Muslims celebrate ‘birth’ of Prophet Mohammad

MARAWI CITY — Muslims celebrated yesterday the "birth" of the Prophet Mohammad or "Maulidin Nabi," which coincided with the start of the Christians’ observance of the Holy Week.

According to the Muslim faithful, "the birth of the Prophet Mohammad is celebrated because it was the 12th day of Rabiol Awal or the third month in the Hijrah calendar (the Muslim calendar) and it was during this date that Acmad, the child who later became Prophet Mohammad, was believed to have been born."

Prophet Mohammad was the last of the prophets who was born 600 years after the death of Jesus Christ, according to Muslim faithful Monette Sacar, quoting the Qur‘an.

Yesterday also coincided with the day the Prophet Mohammad moved from Mecca to Medina, Saudi Arabia.

The celebration of Maulidin Nabi was observed with, apart from the obligatory "sambayang" or prayers five times a day, the "sonah" or more prayers during the course of the day, according to Norhaima, a female Muslim faithful.

"More prayers are offered to Allah during the observance of the birth of the Prophet Mohammad," she said.

However, she added that even if there are festivities such as the "Kalilang," the eating of Muslim pastries such as "dodol," "amik," "broas" and others, and delicacies made of carabeef, the religious groups had advised them to observe simplicity and austerity because of the hard times.

The Maulidin Nabi celebration was an official holiday in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), including Iligan City and Lanao del Norte.