Eid Milad-Un-Nabi is the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad and is being celebrated today. (PTI)
People across the country today celebrated Eid Milad-Un-Nabi - the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad - the founder of Islam, also believed to be a messenger of God by Muslims. His birthday falls on 12th Rabi' ul-awwal, the third month of the Muslim lunar calendar, corresponding with December 2 this year.
Several places across the country were well-lit, including streets, mosques, shrines and residential areas, with colorful lights.
The Prophet's life and sayings, as reflective in the
Hadith, continue to influence the lives of believers in more ways than can be counted. His birth date also known as
Mawlid, however, has been a matter of contention. The legality of
Mawlid has been the subject of intense debate and has been described as "one of the most polemical discussions in Islamic law by Muslim scholars".
While 12th
Rabi' al-awwal is the accepted date among most of the Sunni scholars, Shi'a scholars regard 17th
Rabi' al-awwal as the accepted date.
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.
It is also one of the favourite days for poets around the world, especially Sufi poets, who write about their love for the Prophet. They pour out their love for the icon in beautiful verses in their native languages, adding even more colour to their love for the Prophet.