Sheikh Karimul Makhdum Day in the Philippines Date in the current year: November 7, 2025

Islam is the second-largest religion in the Philippines, after Christianity, and the first recorded monotheistic religion in the Philippine Archipelago. Islam reached the archipelago in the late 14th century, nearly 150 years before Ferdinand Magellan and his crew arrived in the region.

Karimul Makhdum, also known as Makhdum Karim, was an Arab merchant, Sufi sheikh, and early Muslim missionary born near Damascus, Syria. Traditionally, he is said to have arrived in the Sulu Archipelago in 1380. After disembarking on Simunul Island, he established a place of worship that later became the Sheikh Karimul Makhdum Mosque.

The original building obviously did not survive, but it is thought that its architecture most likely resembled a pagoda in the indigenous Moro style. The mosque has been rebuilt several times. The current building was constructed in the 1960s after most of the previous mosque burned down during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines.

The historical details of Sheikh Karimul Makhdum’s life and origins remain partly legendary. Some archaeological evidence, such as the mosque’s pillars, dates from the 17th century, which is later than the traditional accounts. Nevertheless, he is widely regarded as the first person to bring Islam to the Philippines and kick-start its spread throughout the archipelago.

Ten years later, Prince Rajah Baguinda Ali arrived in Sulu from Sumatra. He married into the local nobility and started preaching Islam. Muslim merchants and missionaries from China, India, and the Malay Archipelago also helped strengthen Islam in the Philippines.

Several Muslim states emerged in the archipelago in the 15th and 16th centuries, including the Sultanate of Sulu, the Sultanate of Maguindanao, and the Kingdom of Maynila. When the Spanish arrived, they began referring to the indigenous Muslim inhabitants as “Moros” (Moors). Since then, Muslim Filipinos of various ethnic and linguistic backgrounds in Mindanao have adopted the term “Moro” as an endonym.

Although Spanish colonization made Christianity the predominant religion in the Philippines, there is still a significant Muslim minority. Depending on the source, the Muslim population is estimated to be between 6% and 11% of the total population. Most Filipino Muslims live in the Bangsamoro region, which is predominantly Muslim and encompasses parts of Mindanao, Palawan, and the Sulu Archipelago.

Sheikh Karimul Makhdum Day was first designated a special public holiday in the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in 1991. In 2019, the ARMM was replaced by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which continued to celebrate the holiday. In July 2025, President Bongbong Marcos finally transformed Sheikh Karimul Makhdum Day into a special national working holiday.