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The question

When was the Messiah, peace be upon him, born approximately, especially since the date of his birth was not in December, and that fresh dates ripen in the summer?"

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

The precise date of the birth of Christ, Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon him), is considered part of the Unseen, about which no definitive statement can be made, and knowing it holds no practical benefit.

There is significant disagreement regarding this date among Christians themselves, and also with Muslims.

Some Muslims believe that the Quranic verses mentioning fresh ripe dates (rutab) indicate that his birth was in summer. However, the more likely view is that the presence of dates was a divine miracle, outside their usual season.

There is evidence from the Gospels and from the statements of Christian scholars suggesting that the birth of Christ was not in winter, but perhaps in summer (August or September), based on the conditions of pasturing in Bethlehem.

The date of December 25th as Christmas is a tradition established later by the Church Fathers and is not based on firm historical evidence.

There is nothing in Islamic that definitively ascertains the birth date of Christ, and the disagreement regarding this issue is not considered beneficial knowledge.

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Ftawy
Original fatwa ID
1772
Imported
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Source text, unreviewed
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