The mawlid of the prophet mUhammad, which
commemorates the days of his birth and death,
is observed in many Muslim countries with the
enjoyment of nuts and sweets (especially in the
Middle East) or cooked stews and milk and rice
dishes (in india). The anniversaries of the birth
or death of other Muslim saints provide occa-
sions for feasting in many Muslim communi-
ties, especially for pilgrims who visit the saints’
shrines, where they often share food with each
other, even if they are total strangers. At shrines
in South Asia, such as that of Muin al-Din Chishti
(d. 1236) in aJmer, specially blessed food is
cooked and distributed to pilgrims and the poor
from community kitchens (langar khanas) affili-
ated with the shrines.
The Shia hold feasts in honor of the birth-
days of their imams and women descended from
Muhammad, such as Fatima and her daughter
zaynab bint ali ibn abi talib. For many of the
Shia, the most important feast day is that of gha-
dir khUmm (observed shortly after Id al-Adha),
which celebrates Muhammad’s designation of Ali
as his successor in 630. Even with the ashUra
rites of the month of mUharram, a time of sad-
ness and fasting for the devoted, subdued feast-
ing occurs in Iraqi and Iranian homes, where
people gather to hold readings of lamentations
in honor of the martyrdom of hUsayn ibn ali
and his followers at karbala in 680. For many
South Asian Muslims, Shab-i Barat (the night of
commission), which occurs in the middle of the
month of Shaban, before Ramadan, is another
important time of feasting. At that time, people
share dishes consisting of stews, curries, and
sweets with friends and relatives in remembrance
of the dead.
Most Muslim feasts are set according to the
Islamic lunar calendar, which means that they
do not coincide with the seasons of the solar year
(spring, summer, fall, winter). For example, if Id
al-Adha falls on June 25 one year, the next year
it will come 11 days earlier, on June 14, and so
on from one solar year to the next. Some Mus-
lim mawlid celebrations, however, are observed
according to the solar calendar. For example,
that of ahmad al-badaWi of Tanta, egypt, occurs
annually at the time of the fall harvest, when food
is plentiful. Ancient spring fertility and first fruits
feasts occur in many Muslim countries, although
they are not usually recognized as Islamic holidays
per se. nav rUz is the spring holiday most widely
observed by Iranians and others living in eastern
Islamicate lands. In Egypt, the spring holiday is
called Shamm al-Nasim (smelling the breeze). It
occurs on the Monday after the Coptic Christian
Easter and involves picnics in the countryside and
city parks or family meals at home.
All Muslims engage in feasting at important
moments in the human life cycle. These occur
when a child is born, when a boy is circumcised,
when a couple is engaged and married, and when
a person dies. Such occasions are usually not
restricted to the nuclear family but often involve
many others—extended family, neighbors, and
friends. Non-Muslims may also participate in these
celebrations. Other feasts may be held when some-
one recovers from an illness or returns home safely
from a long journey or pilgrimage to Mecca.
See also birth rites; circUmcision; Food and
drink; FUnerary ritUals; shiism.Further reading: Caroline Walker Bynum, Holy Feast
and Holy Fast: The Religious Significance of Food to Medi-
eval Women (Berkeley: University of California Press,
1987); Elizabeth Fernea, Guests of the Sheik: An Eth-
nography of an Iraqi Village (1965. Reprint, New York:
Anchor Books, 1989), 116–125; John Kennedy, ed.,
Nubian Ceremonial Life: Studies in Islamic Syncretism
and Cultural Change (Berkeley and Cairo: University
of California Press and American University in Cairo
Press, 1978); Jafar Sharif, Islam in India, or the Qanun-i
Islam: The Customs of the Musalmans of India. Translated
by G. A. Herklots (1832. Reprint, Delhi: Low Price
Publications, 1997), 151–217.fedayeen See fidai.
fedayeen 235 J