UAE announces paid holidays for private sector

Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced a paid holiday for all private sector workers on Saturday 8 October to mark the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

The holiday was announced by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) on Tuesday.

How is it celebrated?

For Muslims, the Prophet Muhammad is seen as a moral and spiritual role model, and commemorating his life is seen as another way to keep a memory in the collective consciousness of Islam.

The Prophet’s birthday was 12 Rabi Ul Awwal in 1444, the third month of the Islamic calendar. In Arabic, the festival is called Eid Al Mawlid Al Nabawi or Milad.

On the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, Muslims establish a spiritual connection with God by fasting and reading the Quran.

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia in 570 AD. However, it is unclear what the exact Gregorian date of his birth was. Muslims celebrate Muhammad’s birthday on the 12th day of Rabi Ul Awwal, the third month of the Islamic year.

The festival is marked by remembrance rather than celebration, with festivities kept to a minimum.