Mawlid

Mawlid
Malaysian Sunni Muslims in a Mawlid procession in capital Putrajaya, 2013.
Also called	Eid al-Mawlid an-Nabawī (المولد النبوي), Havliye, Donba, Gani
Observed by	Adherents of mainstream Sunni Islam, Shia Islam and various other Islamic denominations except a few such as Wahhabism/Salafism etc.
Type	Islamic, cultural
Significance	Traditional commemoration of the birth of Muhammad
Observances	fasting, public processions, religious singing, family and other social gatherings, decoration of streets and homes
Date	12 Rabi' al-awwal (Sunni Islam), 17 Rabi' al-awwal (Shia Islam)
2016 date	from sunset to sunset: 11–12 December (Sunnism) 16–17 December (Shi'ism)
Frequency	Annual/lunar (every 12 lunations)

Mawlid (Arabic: مَولِد النَّبِي‎‎ mawlidu n-nabiyyi, "Birth of the Prophet", sometimes simply called in colloquial Arabic مولد mawlid, mevlid, mevlit, mulud among other vernacular pronunciations; sometimes ميلاد mīlād) is the observance of the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad which is celebrated in Rabi' al-awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar. 12 Rabi' al-awwal is the accepted date among most of the Sunni scholars, while Shi'a scholars regard 17 Rabi' al-awwal as the accepted date. This seven days period, i.e. 12–17 Rabi' al-awwal, is assigned by Islamic Republic of Iran as the unity week.

The origin of Mawlid observance reportedly dates back to the period of the early four Rashidun Caliphs of Islam. The Ottomans declared it an official holiday in 1588. The term Mawlid is also used in some parts of the world, such as Egypt, as a generic term for the birthday celebrations of other historical religious figures such as Sufi saints.

Most denominations of Islam approve of the commemoration of Muhammad's birthday; however, some denominations including Wahhabism/Salafism, Deobandism and the Ahmadiyya disapprove its commemoration, considering it an unnecessary religious innovation (bid'ah or bidat).Mawlid is recognized as a national holiday in most of the Muslim-majority countries of the world except Saudi Arabia and Qatar which are officially Wahhabi/Salafi.