Valentine’s Day & its danger on the creed & morals
Since 2012-11-21
Every nation has its own feasts; the Muslims have their own feasts, so do the Jews, the Christians, and the pagans have their own feasts, and so on.
· Its reality
· Its aspects
· The ruling of celebrating it
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who guides people to the Right Way. Peace and blessings of Allah be upon the best human and the best guide.
Every nation has its own feasts; the Muslims have their own feasts, so do the Jews, the Christians, and the pagans have their own feasts, and so on. Every nation celebrates its feasts according to its creed, rules and values. We, Muslims, celebrate our feasts according to what Allah has decreed for us in His Book and according to what His honored Messenger, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has clarified in His Sunnah. They are not celebrated according to customs and traditions, as there is no domination of a custom, tradition or a mind on religion. Our two feasts legislated by Allah -Al-Fitr (fast-breaking) and Al-Adha (sacrifice) feasts- have great wisdom and good purposes which benefit the individuals and the society. However, Satan -may Allah humiliate him- made new feasts seem pleasing to Muslims. In addition, he endeared to them various innovated celebrations to the extent that we see some Muslims celebrate New Year, Thanksgiving, Nayrouz and other feasts for which Allah has not sent down any authority.
Among the feasts which were innovated by Satan and which are made pleasing to many Muslims by him is the “Feast of Love or Valentine’s Day”. The signs of celebrating this day, unfortunately, have started to spread among Muslims. On February 14, a group of female students entered the lectures rooms while wearing red dresses. In addition, they were having red hearts drawn on their faces and they were putting on red make-up. Moreover, they started to exchange red-colored presents, love quotes, and red flowers. On that Day, they hung red flowers on the balconies of houses. In addition, the media embarked on showing the aspects of celebrating this feast and on reminding people of this occasion before its due date.
In one of the Islamic countries, many commercial centers, restaurants, and hotels have organized special celebrations for Valentine’s Day. Most of the shops and commercial centers have been covered by red color. Balloons, toys and puppets are spread everywhere in these shops. At one of the restaurants, there is a scene of “Cupid” which is the idol of love in the Roman legends. Cupid is nearly bare carrying his bow and arrow and the actor representing Cupid along with his accompanying female actresses chose Mr. and Mrs. Valentine from the attendants.
One of the gift shops in this country imported small French red-eyed living rabbits, put a red tie on their necks and put them in small boxes to be given as a present. Restaurants changed the tablecloths into red ones and put a red flower and heart-shaped plates.
Many Muslims have become captivated by the glow of Western civilization along with its scientific and economic development. Therefore, they started to imitate the westerners in their traditions and behavior. They drifted behind them, became deceived by their civilization, and thought highly of everything coming from the West. They acted as if these were the aspects of development and civilization. The Prophet, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, was true when he said about them, “You will certainly follow the ways of those who came before you hand span by hand span, cubit by cubit, to the extent that if they entered the hole of a lizard, you will enter it too.” They said, (do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?” He said, “Who else?” [Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
«لتتبعن سنن الذين من قبلكم. شبرا بشبر، وذراعا بذراع. حتى لو دخلوا في جحر ضب لاتبعتموهم. قلنا: يا رسول الله! اليهود والنصارى؟ قال: فمن ؟» رواه البخاري ومسلم
Now, my Muslim sister! I will show you the reality of Valentine Day which you celebrate and the story of Valentine to whom this feast is attributed.
Valentine and the feast of love
The origin of “the feast of love” goes back to the fact that the Romans used to gather on February 14 every year. The young men in each village write the names of the young girls of the village on slips of paper and place them into boxes. Each young man would draw a card from the box and the girl whom he chose would then be his mistress for the duration of the festival. He sends to the girl whose name is chosen a card on which it is written, “By the name of the mother goddess, I send you this card”. The relationship lasts between them for a year then he changes her after the end of the year.
This celebration continued to be held till the final period of the third century AD when the Romans were under the rule of the Roman Emperor Claudius II. Claudius noticed during his military campaigns that the bachelor soldiers among the army were more patient in war than the married ones. The married ones refuse to go out to fight from the very beginning. Moreover, it is hard to gather them because they do not want to leave their wives or mistresses. As a result, Claudius ordered the priests to prevent concluding any marriages of the soldiers in Rome. However, Priest Valentine disagreed with that and rejected that order of the Emperor. He secretly concluded marriages in his church but soon his matter was known and his secret was revealed. Saint Valentine was imprisoned and was sentenced to death.
