When is Rabi al-Awwal?
Rabi al-Awwal is the third month of the Islamic calendar, occurring after Muharram and Safar. This year, it begins at Maghrib on 16th September.
The literal meaning of Rabi al-Awwal is ‘the first spring’, but this has no relevant meaning today, because the Islamic calendar follows the moon rather than the solar seasons.
Why is Rabi al-Awwal important to Muslims?
Muslims consider Rabi al-Awwal to be significant because the following events took place during this month:
- The birth of the Prophet Muhammad (saw), the final Messenger to whom the Qur’an was revealed.
- The Hijrah of the Prophet (saw), when he emigrated from Makkah to Madinah. The Islamic calendar is dated from this event.
- The death of the Prophet (saw), on 12th Rabi al-Awwal in the eleventh year of Islam.
Allah chose Rabi al-Awwal to send the Prophet (saw) into the world, and to take His Beloved (saw) back to Him. Out of the twelve months in the lunar calendar, He chose to bless only Rabi al-Awwal in this way. Therefore, it is of course a special month and deserves our attention and respect. With that in mind, let’s take a more detailed look at the blessed events of this month and what we can learn from them.