The SeerahHis life

The birth of the Prophet ﷺ

مولد النبي ﷺ

He was born in Makkah on a Monday in Rabi al-Awwal, in the Year of the Elephant.

SahihSee it in the Atlas
When
A Monday in Rabi al-Awwal, in the Year of the Elephant
Date
The sources give different dates; the views are below.
Where
Makkah

The event

The Prophet ﷺ was born in Makkah. That it was a Monday is not disputed: asked about fasting on Mondays, he said it was the day he was born. The year was the Year of the Elephant, and the month Rabi al-Awwal.

The day of the month is where reports differ. islamweb's fatwa says most biographers give the 12th; al-Mubarakfuri, following the astronomer Mahmud Pasha, gives the 9th, about April 571 CE. The fatwa explains that the Arabs of that time dated events by great happenings, such as the Year of the Elephant, rather than by a written calendar.

Evidence

Sahih

Sahih Muslim 1162b

Grades
GraderVerdict
MuslimSahih (included by Muslim in his Sahih) (Sahih)
Full narration

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، - وَاللَّفْظُ لاِبْنِ الْمُثَنَّى - قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ غَيْلاَنَ بْنِ جَرِيرٍ، سَمِعَ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ مَعْبَدٍ الزِّمَّانِيَّ، عَنْ أَبِي قَتَادَةَ الأَنْصَارِيِّ، رضى الله عنه أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم سُئِلَ عَنْ صَوْمِهِ قَالَ فَغَضِبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ عُمَرُ رضى الله عنه رَضِينَا بِاللَّهِ رَبًّا وَبِالإِسْلاَمِ دِينًا وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ رَسُولاً وَبِبَيْعَتِنَا بَيْعَةً ‏.‏ قَالَ فَسُئِلَ عَنْ صِيَامِ الدَّهْرِ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ لاَ صَامَ وَلاَ أَفْطَرَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ أَوْ ‏"‏ مَا صَامَ وَمَا أَفْطَرَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَسُئِلَ عَنْ صَوْمِ يَوْمَيْنِ وَإِفْطَارِ يَوْمٍ قَالَ ‏"‏ وَمَنْ يُطِيقُ ذَلِكَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ وَسُئِلَ عَنْ صَوْمِ يَوْمٍ وَإِفْطَارِ يَوْمَيْنِ قَالَ ‏"‏ لَيْتَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَوَّانَا لِذَلِكَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ وَسُئِلَ عَنْ صَوْمِ يَوْمٍ وَإِفْطَارِ يَوْمٍ قَالَ ‏"‏ ذَاكَ صَوْمُ أَخِي دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ وَسُئِلَ عَنْ صَوْمِ يَوْمِ الاِثْنَيْنِ قَالَ ‏"‏ ذَاكَ يَوْمٌ وُلِدْتُ فِيهِ وَيَوْمٌ بُعِثْتُ أَوْ أُنْزِلَ عَلَىَّ فِيهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ صَوْمُ ثَلاَثَةٍ مِنْ كُلِّ شَهْرٍ وَرَمَضَانَ إِلَى رَمَضَانَ صَوْمُ الدَّهْرِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ وَسُئِلَ عَنْ صَوْمِ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ يُكَفِّرُ السَّنَةَ الْمَاضِيَةَ وَالْبَاقِيَةَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ وَسُئِلَ عَنْ صَوْمِ يَوْمِ عَاشُورَاءَ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ يُكَفِّرُ السَّنَةَ الْمَاضِيَةَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَفِي هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ مِنْ رِوَايَةِ شُعْبَةَ قَالَ وَسُئِلَ عَنْ صَوْمِ يَوْمِ الاِثْنَيْنِ وَالْخَمِيسِ فَسَكَتْنَا عَنْ ذِكْرِ الْخَمِيسِ لَمَّا نَرَاهُ وَهْمًا ‏.‏

Abu Qatada al-Ansari (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked about his fasting. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) felt annoyed. Thereupon 'Umar (Allah be pleased with him) said:We are pleased with Allah as the Lord, with Islam as our Code of Life, with Muhammad as the Messenger and with our pledge (to you for willing and cheerful submission) as a (sacred) commitment. He was then asked about perpetual fasting, whereupon he said: He neither fasted nor did he break it, or he did not fast and he did not break it. He was then asked about fasting for two days and breaking one day. He (the Holy Prophet) said: And who has strength enough to do it? He was asked about fasting for a day and breaking for two days, whereupon he said: May Allah bestow upon us strength to do it. He was then asked about fasting for a day and breaking on the other, whereupon he said: That is the fasting of my brother David (peace be upon him). He was then asked about fasting on Monday, whereupon he said: It was the day on which I was born. on which I was commissioned with prophethood or revelation was sent to me, (and he further) said: Three days' fasting every month and of the whole of Ramadan every year is a perpetual fast. He was asked about fasting on the day of 'Arafa (9th of Dhu'I-Hijja), whereupon he said: It expiates the sins of the preceding year and the coming year. He was asked about fasting on the day of 'Ashura (10th of Muharram), whereupon be said: It expiates the sins of the preceding year. (Imam Muslim said that in this hadith there is a) narration of Imam Shu'ba that he was asked about fasting on Monday and Thursday, but we (Imam Muslim) did not mention Thursday for we found it as an error (in reporting)

View on sunnah.com
Report an error on this page

Tell us what looks wrong: a reference, a translation, the Arabic, or anything else. Scholars and editors read every report. Please don’t include personal details.

Text size

Appearance