Before I actually researched Milad un Nabi, I thought I knew what it was. I knew it was connected to the birth of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and I had seen how some Muslim communities mark the occasion with gatherings, salawat, speeches, recitations, food and decorations. In my mind, it was simple. Muslims were remembering the birth of the Prophet ﷺ and showing their love for him.

But once I started looking into it properly, I realized there was much more to the subject. I came across different dates associated with the Prophet’s birth, different traditions in different countries, and something I had not really considered before, Muslims themselves have different opinions about Mawlid. The more I read, the more I realized that this was not just a story about a celebration. There was history, religion, culture and different interpretations all connected to it.

So rather than presenting Milad un Nabi as though there is only one way to understand it, I wanted to share what I discovered and what personally stood out to me.

Milad un Nabi, also known as Mawlid or Mouloud, refers to the commemoration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

One of the first things that surprised me was the date. I had always assumed there was one definite date for the Prophet’s birth, but historical sources differ. Many Sunni Muslims commonly associate Mawlid with 12 Rabi al-Awwal, while many Shi'a Muslims, particularly Twelver Shi'a Muslims, associate the Prophet’s birth with 17 Rabi al-Awwal.

The difference in dates made me curious about something else. I had heard the words Sunni and Shi'a many times, but I realized that I had never really stopped to understand the difference properly.

In simple terms, Sunni and Shi'a are the two largest traditions within Islam. The historical difference began after the death of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, when Muslims had different understandings about who should lead the Muslim community.

Sunni Muslims came to recognize Abu Bakr, a close companion of the Prophet ﷺ, as the first caliph. Shi'a Muslims held that Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Prophet’s cousin and son in-law, had the strongest claim to leadership based on their understanding of the Prophet’s wishes and the special position of his family. Over time, these different understandings developed into differences in religious scholarship, traditions and some practices.

Learning this helped me understand why Muslims can have different opinions about Mawlid while still sharing the broader foundations of Islam.

Probably one of the biggest things I discovered was that the Prophet ﷺ did not establish an annual birthday celebration during his lifetime. The public Mawlid traditions that exist today developed centuries after the Prophet’s lifetime, with early examples appearing in the medieval Muslim world.

Many Muslims who observe Mawlid see Qur’an recitation, salawat, religious talks, poetry, charity and gatherings as ways of remembering the Prophet ﷺ and expressing love for him.

Other Muslims do not observe Mawlid because they believe an annual religious celebration was not practiced by the Prophet ﷺ or his Companions and therefore should not be introduced as a religious observance.

For Muslims who observe Mawlid, remembering the Prophet ﷺ is connected to love, gratitude and learning from his life. The Qur’an describes the Prophet ﷺ as a mercy to the worlds, and Muslims look to his life for guidance in patience, honesty, forgiveness, courage, worship and compassion.

This is probably the part that interests me most.

A celebration can be beautiful. There can be decorations, food, gatherings, speeches and recitations. But I keep coming back to one question, what happens after the gathering is over?

If I listen to someone speak about the Prophet’s mercy and then become less patient with people the next day, what did I really take from that reminder? If I admire his honesty but become careless with my own words, then something is missing.

For me, remembering the Prophet ﷺ becomes much more meaningful when it affects the way I actually behave.

Mawlid can look very different depending on the country and community.

In Egypt, it has a long public tradition involving religious gatherings, recitations, sweets and community celebrations. Across South Asia, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, gatherings can include naat recitation, religious speeches, processions, charity, food and mosque programs.

In Turkey, the occasion is commonly known as Mevlid or Mevlid Kandili and can involve devotional recitations and mosque programs. Indonesia and Malaysia also have large Maulid gatherings, often bringing local customs together with religious activities.

While researching Mawlid, I felt it would be strange to talk about remembering the Prophet ﷺ without looking at the life being remembered.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born in Makkah around 570 CE, traditionally associated with the Year of the Elephant. At around the age of forty, while in the Cave of Hira, he received the first revelation through the Angel Jibril, or Gabriel.

His mission was far from easy. The early Muslims faced opposition and persecution in Makkah. In 622 CE, the Prophet ﷺ migrated with his followers to Madinah. This migration, known as the Hijrah, became the starting point of the Islamic calendar.

His life included hardship, loss, patience and difficult decisions, while Islamic traditions emphasize qualities such as mercy, forgiveness and restraint in his conduct.

This is where I think the subject becomes much more personal.

The Prophet ﷺ is not remembered simply because he was born. Muslims remember him because of the life he lived and the example he left behind.

When I think about his patience, honesty and mercy, I do not want to see them only as qualities belonging to someone who lived many centuries ago. I find myself asking questions about my own life.

Looking back, I think I had two main misunderstandings.

For those who observe Mawlid, I think its deeper value should be in remembering the Prophet ﷺ, learning about his life and trying to follow his example, rather than allowing the occasion to become only about food, decorations or large gatherings.

At the same time, Muslims who do not observe Mawlid may have sincere religious reasons for their position. That should be acknowledged rather than turning the subject into an argument.

Personally, I do not think the most important part of remembering the Prophet ﷺ is how large the gathering is, how many decorations are put up or how much food is prepared.

For me, the more important question is what the remembrance does to a person.

If remembering the Prophet ﷺ encourages those changes, then I feel it has gone beyond being an event on the calendar. It has become something that actually affects everyday life.

When I started researching this topic, I thought I was going to write about a Muslim celebration connected with the Prophet’s birth. Instead, I ended up learning much more.

I learned that the exact date of the Prophet’s birth has historical differences. I learned that annual Mawlid celebrations developed after the Prophet’s lifetime. I learned why some Muslims observe Mawlid and why others do not. I learned more about the historical difference between Sunni and Shi'a Muslims, while also understanding the foundations they share. I also learned how differently communities around the world remember the occasion.

That realization made the whole subject feel much more personal, rather than simply historical or cultural.

The birth being remembered happened many centuries ago, but the qualities associated with the Prophet ﷺ are still relevant today: mercy, patience, honesty, courage, generosity, forgiveness and devotion.

I do not want to understand Milad un Nabi only through lights, food, poems, decorations or gatherings. I want to understand the person behind the remembrance.

Whether someone celebrates Mawlid, marks the occasion quietly through learning and worship, or follows a scholarly view that does not recognize an annual Mawlid observance, I think the subject deserves to be approached with knowledge and respect.

For me, the most meaningful remembrance would be the kind that does not end when the gathering ends. It continues in how we speak, how we treat people, how we forgive, how we help others and, most importantly, how we try to live by the example of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

That is what I did not fully understand before researching Milad un Nabi. I thought it was mainly about remembering a birth.