For an interfaith minister to be ordained in the Universal Life Church, they must be knowledgeable in the religious holidays and cultures held by many different faiths.
Mawlid An Nabi celebrates the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam. It is celebrated on the twelfth day of the month of Rabi al-Awwal. The Muslim calendar is a lunar calendar, where the months begin and end in line with the cycle of the moon. This makes the Muslim year twelve days shorter than the solar year used in most other nations. Because of this, Mawlid An Nabi, despite being celebrated on a fixed day in the third month by the Muslim calendar, it shifts over time in our calendar.
It was first celebrated in the thirteenth century, though there are accounts of the observance of Muhammad’s birthday dating back to eighth century Mecca where the house of his birth was transformed into a place of prayer by Al-Khayzuran, the mother of Harun al-Rashid, the most famous of the Abbasid caliph. Today it takes place at the end of a month long celebration of Muhammad’s life. On the day of Mawlid An Nabi an Interfaith Minister of the Universal Life Church will be expected to give a sermon, and it is followed by the recitation of litanies, an honoring of various dignitaries, the sharing of gifts and a feast. The festival is celebrated throughout much of the Muslim world, however there are some Muslim sects that view it as idolatry and do not participate.
There is a division between Islamic scholars on whether the celebration is permissible by Islam. Some consider it an important event and praise the celebration as a positive influence on their culture while others declare it to be improper and forbid the celebration, preferring instead to fast on Mondays as a way to commemorate Muhammad’s birthday.
An interfaith minister to be ordained in the Universal Life Church should also know the commonalities between many of the religions around the world. Similar to Mawlid An Nabi, Christians and most of their different sects celebrate Christmas, which takes place on the birthday of their religious prophet Jesus. Like the Muslim religion however, there are some Christian based religions that view the celebration of Christmas or any other holiday as Idolatry as well.
If the study of various faiths and religions, with all their differences and similarities interest you, or if you have an interest in participating with religion from an inside perspective, you can find information to be ordained on this site.