Hyderabad is gearing up for the 1,500th year of Milad-un-Nabi, Prophet Muhammed’s birth anniversary, on September 5. Announcement of the crescent moon sighting by the Ruiyat-e-Hilal Committee, marking the start of Rabi-ul-Awwal in the Hijri calendar, has already set the tone for the festivities. The city is already abuzz with sirat sessions in mosques and modest community feasts, building up to the grand juloos (procession) that crowns the annual celebrations.
For Hyderabad, however, Milad is not a recent tradition. Its observance dates back centuries to the Qutb Shahi era. Under the city’s founder, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, Milad was celebrated with poetry, devotion and festivity. The Sultan, a prolific poet, composed verses, preserved in the Kulliyat-e-Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah, not only on Milad-un-Nabi, but also on festivals such as Basant, Nauruz (Navroz), Diwali and Mirag-sal. Those poems capture a medieval Hyderabad alive with illuminated bazaars, bustling crowds, and joyous gatherings.
