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Islamic Holiday · 2026 · All Years Guide

Mawlid al-Nabi 2026

Commemoration of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

Gregorian dateAugust 25, 2026
Day of weekTuesday
Hijri date12 Rabi al-Awwal 1448
ReligionIslam

In 2026, Mawlid al-Nabi falls on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, corresponding to 12 Rabi al-Awwal 1448 in the Islamic Hijri calendar. The exact start may shift by one day in either direction based on regional moon-sighting committee announcements — countries that follow the Saudi Umm al-Qura calculation typically align with the date listed here, while South Asian moon-sighting traditions occasionally observe the festival one day later.

Significance of Mawlid al-Nabi

Mawlid al-Nabi, also spelled Mawlid an-Nabawi, commemorates the birth of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in 570 CE in Mecca. The observance falls on the twelfth day of Rabi al-Awwal — the third month of the Islamic calendar — for Sunni Muslims, and on the seventeenth for many Shia Muslims. While not one of the two canonical Eids, the Mawlid is an officially recognized public holiday in dozens of Muslim-majority countries and is honored with extensive public devotional observance throughout the wider Muslim world. The earliest documented Mawlid celebrations date to the Fatimid dynasty in Egypt during the eleventh century and were institutionalized by Sultan Abu Sa'id Kokburi of Erbil in the twelfth century, evolving into a tradition of poetry, scholarship, and community charity.

Traditions and Observances

Mosques and madrasas host gatherings devoted to the recitation of qasidas — devotional poetry in praise of the Prophet — most famously the Burda of Imam al-Busiri and the Mawlid al-Barzanji, which is recited in homes and mosques across the Muslim world. Lectures recount the Prophet's lineage, miraculous birth, his early life of integrity that earned him the title al-Amin (the Trustworthy), and major events of his prophethood. Communities prepare communal meals, distribute sweets and charity to the poor, decorate streets with lights and green flags, and assemble large processions in cities including Cairo, Karachi, Lahore, Istanbul, Konya, and Fez.

Mawlid al-Nabi 2026 — At a Glance

If you are planning travel, scheduling community events, requesting time off work, or simply marking your family calendar for 2026, the table below summarises every key detail for Mawlid al-Nabi this year, alongside the surrounding observances on either side of the festival in the Hijri calendar.

Detail2026
Gregorian dateAugust 25, 2026
Day of weekTuesday
Hijri date12 Rabi al-Awwal 1448
TraditionIslam (Sunni & Shia observance noted where they differ)

Regional Observance

In Egypt, the Mawlid is celebrated throughout the year for various Sufi saints, but the Prophet's Mawlid in Cairo is the largest, with sweet stalls offering arousat al-mawlid (the bride of the Mawlid) sugar dolls. Pakistani and Indian cities including Karachi and Hyderabad organize Eid Milad-un-Nabi processions through main streets. Indonesia's Sekaten festival in Yogyakarta and Surakarta lasts a full week and combines Mawlid devotions with traditional Javanese gamelan performance. Moroccan Mawlid features the founding ceremonies of Sufi tariqa orders. Saudi Arabia and most Salafi-influenced communities do not officially observe Mawlid, considering its formal celebration a later innovation.

Mawlid al-Nabi Across the Years 2024–2030

The Islamic Hijri calendar is a purely lunar calendar of approximately 354 days, so its observances drift forward by roughly 10–11 days each Gregorian year. The Hindu lunar calendar uses periodic intercalary months (adhik maas) that keep festivals broadly anchored to the seasons. The table below shows the Gregorian date of Mawlid al-Nabi across every year HijriHub covers, allowing you to plan multi-year commemorations, anniversaries, or research at a glance.

YearGregorian dateHijri dateDay
2024September 15, 202412 Rabi al-Awwal 1446Sunday
2025September 4, 202512 Rabi al-Awwal 1447Thursday
2026August 25, 202612 Rabi al-Awwal 1448Tuesday
2027August 14, 202712 Rabi al-Awwal 1449Saturday
2028August 3, 202812 Rabi al-Awwal 1450Thursday
2029July 23, 202912 Rabi al-Awwal 1451Monday
2030July 12, 203012 Rabi al-Awwal 1452Friday

How HijriHub calculates Mawlid al-Nabi 2026

Our Hijri-to-Gregorian conversions follow the calculation methodology used by the Aladhan Islamic Calendar API, which itself draws from the Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia for religious observances. For festivals tied to lunar crescent observation — particularly the start of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, and Hijri New Year — the actual observed date in any given country may differ by one day based on local moon-sighting committee determinations. We list the most widely observed Sunni date here; Shia communities typically follow Ja'fari calculation methodology that may differ by a day. Always confirm with your local masjid or central religious authority before finalising community plans.

Other Years

Other Holidays in August 2026