• Malika is a sixteen-year-old high school student from Atlanta, Georgia
• She, like many other teenagers, often finds herself caught in between two very different worlds
• She is a high school student struggling to find her place in an environment that often contradicts her values and way of life.

In the age of Snapchat and Instagram, stories of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) are nearly non-existent in the lives of our youth.

Even during times of celebration, many of our youth struggle to disengage from their typical daily routines to reflect upon the life of our beloved Messenger.

The celebration, more formally known as Mawlid al-Nabi, is the yearly occasion marking the birth of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

The mawlid provides the opportunity for families to come together to honor and send peace and blessings on the messenger while creating a space for the youth to cultivate a relationship with the Prophet beyond the typical Sunday school stories.

The mawlid is celebrated around the world around the 12th of the Islamic month; Rabi’ al-Awwal. It marks a significant time for Muslims to study the Prophet’s (PBUH) life and send an abundance of peace on him and his family.

“Indeed, Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O you who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation (Qu’ran 33:56).”

Malika is a sixteen-year-old high school student from Atlanta, Georgia. She, like many other teenagers, often finds herself caught in between two very different worlds. She is a high school student struggling to find her place in an environment that often contradicts her values and way of life.

“I remember hearing a lot about the Prophet when I was younger. He always sounded like an unrealistic superhero. He seemed so unreachable to me and eventually, the conversations about his life stopped in our home,” Malika told AboutIslam.net.

Learning His Tradition

Malika’s experience is not a unique one.

Teenagers across this nation struggle to cultivate a true connection with the Prophet, as conversations about his life are often limited to Sunday school lessons and Friday prayer conversations.

This void in the lives of our children has a direct impact on how they engage in programs dedicated to honoring the life of our Prophet.

“Recently, my father asked me to attend a children’s celebration of the life of the Prophet. I didn’t understand why this event was relevant to me as a sixteen-year-old girl. Honestly, I wanted to spend time with my friends instead of attending this event but I didn’t have much of a choice,” Malika told AboutIslam.net.

During a recent mawlid celebration, targeted for young Muslim youth in the community, Malika and her peers were asked to complete a particular task by the group facilitators. They were asked to write a love letter to the Prophet.

“I never imagined writing a love letter to someone that wasn’t physically here with me. Yes, I love our prophet but I had a hard time putting that into writing. I stared at my blank paper for about ten minutes before one of the facilitators noticed my struggle, asked to join me, and silently placed a stream of photographs in front of me,” Malika informed AboutIslam.net.

The event was facilitated by a group of young Muslim moms who had a growing frustration with the lack of children’s programs related to cultivating a love for the Prophet.

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