Baptism of the Prophet
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Being a strongly Islamic nation, Mali includes many Muslim holidays on their public holidays calendar. Among these is Baptism of the Prophet Day, commemorating the day on which it is thought Muhammad underwent various birth rites. In 2026, Baptism of the Prophet falls on Tuesday 1 September. The holiday will be on Sunday 22 August in 2027. Arab and Islamic tradition includes birth rites on the seventh day following one’s birth. Today, Muslims traditionally shave the baby’s head, give him or her a name, and circumcise boys on the seventh day. Some also sacrifice a sheep and share the meat with friends and neighbours. Still others weigh the shaved-off hair and donate the same weight in gold to the poor. Mali is the only country that has a holiday to celebrate the “baptism of Muhammad”. They observe it on the seventh day after Muhammad’s Birthday. Since Muhammad is thought to have been born on 12 Rabi Al-Awwal, Baptism of Muhammad is celebrated on the nineteenth day of the same month.
History
Among these is Baptism of the Prophet Day, commemorating the day on which it is thought Muhammad underwent various birth rites. Arab and Islamic tradition includes birth rites on the seventh day following one’s birth. Today, Muslims traditionally shave the baby’s head, give him or her a name, and circumcise boys on the seventh day. They observe it on the seventh day after Muhammad’s Birthday. Since Muhammad is thought to have been born on 12 Rabi Al-Awwal, Baptism of Muhammad is celebrated on th
How It's Celebrated
Being a strongly Islamic nation, Mali includes many Muslim holidays on their public holidays calendar. The holiday will be on Sunday 22 August in 2027. Arab and Islamic tradition includes birth rites on the seventh day following one’s birth. Today, Muslims traditionally shave the baby’s head, give h