Celebrating the Prophet’s Birthday Through Art

On Sunday 24th November, Time for Change organised a Milad event to celebrate the birth of the blessed Prophet Muhammad at Al-Mahdi Institute. The fun filled programme, brought together 150 people and included theatre productions, poetry, and art displays. As per custom the programme began with Quran recitation, with English translation by children.  Arguably, the highlight of the event was the performance by Khayaal Theatre, a multi-award-winning theatre and drama education company who aim to celebrate and contribute the rich aesthetic, artistic and literary traditions of the Muslim world to mainstream popular culture. The audience was treated to two performances by the group; the first on the life of the Prophet, and the second on Muslim heritage tales. The plays kept children engaged whilst being both educational and entertaining.

Children were encouraged to get creative and express themselves through the medium of art with an art exhibition themed around the life of the holy Prophet. The creative artwork was displayed in AMI Chapel alongside short written pieces explaining the inspiration for the art. Children also took part in a poetry reading where they wrote their own poems and had the opportunity to read them out in public. As no celebration is complete without cake, children sung happy birthday around a cake which replicated the shape of the Prophet’s mosque with the iconic green dome. Following the evening prayers, families enjoyed a delicious meal together.  Thankfully, through generous donations, £250 was raised for Clifton Road Food Bank to give a helping hand to those in need.

Click for more pictures from the event.