The birthday of the Prophet Muhammad (mawlid an-nabī) The birthday

The birthday of the Prophet Muhammad is celebrated by most Sunnis and Shiites. According to Sunni belief, the Prophet's birthday falls on the 12th of Rabīʿ al-Awwal; however, many Shiites celebrate the birthday on the 17th of Rabīʿ al-Awwal. Only after the death of the Prophet Muhammad did Muslims begin to celebrate his birthday. The first beginnings of this tradition can already be found among the generation shortly after the Prophet's companions (tābiʿūn). They gathered on his birthday to commemorate him through poems and religious songs. A few centuries later, the Ottomans declared the Prophet's birthday an official holiday. Despite the fixed date, there are disagreements about the exact date of his birthday. Nevertheless, the Prophet's birthday achieved such importance, especially among traditional Sunni Muslims, that over the centuries numerous Arabic birthday prayers for the Prophet were composed. These include the extremely popular hymns of praise by Ğaʿfar al-Barzanğī (died 1764) and Yūsuf an-Nabahānī (died 1932), as well as the modern collection of hymns by Ḥabīb ʿUmar ibn al-Ḥafīẓ (born 1963), which are recited today in many parts of the Islamic world.