With October 9 confirmed as a holiday, a three-day weekend is in the offing next month.

Muscat: Oman authorities have confirmed that October 9 will be a holiday to honour Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on his birth anniversary.

A three-day weekend is in the offing next month. “On the approach of Prophet Mohammed’s (PBUH) birth anniversary, it has been decided that Sunday 13 Rabee Al Awal 1444 AH, corresponding to 9 October, will be an official holiday for employees of units of the State’s Administrative Apparatus and other legal entities and establishments of the private sector,” ONA said on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Labour explained that the employers of the private sector establishments may agree on terms to engage employees on the said holiday—if deemed necessary due to the nature of their work—provided they compensate the workers for the holiday.

Omanis express their joy on the occasion of the anniversary of the Prophet’s birthday, so, how do Omanis celebrate and what are the most prominent celebrations?

The Prophet’s (PBUH) birthday or the birth of the Messenger is an annual commemoration on the day of the birth of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) on the 12th of Rabi’ Al Awwal, according to the Hijri calendar, as Muslims celebrate it every year in some Islamic countries not as a holiday or worship, but as joy on the birth of their Prophet (PBUH), the Messenger of God Mohammed bin Abdullah, where popular celebrations begin from the beginning of the month of Rabi’ al-Awwal to its end, by setting up assemblies in which poems are sung in praise of the Prophet, and in which lessons are learned from his prophetic biography, his merits are mentioned and food and sweets are served such as the sweetness of the birth.

Moath Al-Saidi from Wilayat Al-Khaboura in North Al Batinah Governorate said: “The Prophet’s (PBUH) birthday is a day of joy that spreads throughout the wilayat, where decorations are hung in homes and streets, people gather in mosques to sing and religious competitions are held for children and adults, whether with songs, sermons or a question and answer session or talks about his biography, and feasts are made and sweets are distributed at the end of the celebrations.”

Moath added: “Here, every Muslim remembers how the Prophet (PBUH) sacrificed himself, his money and his family in order to convey the message that God assigned him to spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula and the world. He was a prophet of mercy, and did not die until after he was interested in the divine to the fullest.”

Yamen Al Amiri from the Governorate of Muscat also said that this is the occasion of the anniversary of the Prophet’s birth. It is a great occasion in which Muslims remember how the Prophet (PBUH)changed the course of history through his honourable prophetic biography. Talks take place in the mosque, from the first day of his birth until his death, and the great historical events that took place in it, and how he was merciful and kind to people. He calls for the one religion of God, and religious songs and lectures are celebrated throughout the month in which the Prophet was born.”