Eid al-Mab’ath is a public holiday in Iran. Muslims in Iran and across the globe are holding celebrations to commemorate this day.

On this day, Muslims gather at holy cities and sites, including Mashhad and Qom, to take part in religious feasts.

People cherish and celebrate the event by congregating in mosques for various programs, visiting friends and family, handing gifts to children, and spreading joy with different rituals unique to each region.

People also distribute sweets and congratulate each other on the streets and in previously-decorated mosques.

Prior to his prophetic mission, Muhammad (PBUH) often retreated to the Hira cave outside the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to pray to God and to reflect on life.

He was especially concerned about social unrest, injustice, widespread discrimination, fighting among tribes and abuse of tribal authorities prevalent in pre-Islam Arabia.

He was nearly 40 on August 10, 610 CE when the angel Gabriel descended and asked him three times to read the holy Quran revealed to him. Muhammad, who did not know how to read and write, was then able to read in full and began to teach others the holy words of God.

It was then that Gabriel delivered the first verses of The Holy Quran to the Prophet:

“Read in the name of your Lord Who created.” (96:1); “He created man from a clot.” (96:2); “Read and your Lord is Most Honorable,” (96:3); “who taught (to write) with the pen” (96:4); “Taught man what he knew not.” (96:5)

This would mark the beginning of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) prophetic mission as the seal of the Prophets and the revelation of the Qur’an as the final book of God, completing the previous revelations of the Bible and the Torah.

The prophet was tasked with delivering the message of peace to humanity and declaring Allah’s Oneness to idolaters and polytheists of the world.

He was sent to confirm the essential teachings of monotheism as preached by earlier prophets, including Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus.

Imam al-Askari (PBUH), has referred to this special day, saying, “Then when he [Prophet Muhammad] completed 40 years of age, Allah the Exalted and Glorious looked at his heart. He found it to be the best of hearts, the greatest, most submissive, and most humble. Therefore He ordered that the doors of the heavens open and the angels to descend while Muḥammad looked at this. And He ordered that His mercy descends from the bottom of His ‘arsh (throne) down to the head of Muḥammad. And he looked at Jibrail – the trustworthy spirit, encompassed in light, the most beautiful of all the angels – descend upon him, take his upper arm and shake it saying “O Muhammad! Read!”. He replied “And what should I read?” Jibrail said, “O Muhammad! Read in the Name of your Lord who created; Created man from a clinging mass. Read and your Lord is the most generous, who taught by the pen, taught man what he did not know.”

If the greatness of a day is judged by the grace that Allah sends down in it, then Mab’ath is undoubtedly a profoundly grand day in history. This is because the blessing of Islam is the greatest blessing that Allah ever gave to humanity.

MNA/