December 23, 2015 – Muslims and Christians are this week celebrating the birthdays of their respective leaders, Jesus Christ and Prophet Muhammed Ibn Abd Allah.
The Muslims in Nigeria will have theirs earlier on Thursday, December 24, while Christians will have the celebration on Friday December 25.
He was born shortly after Ceasar Augustus issued a decree ordering all to be registered. Jesus was about 30 years old when he began his 3 and half year ministry. The exact date of Christ’s birth is not known, says Encyclopedia of Early Christianity. Although there are no recorded date when Jesus was born, December 25 has been adopted as his birthday.
Prophet Muhammed was born approximately in 570 BCE in the Arabian City of Mecca on the 12th day of rabi al-awwal which coincidentally fell on 24th of December , 2015 in Nigeria and could be today elsewhere, based on the day they sight the moon, says a journalist, Sulaimon AbdulKareem.
He explained that the calculation is based on Lunar Calendar and not the regular Gregorian calendar. He said the calculation will be 11 day shorter next year and will be celebrated December 13th next year.
Ironically, none among them requested their followers to mark their birthdays. Muhammed in the first place did not celebrate his birthday; his followers did not celebrate his birthday. Among Christians too, Jesus Christ did not celebrate his birthday throughout his lifetime, neither did his early followers celebrate his birthday. So on what basis are they celebrating.
