Id- Milad is an important Muslim festival celebrated on the birth anniversary of the Islamic prophet known as Muhammad. It is also referred as Mawlid an-Nabi and Milad an-Nabi in Arabic the word "Mawlid" is an Arabic word, which literally means to give birth or bear a child. The festival is not new but many centuries old and is practiced in a majority of Muslim countries. The early celebrations have been influenced by the Sufi saints in Egypt with public orations followed by a feast. In the olden days this festival was first originally celebrated only by a group of people belonging to the ruling class Muslims known as Shia's. In the following years to come the festival was spread to other Islamic cities and the festival was adopted by the Sunni's in time. It was not until the 1910 did Id-Milad came to be recognized officially as a festival and was declared a national holiday in many Muslim countries.
The history of Id-Milad dates back to the 8th century in Mecca, when the residence of Prophet Muhammad was transformed into a prayer house by one of his successors. After his death the celebrations of Id-Milad became more popular and it first became the official festival in Egypt during the 11th century. During this period, the festival was restricted only to Shia's who were the ruling tribe in the region and was not extended to the general public. Soon in the 12th century the festival was adopted by the other countries such as Morocco, Syria, Spain, Turkey and other places around the globe. Although the festival currently forms an important part of the Islamic culture and heritage, it was formerly subjected to certain disapproval by some of their saints. Some of them believe that new innovations of such carnivals were deemed improper in Islam and strictly prohibited. But since this was the celebrations of Prophet Muhammad birthday the person who narrated the holy text, Quran, celebrating his birthday was supported by many ancient Sufi saints. They claimed that the celebration did not involve activities outside the practices of the Islamic law such as consuming alcohol and forbidden food and dancing etc. Even though it did not hold much importance to the earliest Muslim populations in the 8th century, it soon became a significant event for the followers of Muhammad and who gave rise to the origin of this religion.
Celebrations and Rituals
In the ancient period, the festival was performed differently compared to the way it is been done currently. As it first started in the 11th century in Egypt by the leading clan, they played an important role in the celebration. The day of the festival would begin with a prayer, religious orations followed by recitations of verse from the Quran and lastly the day would end with a large public feast. However, in the years to come, the celebrations began to witness the influence of the Sufi practices such as animal scarifies procession during nightfall, public discourses and a banquet to its public. Awards and gifts were also given to the ruling clan to honor them as they were believed to be caliph, a representative of Muhammad. Today, however the festival takes place in the morning with prayer, a procession and large gathering in mosques. Young children are narrated stories of Muhammad about his life and preaching's as mentioned in the Quran. The day ends with donations towards the needy people and friends and family are invited to be a part of the celebrations.
Id-Milad is commonly celebrated in all Muslim ruling countries to honor Prophet Muhammad who introduced Islam and revolutionized the religious scene in the Middle East in the following years. Id-Milad is not only celebrated in Muslim countries but also in other non-Muslim places where there is a large population of Islamic followers. India, Britain and Canada are seen celebrating this day with the same fervor and enthusiasm. Most educational and governmental offices are closed on this day, in India. Kenya and Tanzania also celebrates this festival. Despite being a Muslim country, Saudi Arabia has not declared Id-Milad as a national holiday.
Id-Milad celebration in India is quite popular among the Muslim community, who celebrate the birth and death anniversary of Prophet Mohammad.