While being in prison, he met the daughter of one of the guards of the prison. She used to visit him secretly, taking with her a red flower. He fell in love with her and thus, violated the Christian teachings which prohibit priests to get married or have love relationships.
Another narration of the story adds that the Roman Emperor called Valentine to worship the gods of Romans and to abandon Christianity in return for forgiving him. However, he insisted on sticking to his Christianity. He was hanged on the 14th day of February, about the year 270.
Since that day on, the Christians celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14 every year. They send greetings cards, which are called Valentine, for their beloveds and friends. The poems of love are printed on these cards along with the phrase “happy valentine”. In addition, they exchange presents and red flowers.
Now, my Muslim sister! After you have known the reality of that feast and after you have discovered the story of Valentine, is it suitable for you -while you are honored by your religion- to celebrate a Christian or a pagan feast? Is it logical to share your enemies in their happiness, playfulness, and dissoluteness? Is it proper for you to celebrate a feast that calls for wickedness and debauchery? A feast, which stirs up vice, buries virtue, and kills bashfulness!
To have a full insight of your religion and to have a complete awareness of the matter, my Muslim sister, the following is the ruling of celebrating such Day and the similar feasts of the Jews and Christians. In addition, the ruling of sharing them in their feasts, showing happiness for them, helping them to hold celebrations or congratulating them on these feasts.
The ruling of celebrating Valentine’s Day
There are many texts and proofs which forbid sharing Christians and Jews in their feasts by any means. Among these proofs,
Firstly, Allah Almighty says, {And those who do not bear witness to falsehood, and if they pass by some evil play or evil talk, they pass by it with dignity.} [Surat Al-Furqân 25:72]
{وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَشْهَدُونَ الزُّورَ وَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِاللَّغْوِ مَرُّوا كِرَامًا} الفرقان: 72
Transliteration: Waallatheena la yashhadoona alzzoora waitha marroo biallaghwi marroo kiraman
More than one of our ancestors including ibn Sîrîn, Mujâhid, Adh-Dhahâk, Ar-Rabî’ ibn Anas and ‘Ikrimah mentioned that the “evil play or evil talk” in this verse means the feasts of polytheists. Sheikh of Islam, ibn Taymiyya, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “Allah Almighty has named their feasts “evil play or evil talk”. He has forbidden the (faithful) slaves of the Most Gracious to attend them or to witness them. If attending their feasts and witnessing them is forbidden, so what would be the case with sharing their feasts and approving of them?”
Secondly, the Prophet, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has said, “Every people have a feast and our feast is this day.” [Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
«إن لكل قوم عيدا، وهذا عيدنا» رواه البخاري ومسلم
Az-Zahaby, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “This saying of the Prophet, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has implied that every nation has its feasts with which it is singled out, as Allah says, {To each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way.} [Surat Al-Mâ’ida 5:48]
{لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَمِنْهَاجًا} المائدة: 48
Transliteration: likullin jaAAalnaminkum shirAAatan waminhajan
Therefore, if the Christians have a feast and the Jews have another one, the Muslim should not share them in their feasts as he does not share them in their religion or in their kiblah.”
Thirdly, the Prophet, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has said, “Whoever imitates a nation is but one of them.” [Reported by Abû Dawûd and classed as authentic by Al-Albâni]
«من تشبه بقوم فهو منهم» رواه أبو داود وصححه الألباني
This is a clear-cut text, which forbids imitating the disbelievers because imitating them has many harmful effects such as;
1- Imitating them in their feasts implies the happiness of one’s heart with the falsehood they follow.
2- Imitating them outwardly causes some sort of love and intimacy inwardly. In addition, loving them inside one’s heart brings on imitation openly.
3- Imitating them is a matter of spreading their rituals and making them the prevailing.
4- Imitating them is a matter of increasing their number, giving victory to their religion, and following them.
