What Milad un Nabi is

The observance of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, kept on 12 Rabi al-Awwal by most Sunni Muslims and on the 17th by many Shia Muslims.

Practice varies widely: it is a public holiday and a major celebration in much of South Asia, North Africa and Turkey, and not observed at all in Saudi Arabia.

How this date is calculated, and why it shifts each year

The countdown at the top of this page is live, and the date beneath it is the next occurrence. The date follows the Islamic lunar calendar, which is about eleven days shorter than the Gregorian year. That is why it arrives earlier each year and works its way through all four seasons over roughly three decades. Dates published in advance are calculated; the confirmed date depends on the sighting of the moon and can differ by a day between countries.

The date shown here is arithmetic: it comes from a tabular Hijri calculation, not from an announcement. Many countries and communities confirm the actual day by local moon sighting or by a national religious authority, and the confirmed date can fall a day either side of the calculated one. Treat this page as a countdown to the expected date and your local mosque or religious authority as the decisive source.

What is coming up next

Once this date passes, the countdown moves on according to the recurrence rule described above. Calculated lunar dates remain estimates until the relevant calendar or local authority confirms them. See the full list of upcoming events, or use the countdown timer for a duration of your own.