The night
Friday 13 August, after Maghrib
The Islamic day begins at sunset, so the night comes before its day.
Mawlid 2027, 12 Rabi al-Awwal 1449.
12 Rabi al-Awwal 1449 is expected on Saturday 14 August 2027, from sunset on Friday 13 August. Here is what the sources say about the Prophet's ﷺ birth, and how scholars have viewed marking it.
12 Rabi al-Awwal begins in
--Days
--Hours
--Minutes
--Seconds
Counting to 6 pm your time on Friday 13 August 2027. The night begins at Maghrib where you are.
Umm al-Qura date
Saturday 14 August 2027
The date in Saudi Arabia and the countries that follow its calendar.
If the month starts a day later
Night of Saturday 14 August
Where the month began a day later by local moon sighting, as often in South Asia.
Guide
The Mawlid, the date and the views.
Mawlid (or Milad an-Nabi) refers to the birth of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, commonly marked on the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal. In 2027, 12 Rabi al-Awwal 1449 is expected on Saturday 14 August 2027, with the night beginning at sunset on Friday 13 August. Where Rabi al-Awwal starts a day later by moon sighting, it is Sunday 15 August. Shia Muslims commonly mark the 17th.
What the sources say about his birth
It is authentic that the Prophet ﷺ was born on a Monday. Asked about fasting on Monday, he said: "That is the day I was born, and the day revelation came to me."1 He was born in the Year of the Elephant, around 570 or 571 CE, in Rabi al-Awwal according to most historians. The day of the month is not settled: the 12th is the most widely reported and is the date of Ibn Ishaq, while others gave the 2nd, 8th, 9th or 10th.2
What all Muslims agree on
- Loving the Prophet ﷺ more than oneself is part of faith.3
- Sending salawat on him, learning his seerah and following his Sunnah are among the best deeds, every day of the year.
- Fasting on Mondays is a sunnah, linked by him to his birth.
- No specific prayer, fast or worship for the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal was taught by the Prophet ﷺ or practised by the Companions.
The views on marking the Mawlid
Hanafi views
Hanafi scholars differ on this. Many Hanafi scholars, including those of the Barelvi tradition in South Asia and many Hanafis in Turkey and the Arab world, hold that gathering to remember the Prophet's ﷺ birth with Quran, salawat, poetry in his praise and feeding people is a praiseworthy practice (bidah hasanah), as long as it is free of anything forbidden. The Deoband scholars hold that the remembrance itself is good at any time, but that fixing the 12th as a set occasion, with practices treated as part of the religion, is to be avoided, since the early Muslims did not do it.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Many Shafi'i scholars approved of it as a good innovation when free of wrongdoing, among them Abu Shamah, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, who drew a basis from the Ashura fast of thanks, and al-Suyuti in Husn al-Maqsid fi Amal al-Mawlid.
- Maliki
- Al-Fakihani wrote against it, calling it an innovation without basis. Other Malikis, such as Ibn Abbad, approved of it when free of wrongdoing.
- Hanbali
- Ibn Taymiyyah said it was not done by the early Muslims, while adding that some who do it out of love for the Prophet ﷺ may be rewarded for their intention. Many later Hanbali and Salafi scholars regard it as an innovation.
Things all sides warn against
- Mixing of men and women in ways the Sharia forbids, music and anything forbidden at the gatherings.
- Waste and showing off, and going into debt for it.
- Believing it is an obligation, or that someone who does not mark it loves the Prophet ﷺ less.
- Fabricated stories about the birth, and exaggeration beyond what the Quran and Sunnah say about him.
Ways to honour the Prophet ﷺ in Rabi al-Awwal and all year
- Read a short seerah with your family, a chapter a week.
- Send salawat often, especially on Friday.
- Fast on Mondays.
- Revive a sunnah you have neglected, such as the morning and evening adhkar.
Sound scholars have held more than one view here. Follow the scholars you trust, and keep good manners with those who differ.
- Sahih Muslim 1162, from Abu Qatadah.
- Ibn Ishaq, al-Sirah, through Ibn Hisham; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, on the date of the birth.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 15; Sahih Muslim 44.
- Al-Suyuti, Husn al-Maqsid fi Amal al-Mawlid (quoting Ibn Hajar); al-Fakihani, al-Mawrid fi al-Kalam ala Amal al-Mawlid; Ibn Taymiyyah, Iqtida al-Sirat al-Mustaqim. The Hanafi views are summarised from the published positions of the Barelvi and Deoband institutions.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know.
When is Mawlid 2027?
12 Rabi al-Awwal 1449 is expected on Saturday 14 August 2027, from sunset on Friday 13 August. Where the month begins a day later, it is Sunday 15 August 2027.
Was the Prophet ﷺ born on 12 Rabi al-Awwal?
The 12th is the most widely reported date and the one given by Ibn Ishaq, but historians also reported the 2nd, 8th, 9th and 10th. It is authentic that he was born on a Monday (Sahih Muslim 1162).
Is celebrating Mawlid allowed?
Scholars differ. Many, including al-Suyuti and Ibn Hajar, approved gatherings of remembrance free of wrongdoing; others, including al-Fakihani and many Salafi scholars, regard it as an innovation. Hanafi scholars also differ.
Is there a special fast or prayer on 12 Rabi al-Awwal?
No specific worship for the date was taught in the Sunnah. Fasting on Mondays, which the Prophet ﷺ linked to his birth, is a sunnah all year.