When was Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) born, and was he born at night, evidenced by the sighting of stars and light at his birth? And is it conceivable that his mother's pregnancy with him lasted only four months, as is understood from her carrying him during the Days of Tashreeq and his birth in Rabi' al-Awwal?

Historians have differed on the exact time of the Prophet's birth, peace and blessings be upon him, and whether he was born at night or during the day. The narration that the questioner relies upon, from Umm Uthman bin Abi al-Aas, indicates that his birth was at night, marked by the appearance of a great light, and this has been mentioned by many imams and historians.

However, al-Hafiz al-Iraqi favored that he, peace and blessings be upon him, was born during the day, based on the hadith of Abu Qatadah and the narration of Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab. As for what was narrated about the descent of the stars, it was said to be weak or permissible as a miracle.

Regarding the confusion about the month of birth and the duration of pregnancy, those who said that conception occurred during the days of Tashreeq (the days of Eid al-Adha) stated that the birth was in the month of Ramadan, and this is the opinion of Al-Zubayr ibn Bakkar. Whereas the well-known opinion is that the birth was in Rabi' al-Awwal. Al-Dhahabi mentioned that his birth in Rabi' is far from the calculation if conception was in April, unless the birth was in Ramadan.

These differences regarding the date of birth do not entail any legal ruling, which is why the Companions and imams did not concern themselves with verifying it. Al-Ghazali mentioned that determining the day of birth is not something of great significance from an Islamic perspective, and that celebrations of it are a worldly tradition unrelated to Sharia.