Rabi al-Awwal (Arabic: رَبِيع ٱلْأَوَّل, Rabīʿ al-ʾAwwal) is the third month in the Islamic calendar. The name Rabi ‘al-Awal means “the first [month] or beginning of spring”, referring to its position in the pre-Islamic Arabian calendar.
During this month, majority of Muslims celebrate Mawlid – the birthday of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. Other Muslims do not believe the celebration is evidenced as necessary or even Islamically permissible in the Quran or authentic Hadith and has evolved as an innovation. Although the exact date of the Mawlid is unknown, Sunni Muslims believes the date of birth of Muhammad to have been on the twelfth of this month, whereas Shia Muslims believe him to have been born on the dawn of the seventeenth day.
In the Ottoman Empire days, the name of this month in Ottoman Turkish was Rèbi’ unlevel, with the abbreviation Ra. In modern Turkish it is Rebiülevvel.
Meaning
The word “Rabi” means “spring” and Al-Awwal means “the first” in Arabic language, so “Rabi’ al-Awwal” means “The first spring” in Arabic language. The name seems to have to do with the celebration events in the month as “spring” is the end to winter (symbol of sadness) and consequently the start of happiness. The Arabic calendar being lunar calendar, the month is naturally rotating over years and Rabi‘ al-Awwal can be in spring or any other season every now and then, so the meaning can not be related to the actual season.