Muslims all over the world on Thursday celebrated Eid Mawlid al-Nabi, the holiday commemorating the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. The day is often observed with prayers, parades and traditional sweets.

Photos from countries including Egypt, Iraq and Yemen showed worshippers marking the day with joy and tradition. In many cities across the Islamic world, mosques were seen filled with worshippers offering special prayers.

Many communities also held street parades where people chanted poems expressing love for the Prophet. Others distributed traditional sweets, a practice reserved for the occasion.

Sufi Muslims sing poetry in a parade commemorating Prophet Muhammad's birthday on Thursday, September 4, 2025 in Cairo, Egypt. Many of the attendees are wearing green sashes, a color commonly associated to Muhammad. A banner with the picture of esteemed Egyptian Sufi Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb is shown behind the first few rows. [Photo courtesy of Reuters]

The Prophet Muhammad, regarded as the most important prophet in Islam, was born in 570 AD in the city of Mecca, in present-day Saudi Arabia.

According to the lunar Islamic Hijri calendar, his birthday is observed on the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal, the third month. The date falls on different days each year in the solar Gregorian calendar.

Iraqis and Kurds attend a rally commemorating Prophet Muhammad's birthday at a medieval fort in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan on Thursday, September 4, 2025. A large banner depicting Muhammad's name in Arabic is attached to one of the fort's walls. [Photo courtesy of Reuters]

Eid Mawlid al-Nabawi is a public holiday in most Muslim-majority countries. Some Muslims, such as in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, abstain from celebrating, citing the absence of evidence that the Prophet’s companions marked the day.

Still, most Muslims worldwide celebrate the holiday, a tradition supported by mainstream Islamic scholars across centuries.