Each year, a number of Muslims living in Pakistan and around the world celebrate the Prophet’s birthday. While not one of Islam’s two official holidays (which are Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha), Muslims usually take advantage of this holiday to show their love and devotion toward the Prophet (Peace be upon Him).

In this article, you’ll learn all about Eid Milad un Nabi (also called Eid Miladun Nabi), most especially the modern traditions and perceptions surrounding it.

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1. What is Eid Milad un Nabi in Islam?

The birthday of the prophet (Peace be upon Him) is a public holiday with government approbation in most Muslim countries, including Pakistan, and countries that have a significant Muslim population. The day honors the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him).

But did you know that not all Muslims celebrate this holiday? We’ll go into that more later in this article.

2. Eid Milad un Nabi Date

The Birthday of Nabi (Peace be upon Him) is celebrated on the twelfth day of the third month of the Islamic calendar, which is Rabi al-Awwal. The date of Eid Milad un Nabi varies from year to year on the Gregorian calendar. For your convenience, here’s a list of this holiday’s date for the next ten years.

• 2019: November 10
• 2020: October 29
• 2021: October 20
• 2022: October 9
• 2023: September 28
• 2024: September 17
• 2025: September 6
• 2026: August 27
• 2027: August 16
• 2028: August 4

3. How is the Birth of Muhammad Celebrated?

1- Common Traditions

Celebrations for Eid Milad un Nabi in Pakistan are some of the world’s largest, aimed at extolling the prophet (Peace be upon Him).

All public buildings in Pakistan fly Pakistan’s national flag, and in the capital city of Islamabad, a 31-gun salute is done at dawn. The provincial capitals perform a 21-gun salute at the same time. Many Muslims also decorate with festive lights.

Further, instead of showing secular movies on the eleventh and twelfth of the month, movie theaters show religious films.

2- The Minar e Pakistan Celebration

Minar e Pakistan in Lahore hosts the world’s largest gathering for the Birthday of Nabi at Minar-e-Pakistan on the night of the eleventh, into the twelfth. Hundreds of people attend the gathering, of which some Muslims become cheerfully fervent as they honor the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him).

They sing and chant hymns and praise songs, and read poems in honor of the prophet’s (Peace be upon Him) birth. Further, certain texts about the prophet’s life are typically read and recited.

3- The Eid Milad un Nabi Holiday in Other Countries

In other countries which observe the Birthday of Nabi (Peace be upon Him), the celebrations can vary widely. For example, Indonesia seems to place more importance on this holy day than on Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

4. Why Don’t All Muslims Celebrate?

Do you know why not all Muslims celebrate this holiday? Read the Urdu text below to find out, and check your reading skills against the English text directly below it.

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مذہب کو ماننے والے سبھی مسلمان میلاد النبی کے جشن کی حمایت نہیں کرتے ہیں، وہ اسے غیر مستند اور غیر معتبر مانتے ہیں کیونکہ قرآن میں اس کا کوئی ذکر نہیں ہے۔ چند اسلامی فرقے ان وجوہات کی بنا پر اپنے ممبران کو عید میلاد النبی منانے سے منع بھی کرتے ہیں۔ نبی کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے مسلمانوں کو خبردار کیا ہے کہ مقدس کتاب میں کوئی اضافہ نہ کریں جیسا کہ دیگر مذاہب نے کیا ہے۔ تاہم، وہ لوگ جو میلاد النبی کو چھٹی کا دن نہیں مانتے وہ بھی اپنی محبت کا اظہار کرنے کے لئے نبی کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی ولادت کا جشن منانے کے بجائے آپ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی یاد میں کچھ وقت صرف کرتے ہیں

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Not all espousing Muslims support the celebration of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, seeing it as apocryphal at best because it isn’t mentioned in the Quran. A handful of Islamic denominations even forbid their members to observe the Birthday of Nabi for these reasons. The Prophet (Peace be upon Him) warned Muslims not to add to the holy writings as other religions have done. However, those who don’t necessarily see the Birthday of Nabi as a holiday still spend the day focused on the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) for the purpose of demonstrating their love rather than marking his birthday.

5. Essential Vocabulary for Eid Milad un Nabi

Here’s some Urdu vocabulary for you to memorize before Eid Milad un Nabi!

• اسلام (Islam) — Islam
• سالگرہ (saalgirah) — birthday
• مسجد (masjid) — mosque
• سجاوٹ (sajaawatt) — decoration
• چهٹی (Chutti) — holiday
• نماز (Namaz) — prayer
• پیغمبر (Peghambar) — prophet
• عقیدت مند (Aqeedat mand) — devotee
• مٹھائی (Mithai) — sweets
• مذہبی واعظ (Mazhabi waaz) — religious sermon
• برکتیں (Barkatein) — blessing

You can hear each of these vocabulary words pronounced, and read them alongside relevant images, by visiting our Eid Milad un Nabi vocabulary list!

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are varying perceptions and opinions about the Eid Milad un Nabi holiday in Pakistan. Does your country have a special holiday to celebrate a prominent historical figure, religious or secular? Let us know in the comments!

Learning about a country’s culture may be one of the most fascinating and enriching aspects of trying to master its language. If you would like more cultural information on Pakistan, you may find the following pages on UrduPod101.com useful:

• All About Pakistani Culture and Society
• Pakistan Day Vocabulary
• Tourist Attractions in Pakistan
• 4 Reasons Why Urdu Slang Words Will Make You Fluent
• Essential Idioms That Will Make You Sound Like a Native Speaker

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