Calgary Muslims join worldwide celebration of Prophet’s birthday
City’s festivities are among the longest in the world, with gala planned for January
Calgary’s Muslim community is joining with fellow worshippers across Canada and the world for the annual, long-running celebration in honour of Prophet Muhammad’s birthday.
Across the city, a series of lectures, prayer meetings and discussions with younger followers of Islam are taking place during Rabi-ul-Awal, the third month in the Islamic calendar and the one in which it is believed the Prophet was born.
Muhammad’s birthday is celebrated on the 12th day of that month, an event which takes place at different dates each year as the Islamic calendar is based upon the cycles of the moon. This year, the actual date of the Prophet’s birth was celebrated on Dec. 1, a day termed Eid Milad un Nabi. However, the series of events to mark that milestone will last two months in Calgary.
The Prophet is believed to have been born in what was then Arabia in the city of Mecca in the year 570. He died June 8, 632, in Medina, where he had been forced to emigrate with his followers a decade earlier. Those two cities are now sites of pilgrimage for Muslims worldwide. It was Muhammad who first proclaimed the words of the Qur’an to his initial followers.
Atthar Mahmood, vice-president of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada and president of Muslims Against Terrorism, explained that each country (as well as individual cities within those lands) has its own time frame for marking how long festivities should last. Calgary’s celebrations are among the longest anywhere, so much so that Mahmood is already planning a wrap up, inter-faith gala to be held in the city in January.
“In celebration of Rabi- ulAwal, Muslims all over the world are urged to get together and be joyous. The primary purpose is to remind all Muslims about the purpose for existence, and to give thanks to Allah for sending us a beacon of mercy and kindness,” he said.
“The occasion of Rabi-ul-Awal serves a great purpose in that it brings the people closer to the teachings of Islam and to the Prophet’s way of life,” added Mahmood.
“Allah was mentioned in the Qur’an, which translates as ‘we have not sent you but as mercy for all the worlds.’ When we say that the Prophet Muhammad was sent as mercy it is not limited only to Muslims. Mercy in its very nature is something that knows no bounds, no limits. And therefore, Muhammad is a beacon of mercy and kindness for every single human being on this earth, regardless of faith, ethnicity or belief.”
“That mercy extends past humans, as the term ‘rahmatul-lil aalameen’ means mercy for all creation. This includes the trees, the flowers, the animals, the insects and even the non-living things. Coming back to humans, Allah has called all of humanity His family. When one individual, who is innocent, whether he be Muslim, Christian, Jew, Atheist, gets hurt, everyone should share in his pain,” added Mahmood.
He said these celebrations provide a perfect opportunity to focus on strengthening true and constant faith in Islam and using the Prophet’s life and teachings to underscore the path of truth for believers. At a time when some young people are tempted to stray and fall victim to the false words of terrorist groups such as ISIS, reminders are more needed than ever.
“This year we are very focused on youth learning. We want our youth to know our Prophet as a human being, as a family member, as a husband, as a brother, a social worker and a teacher, so they then know how he wanted us to live.
“If you follow the Prophet’s sayings, you will have success everywhere, but if you follow the wrong path, such as following ISIS and that type of stuff, you will never have any success. Already a lot of people have been showing up every night, asking questions and praying. It is our duty to clarify them.” added Mahmood.
The Islamic Supreme Council of Canada is based in Calgary and helps organize celebrations and events marking Muhammad’s birth throughout the country, from Halifax to Victoria. It is a time in which many scholars from different countries are invited to provide lessons to the public about the lifestyle of the Prophet.
Mahmood said he hoped all Calgary Muslims would attend the events the Islamic Supreme Council is organizing in the weeks ahead. He added the Prophet’s message of peace is especially important for the ears of young people.