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Rabi' al-Awwal
Rabi' al-Awwal
	Indian Muslims with green flags for Mawlid
Native name	رَبِيع ٱلْأَوَّل (Arabic)
Calendar	Islamic calendar
Month number	3
Number of days	29-30 (depends on actual observation of the moon's crescent)
Significant days	Eid-e-Milad;
	← Safar Rabiʽ al-Thani →

^[1]Rabiʽ al-Awwal (Arabic: رَبِيع ٱلْأَوَّل, romanized: Rabīʿ al-ʾAwwal, lit. 'The initial Rabi', also known as Rabi' al-Ula (Arabic: رَبِيع ٱلْأُولَىٰ, romanized: Rabī‘ al-ʾŪlā, lit. 'The first Rabi'), or Rabi' I) is the third month of the Islamic calendar. The name Rabī‘ al-awwal means "the first month or beginning of spring", referring to its position in the pre-Islamic Arabian calendar.

In the days of the Ottoman Empire, the name of this month in Ottoman Turkish was Rèbi' ulèvvèl,^[2] with the abbreviation Ra.^[1] In modern Turkish, it is Rebiülevvel.

Meaning

The word "Rabi" means "spring" and Al-awwal means "the first" in the Arabic language, so "Rabi' al-awwal" means "the first spring" in Arabic. The name seems to have to do with the celebratory events in the month, as spring marks the end of winter (a symbol of sadness) and consequently the start of happiness. As the Islamic calendar is a purely lunar calendar, the month naturally rotates over solar years, so Rabīʽ al-awwal can fall in spring or any other season. Therefore, the month cannot be related to the actual season of spring.^[3]

Celebrations

Although historians and scholars disagree on the exact date of Muhammad's birth,^[4] it is celebrated by some Muslims on the 12th or 17th of Rabi' al-awwal, however it can be done on any day at any time of the year.

Mawlid is done across the globe by majority of the Muslim world. A minority of Muslims do not partake as they believe it to be an innovation.

The essence of the Mawlid is from the Sunnah. The sahaba would congregate specifically to thank Allah for blessing them with the prophet, distribute food, read poetry about the prophet as done by Hassan Ibn Thabit, speak about the life and birth of the Prophet and other praiseworthy acts which is what is carried out in Mawlid gatherings today. The Prophet ‎صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم would fast on Mondays as it was the day he ‎صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم was born (Sahih Muslim)

Although a lot of Muslims make an extra effort in the month of Rabi Ul Awwal, mawlid can be done at any day and time of the year. It is done by all Muslims everyday without realising - simply praising the Prophet or speaking about the seerah (life of prophet) can be a form of mawlid. There does not have to be a set day or time, neither does a venue have to booked or does there need to be a significant number of people to partake in Mawlid. It can simply be two people speaking about the Prophet ‎صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم and praising him.

In some countries, a procession is also conducted on the night and day of the 12th or 17th of Rabi' al-awwal. On these occasions, sweets and drinks are distributed widely from home to home and the general public. In some areas, Muslims also exchange gifts.

Timing

The Islamic calendar is a purely lunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. Since the Islamic lunar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year, Rabī‘ al-Awwal migrates throughout the seasons. The estimated start and end dates for Rabī‘ al-Awwal are as follows (based on the Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia^[5]):

Rabī' al-Awwal dates between 2022 and 2026
AH	First day (CE/AD)	Last day (CE/AD)
1444	27 September 2022	25 October 2022
1445	16 September 2023	15 October 2023
1446	4 September 2024	3 October 2024
1447	24 August 2025	22 September 2025
1448	14 August 2026	11 September 2026

Islamic events

01 Rabī‘ al-Awwal 897 AH, the fall of the Emirate of Granada, the final Muslim kingdom of al-Andalus
08 Rabī‘ al-Awwal, death of Imam Hassan Al-Askari Twelver Imām, Hasan al-‘Askarī (see: Chup Tazia)
09 Rabī‘ al-Awwal, Eid e shuja
12 Rabī‘ al-Awwal, Sunni Muslims observe Mawlid in commemoration of Muhammad's birthday
13 Rabi‘ al-Awwal, Death of [Umm Rubab] (beloved wife of Imam Hussain)
17 Rabī‘ al-Awwal, Shia celebrate the birthday of the Imām Ja‘far al-Sādiq.
18 Rabī‘ al-Awwal, birth of Umm Kulthum bint Ali
26 Rabī‘ al-Awwal 1333 AH, death of Khwaja Sirajuddin Naqshbandi, a Naqshbandi Sufi shaykh

Other events:

The Hijra (migration) took place in this month
Eid-e-Zahra (a.k.a. Eid e shuja), a celebration of Shi‘ah Muslims
Marriage of Muhammad to Khadijah bint Khuwaylid
Building of the Quba Mosque (first mosque in Islam)
The week including 12th and 17th is called Islamic Unity Week in Iran to address both Sunni and Shia views on the birth date of Mohammad.^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b Youssof, R. (1890). Dictionnaire portatif turc-français de la langue usuelle en caractères latins et turcs. Constantinople. p. 476.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ Youssof, R. (1890). Dictionnaire portatif turc-français de la langue usuelle en caractères latins et turcs. Constantinople. p. 479.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ "المنجد في اللغة - المكتبة الوقفية للكتب المصورة PDF". waqfeya.net.
^ "mysticsaint.info". ww1.mysticsaint.info.
^ "The Umm al-Qura Calendar of Saudi Arabia". webspace.science.uu.nl.
^ Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Institute of Islamic Studies. Days on viewpoint of Imam Khomeini. Tehran: Islamic research center. p. 176.