Eid Milad-un-nabi Birth of the Prophet,  It is the observance of the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad which occurs on the 12th day of Rabi'al- awwal,the third month in the Islamic calendar. The Fatimids  began celebrating Eid Milad-un-nabi in the 10th century, and the Ottomans declared it an official holiday in 1588. The term Mawlid is also used in some parts of the world, such as Egypt, as a generic term for the birthday celebrations of other historical religious figures such as Sufi Saints.