The Historical Background
The Prophet’s birth: The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was born on a Monday in the month of Rabi’ al-Awwal, in the Year of the Elephant (approximately 570 CE), in Mecca. The specific date is disputed by scholars — the 12th of Rabi’ al-Awwal is the traditional Sunni date; the 17th is the traditional Shia date. The year of birth is more certain than the day.
Why was he born on a Monday?: The Prophet (SAW) himself, when asked about fasting on Mondays, said: “That is the day I was born and the day revelation first came to me.” (Muslim) This shows the Prophet’s own consciousness of the day’s significance — he fasted on Mondays specifically because of his birth.
The early observances: Formal large-scale Mawlid celebrations are traced historically to the Fatimid caliphate in Egypt (10th-12th century CE) — the same Fatimid tradition from which the Dawoodi Bohras descend. The Fatimids held public celebrations of several holy dates including the Mawlid. The Zengid ruler Muzaffar al-Din Kukburi (d. 1233 CE) is credited with organizing the first large popular Mawlid celebration in Irbil, Iraq — with scholars attending and qasidas composed for the occasion.
The Theological Debate
The Mawlid is one of Islam’s most genuinely contested observances — not a fringe debate but a serious scholarly disagreement:
Those who permit or encourage it (majority of classical scholars, Shafi’i/Maliki/Hanafi and many Hanbali scholars):
- Expressing love and joy at the Prophet’s birth is commanded by the Quran: “Say, in the bounty of Allah and in His mercy — in that let them rejoice.” (10:58) What greater divine mercy than the Prophet?
- The Prophet (SAW) himself fasted on Mondays because of his birth — showing that commemorating one’s birthday can be an act of worship
- Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Suyuti, Ibn Kathir, and many classical Shafi’i scholars supported the Mawlid as a praiseworthy bid’ah hasana (good innovation)
- The Prophet (SAW) said: “Every good deed (sunnah hasana) established in Islam that others follow will earn reward for the one who established it.” (Muslim) — Celebrating the Prophet’s birth with praise, poetry, and gathering can fall under this category
Those who prohibit it (Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn al-Qayyim, and the Wahhabi/Salafi tradition):
- The Prophet (SAW) and Companions never celebrated his birthday — it was introduced centuries later
- The Quran commands us to follow only what Allah and His Messenger commanded — not to add religious observances
- “Every bid’ah is misguidance, and every misguidance goes to hellfire.” (Muslim) — The prohibition covers all innovations, not just bad ones
- The celebration often includes practices they consider impermissible: praising the Prophet in terms they view as exaggeration, men and women mixing, music
Both positions have legitimate classical scholarly backing. The diversity of practice reflects genuine scholarly disagreement, not ignorance.
How Mawlid Is Celebrated
Across the Muslim world, Mawlid observances typically include:
- Recitation of the Prophet’s (SAW) biography (sirah) — stories of his birth, childhood, prophethood, key events
- Recitation of special poetry praising the Prophet — qasidas, naats, burdas (cloaks of praise)
- Collective standing (qiyam) when the Prophet’s birth is mentioned, as a mark of reverence
- Communal food and feeding of the poor
- Processions in some countries (Morocco, Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia)
- Mawlid al-Barzanji (a famous classical Mawlid text from Iraq) recited in many communities
The Bohra Milad Tradition
In the Dawoodi Bohra community, the Prophet’s (SAW) birthday is celebrated as milad — one of the most joyous occasions in the Bohra calendar.
The Bohra milad gathering:
- Conducted in the mosque (masjid) or community hall (maatam)
- Opening with the Quran recitation
- Recitation of qasidas (poetry) praising the Prophet (SAW) and the Imams — composed in the rich Fatimid-Ismaili tradition of devotional poetry
- A bayaan (address) by the mansab or mazoon on aspects of the Prophet’s life and significance
- Collective standing during the birth announcement within the milad text
- Communal food, especially sweets distributed to celebrate the occasion
- The Syedna may issue a special letter or address to the community
The Qasida Burdah: The famous Qasida al-Burdah (“Poem of the Mantle”) by Imam al-Busiri (13th century Egypt) — one of the most beloved poems of the Islamic tradition, composed when al-Busiri was paralyzed and saw the Prophet (SAW) in a dream who spread his mantle over him, and he was cured — is recited in many communities including Bohra milad gatherings.
The Bohra love for the Prophet: The Dawoodi Bohra tradition has a particularly strong culture of mahabbat al-rasul (love of the Prophet) — the entire da’wa chain is understood as continuing the Prophet’s light. The milad is not merely a commemoration but a renewal of this love and the pledge of allegiance to the Prophet’s spiritual heirs.
See also: Prophet Muhammad, Israa Miraj, Understanding Walayah, Dai Al Mutlaq Institution, Tayyibi Dawat, Imamah