Rabi' al-Awwal
| Rabi' al-Awwal | |
|---|---|
Arabic) | |
| Calendar | Islamic calendar |
| Month number | 3 |
| Number of days | 29–30 (depends on actual observation of the moon's crescent) |
| Significant days |
|
| Islamic calendar |
|---|
| Months |
Rabiʽ al-Awwal (
Arabic: رَبِيع ٱلْأُولَىٰ, romanized: Rabī‘ al-ʾŪlā, lit. 'The first Rabi'), or Rabi' I) is the third month of the Islamic calendar. The name Rabī‘ al-awwal means "the first month or beginning of spring", referring to its position in the pre-Islamic Arabian
calendar.
Meaning
The word "Rabi" means "
Arabic language, so "Rabi' al-awwal" means "the first spring" in Arabic. The name seems to have to do with the celebratory events in the month, as spring marks the end of winter (a symbol of sadness) and consequently the start of happiness. As the Islamic calendar is a purely lunar calendar, the month naturally rotates over solar years, so Rabīʽ al-awwal can fall in spring or any other season. Therefore, the month cannot be related to the actual season of spring.[1]
And it's mentioned in the Arabic lexicons that Arabs add the word "month" to Rabi' al-Awwal, Rabi' al-Akhir and Ramadan months only, and most of them allow adding the word "month" to the other months too.[2][3][4]
Mawlid
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| Part of a series on |
| Muhammad |
|---|
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The
Sunnis, Mawlid is also celebrated by Shia Muslims
.
The history of this celebration goes back to the early days of Islam when some of the
Tabi‘un began to hold sessions in which poetry and songs composed to honour Muhammad were recited and sung to crowds in the major cities.[5]
The celebration was continued by the Fatimids. The Muslim general Gökböri, a deputy of Saladin (r. 1174–1193), 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 (r. 1574–1595) declared it an official holiday
.
Celebrants hold mahfils 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 dhikr. Most denominations of Islam approve of the commemoration of Muhammad's birthday.
The Mawlid observance is a recognized national holiday in most of the Muslim-majority countries of the world.Timing
The
solar year, Rabī‘ al-Awwal migrates throughout the seasons. The estimated start and end dates for Rabī‘ al-Awwal are as follows (based on the Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia[6]
):
AH
|
First day (CE/AD) | Last day (CE/AD) | Mawlid date (CE/AD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1444 | 27 September 2022 | 25 October 2022 | 08 October 2022 |
| 1445 | 16 September 2023 | 15 October 2023 | 27 October 2023 |
| 1446 | 4 September 2024 | 3 October 2024 | 15 September 2024 |
| 1447 | 24 August 2025 | 22 September 2025 | 04 September 2025 |
| 1448 | 14 August 2026 | 11 September 2026 | 25 August 2026 |
Islamic events
Masjid al-Quba
, the first mosque, was built in this month.- 01 Rabī‘ al-Awwal 897 AH, the fall of the Emirate of Granada, the final Muslim kingdom of al-Andalus
- 08 Rabī‘ al-Awwal, death of Imam Hassan Al-Askari Twelver Imām, Hasan al-‘Askarī (see: Chup Tazia)
- 09 Rabī‘ al-Awwal, Eid e shuja
- 12 Rabī‘ al-Awwal, Sunni Muslims observe Mawlid in commemoration of Muhammad's birthday
- 13 Rabi‘ al-Awwal, Death of Umm Rubab (beloved wife of Imam Hussain)
- 17 Rabī‘ al-Awwal, Imām Ja‘far al-Sādiq.
- 18 Rabī‘ al-Awwal, birth of Umm Kulthum bint Ali
- 26 Rabī‘ al-Awwal 1333 AH, death of Khwaja Sirajuddin Naqshbandi, a NaqshbandiSufi shaykh
Other events:
- The Hijra(migration) took place in this month
- Eid-e-Zahra (a.k.a. Shi‘ah Muslims
- Marriage of Khadijah bint Khuwaylid
- Building of the Quba Mosque (first mosque in Islam)
- The week including 12th and 17th is called Islamic Unity Week in Iran to address both Sunni and Shia views on the birth date of Muhammad.[7]
References
- ^ "المنجد في اللغة - المكتبة الوقفية للكتب المصورة PDF". waqfeya.net.
- ^ "ص162 - كتاب لسان العرب - فصل الراء - المكتبة الشاملة". shamela.ws. Retrieved 2025-03-14.
- ^ "الطّراز الأوّل - ابن معصوم المدني - مکتبة مدرسة الفقاهة". ar.lib.eshia.ir (in Arabic). Retrieved 2025-03-14.
- ^ "ص363 - كتاب تاج العروس من جواهر القاموس - رمض - المكتبة الشاملة". shamela.ws. Retrieved 2025-03-14.
- ^ "Islamic Supreme Council of America – Islamic Supreme Council of America".
- ^ "The Umm al-Qura Calendar of Saudi Arabia". webspace.science.uu.nl.
- ^ Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Institute of Islamic Studies. Days on viewpoint of Imam Khomeini. Tehran: Islamic research center. p. 176.
