When is the UAE’s next public holiday?

Dubai: We have less than a couple of weeks until the next UAE public holiday. 

The birthday of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) is celebrated on the 12th day of Rabi Al Awwal. In Arabic, the holiday is referred to as Eid Al Mawlid Al Nabawi. 

According to the UAE government, the public holiday will fall on Thursday, October 21, 2021. This means that residents will benefit from one more long weekend in the fall. As of now, the public sector holiday has been confirmed, and MOHRE will confirm the holiday for private-sector employees. 

What is typically done for the Prophet's Birthday?

This holiday is less of a celebration and more of an observance. It is encouraged for Muslims to spend the day connecting with God spiritually, by either fasting or reading the Quran. Muslims commemorate the anniversary of the birth of the Messenger of God.

Prophet Mohammed was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in the year 570 AD of the Gregorian calendar. The precise Gregorian date of his birth is unclear. However, Muslims observe Muhammed's birthday on the 12th day of the Islamic month of Rabi Al-Awwal, which is the third month of the Islamic year.

In Islam, Prophet Mohammed is believed to have been a descendant of Prophet Ismael. Isaac and Ismael were the two sons of Prophet Ibrahim. By the time of his sixth birthday, Prophet Mohammed was orphaned and was raised by uncle Abu Talib and his grandfather Abdul Muttalib.

It wasn’t until the prophet turned 40 that he was told by the angel Gabriel, that he was a prophet of the lord. Over the next 20 years, he was preaching Islam and spread the word of the Quran.

Today, there are 1.8 billion muslims in the world.