Rabi', the month of joy for Muslims; a fifteen-hundred-year-old picture.

The Hijra lunar calendar was the common calendar of Muslims worldwide for fourteen centuries. This calendar includes two months called Rabi' (spring): Rabi' al-Awwal and Rabi' al-Thani. Since most religious rites and observances, such as fasting, pilgrimage, recommended practices, celebrations, and mourning, are recorded and observed according to the Hijra lunar calendar, knowledge of this calendar is very important for understanding the significance of Iranian culture and society, which is a Muslim society.

The calculation of the lunar Hijrah years is based on the rotation of the moon around the Earth, and its initial year is the year of the decisive Hijrah of the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him). The initial center of the Prophet's preaching was the city of Mecca, but after thirteen years he and his followers decided to move to a city called Yathrib, where, through organization, consolidation, and liberation from pressure, threats, and terrorism, the liberating and just call of Islam spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula and other societies. This civilizing journey is called Hegira.

Historians and researchers have differing opinions on how this type of chronology was established and on the birth and evolution of the lunar calendar, but they consider Ali ibn Abi Talib, the closest companion of the Prophet, as the proponent and main architect of this important decision and its consolidation after the death of the Prophet.

The origin of this calendar is the first of Muharram of the year in which the noble Prophet (peace be upon him) emigrated from noble Mecca to enlightened Medina. This origin is conventional, and the Prophet's Hijrah occurred at the beginning of this same month of Rabi', taking a few days to reach Yathrib. After the entry of the Messenger of God, that city became known as Medina al-Nabi (city of the Prophet), and gradually it was no longer called Yathrib.

The Prophet's final decision to emigrate permanently and leave Mecca naturally occurred when the most serious plot by the infidels of Mecca to assassinate him was put into action. However, by God's permission, he learned of this conspiracy and, through a staged plan, managed to save himself with the help of his companions. Even to prevent his journey and emigration from being discovered until midnight, the time of the plan's execution, that night Ali ibn Abi Talib, his uncle's son and future son-in-law, slept in his bed in his place. This great sacrifice by the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) to preserve the life of the Prophet of Islam became known as the event of Laylat al-Mabit (the night Ali slept in the Prophet's place) and naturally adds to the list of interesting events of the month of Rabi'.

But at the pinnacle of the important historical events that occurred in this same month and on these same days is the birth of the Prophet himself, which according to Muslim belief occurred on the 12th or 17th day of the month. This year (in 2025) 1447 years have passed since the Hijrah of the Prophet and if the Prophet was 53 years old at the time of theHegira, this year is the fifteen hundredth The year of the birth of this Abrahamic and universal prophet, beloved by billions of people. The Prophet's birth has given rise to various rites, traditions, and celebrations in the Islamic world: in Iran, festivals, music, and celebrations are held; the seventeenth day of the month is a national holiday, and since it falls after two months of mourning for Imam Hussein, many weddings and celebrations flourish during it.

This year, at the proposal of the Islamic Republic of Iran and with the approval of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Islamic countries should make greater efforts to make the Prophet of peace, mercy and rationality known to all the peoples of the world, so that the fifteen hundredth May the year of his birth be honored, and may the world mobilize even more against the distortion and insult to the prophets and sacred books. Authenticity, respect, and adherence to the Abrahamic religions and their prophets—Muhammad, Jesus, and Moses—is a common and immutable belief of all Islamic sects. Human rights and ethics also require us all to stand up against Islamophobia and the destruction of the image and teachings of the honored Muhammad Mustafa. Incidentally, the Prophet's marriage to his famous wife and effective companion in his movement, Khadija, took place in the month of Rabi' and of course in Mecca.

Furthermore, Shiites believe that the sixth Imam, who renewed the Prophet's teaching and conduct and was a great teacher and great sheikh to many scholars in the second century of the Hijri, namely, Ja'far ibn Muhammad, was also born in this same month, and this birth deserves joy and congratulations. With the martyrdom of the eleventh Imam of the Shiites, Imam Hassan Askari, on the 8th of Rabi' al-Awwal, 260 of the Hijri, the Imamate of his son begins. He is the last of the Imams and is in occultation, and with his appearance he will fulfill the goals of the prophets and saints everywhere. Therefore, this beginning of the Imamate is also celebrated.