✿ Compilation: Hafiz Muhammad Anwar Zahid حفظه الله
❖ The Common Claim
It is widely believed and often stated that the Prophet ﷺ was born on the 12th of Rabiʿ al-Awwal. This view is attributed to Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq, who said:
“The Prophet ﷺ was born on a Monday, after twelve nights had passed in the month of Rabiʿ al-Awwal, in the Year of the Elephant.”
[Ibn Hishām with al-Rawḍ al-Anuf by al-Suhaylī, 1/278]❖ Authentication and Historical Scrutiny
This narration is weak.Here’s the detailed analysis:
◈ In Sīrah Ibn Hishām, this statement is reported without any chain (sanad).
◈ In Ṭabaqāt Ibn Saʿd (1/100–101), the report includes al-Wāqidī, who is matrūk (abandoned in ḥadīth).
◈ Wāqidī has also stated another opinion: that the Prophet ﷺ was born on the 10th of Rabiʿ al-Awwal.
◈ Abū Maʿshar claimed he was born on the 2nd of Rabiʿ al-Awwal, but Abū Maʿshar is also weak.
❖ The Disagreement Among Historians and Scholars
There is significant disagreement among early and later biographers and historians regarding the exact birth date of the Prophet ﷺ. However, there is agreement on the following point:
✔ The Prophet ﷺ was born on a Monday.
As for the date, various historical positions include:
① 2nd Rabiʿ al-Awwal
② 5th Rabiʿ al-Awwal
③ 8th Rabiʿ al-Awwal
④ 9th Rabiʿ al-Awwal
⑤ 10th Rabiʿ al-Awwal
⑥ 12th Rabiʿ al-Awwal
⑦ 17th Rabiʿ al-Awwal
◈ ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī stated the Prophet ﷺ was born on the 10th of Muḥarram — see Ghuniyat al-Ṭālibīn.
◈ According to Zubayr ibn Bakkār, he was born in the month of Ramaḍān.
⤷ Al-Suhaylī mentioned that this opinion aligns with those who believe his mother conceived him during the Days of Tashrīq.
⤷ However, Zubayr ibn Bakkār was born nearly 200 years after the Prophet ﷺ, and provided no chain of narration. This is his personal speculation.
◈ Al-Zurqānī mentioned a report stating that he was born in Rajab.
[al-Zurqānī, vol. 1, p. 30]❖ Final Analysis and Position
It is incorrect to assert that the Prophet ﷺ was definitely born on the 12th of Rabiʿ al-Awwal and claim there is no disagreement about it. As outlined above, there is significant scholarly disagreement on the exact date.
✔ The only point of agreement is: the Prophet ﷺ was born on a Monday.
✔ Imām Ibn al-Jawzī did report consensus that the birth occurred in the month of Rabiʿ al-Awwal, but not on the 12th specifically.
✔ Ibn Kathīr referred to the 12th as the popular and most widespread opinion.
✔ Renowned astronomer Maḥmūd Pasha concluded that the 9th of Rabiʿ al-Awwal is the most likely correct date.
✔ Scholars such as Shiblī Nuʿmānī, Anwar Shāh Kashmīrī, and Qāḍī Sulaymān Manṣūrpūrī supported Maḥmūd Pasha’s findings.
The widely circulated claim in some contemporary books — e.g. Sīrat ke Sachay Moti (pages 51–52) — that the Prophet ﷺ was born on Monday, the 12th of Rabiʿ al-Awwal without any difference of opinion is factually incorrect. As already explained, there is no scholarly consensus on the exact date.
❖ Conclusion
The exact date of the Prophet’s ﷺ birth cannot be determined with absolute certainty due to the weakness or lack of reliable chains of narration. Multiple dates have been mentioned by scholars, and while the 12th of Rabiʿ al-Awwal is the most commonly held view, it is not definitive.وَالله أعلم
