By Godfrey Olukya 22-3-2013
Mawlid is very important in Muslim community because it initiates the gathering of people in Ramadan to recite
Tarawih prayer and praising of Allah.
This has been revealed by Shiek Abdu Owimana while addressing Muslims in Burundi’s capital Bujumbura.
Nkasi said, ‘Mawlid is very important in Islam because during it the faithful recite the Koran with optimum concentration.’
He said that apart from reciting the Koran, the faithful worship Allah and praise prophet Mohammad (PBUH). He said that during Mawlid people are also taught about the life of Muhammad.
Mawlid is an event where Muslims commemorate the birth of prophet Muhammad and also talk about the mercy of Allah. It takes place in Rabbi al-Awwal, the third month in the Islamic calender.
However not all Muslims in the world believe in Mawlid. Although all Sunni Muslims celebrate Muhammad’s birth, Wahhabis-Islamic fundamentalists who want to return to the earliest Islamic sources of the Koran and Hadith oppose it.
They claim that the exercise is haram and often preach against it. However, most Muslims allover the world revere Mawlid. Mawlid was started in the 8th century in Mecca when the house in which Muhammad was born was transformed into a place of worship.
Most Muslims in Africa regard Mawlid as a special occasion in which they reflect themselves with Allah.
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