un-Nabi or Eid-e- Milad. The day is also known as Nabid and Mawlid in colloquial Arabic.

The festival is celebrated during Rabi'al-awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar.

According to BBC, there are only restricted festivities on Eid Milad-un-Nabi as the same day also marks the death anniversary of the Prophet. The event is usually marked by congregations where religious leaders make speeches on the life of the Prophet. One of the most important part of Eid Milad-un-Nabi is to focus on the Prophet, his teachings, sufferings, and his character, as he even forgave his enemies.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, the moon for the beginning of the month of Rabi' al-awwal began in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other parts of the subcontinent region was sighted on 18 October. The next day was the first date of Rabi' al-awwal.

The Sunni community observes Eid-e-Milad on the 12th day of the month while the Shia community celebrates it on the 17th.

In 2020, Eid-e-Milad will be celebrated on 29 October in Saudi Arabia. In India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other parts of the subcontinent region it will be celebrated on 30 October.

The celebration of Prophet Muhammad's birthday were started by the Fatimids and dates back to the early four Rashidun Caliphs of Islam.

Since the day also marks the death anniversary of the prophet, it was initially celebrated as an official festival in Egypt and became popular during the 11th century. At that time, only the ruling tribe of the Shia Muslims were allowed to celebrate the festival. The festival spread to Syria, Morocco, Turkey and Spain only in the 12th century.

Interestingly, there are many Muslims who believe that the birthday celebrations of the Prophet Muhammad do not exist in Islam. According to them, any other festival, except for Eid al-Fitr and Eid-e-Adha is a form of biddah or innovation in religion.