Fourthly, it was narrated that Anas ibn Mâlik, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has come to Medina and has noticed that they had two days of festivity. He asked, “What are these two days?” They said, “We used to celebrate these days in Jahiliyya (pre-Islamic period). The Messenger of Allah, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has said, “Allah has replaced them with better two days: the day of Al-Fitr and the day of Al-Adha.” [Reported by Abû Dawûd and classed as authentic by Al-Albâni]
«قدم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم المدينة ولهم يومان يلعبون فيهما، فقال: ما هذان اليومان. قالوا: كنا نلعب فيهما في الجاهلية. فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: إن الله قد أبدلكم بهما خيرا منهما يوم الأضحى ويوم الفطر» رواه أبو داود وصححه الألباني
The Prophet, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, did not approve of the two feasts of the Pre-Islamic period. If he approved them, he would have left them celebrate them. Instead, he said, “Allah has replaced them with other better two days.” Replacement means that one should leave the replaced thing. Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “Approving the prohibited feasts among the ones of the people of the two scripture is worse than the prohibited among the feasts of pre-Islamic period which we do not approve them. The Muslim nation is warned against imitating the Jews and Christians.”
Fifthly, ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “Feasts are among the religions, approaches and rites mentioned in the verse in which Allah Glorified and Exalted says, {For every nation We have ordained religious ceremonies [e.g. slaughtering of the cattle during the three days of stay at Mîna (Makkah) during the Hajj (pilgrimage)] which they must follow;} [Surat Al-Hajj 22:67]
{لِّكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ جَعَلْنَا مَنسَكًا هُمْ نَاسِكُوهُ} الحج: 67
Transliteration: Likulli ommatin jaAAalna mansakan hum nasikoohu
The rites are such as Kiblah, prayer and fasting. Therefore, there is no difference between taking part in their feasts and between sharing them in all other approaches. Approving their feast is a matter of approving their disbelief. Approving some of its aspects is some sort of approving some branches of disbelief. Feasts are one of the most distinguishing features of religions and one of the most apparent of their rituals.”
Sixthly, Sheikh Mohammad ibn Sâlih Al-’Uthaymîn, may Allah have mercy on him, was asked about the ruling of celebrating Valentine’s Day. It is among the feasts of Christians. On such day some female students wear red dresses and shoes and they give red flowers to one another.
He, may Allah have mercy on him, replied, “Celebrating Valentine’s Day is not permissible for many reasons. Firstly, it is an innovated heretical feast which does not have any origin in Sharî’ah (Islamic law). Secondly, it calls for occupying the heart with such trivial matters, which contradict the guidance of the righteous ancestors, may Allah be pleased with them. Thus, it is not allowed to practice any rituals of the feast on that day whether it is in food, drink, clothes, giving presents or the like. Muslims should be proud of their religion and should not imitate others haphazardly. I ask Allah Almighty to guard Muslims against all afflictions either apparent or hidden, to encompass us with His Care, and to grant us success.”
My Muslim sister! Be aware that as it is not allowed to share the Jews and Christians in their feasts, it is not allowed to congratulate them for these feasts, too. Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “Congratulating them, the Jews and Christians, for their rituals of disbelief is forbidden by consensus. This is such as congratulating them on the feast by saying, “Have a blessed Eid or happy Eid... etc.” If the utterer of these words is saved from disbelief, his act will be among the forbidden acts. Moreover, his act will be a greater sin and more hateful in the Sight of Allah than congratulating for drinking wine, killing [innocent] soul, committing adultery and the like. Therefore, whoever congratulates a slave on an act of disobedience, an innovation, or disbelief will be subjugated to the Wrath and Hate of Allah.”
Mu Muslim sister! Our religion did not prevent the Muslims from expressing the emotions of love and intimacy among themselves provided that they meet the regulations of Sharî’ah according to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him. Islam has urged us to show and spread these feelings and made it preferable for us. The Prophet, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has said, “Give gifts and you shall love one another.” [Declared good by Al-Albani]
«تهادوا تحابوا» حسنه االألباني
In addition, he said, “Should I not direct you to a thing which, if you do, will foster love amongst you, [you should] spread the practice of paying salutation to one another by saying, ‘as-salâmu alaikum’.” [Reported by Muslim]
«أولا أدلكم على شيء إذا فعلتموه تحاببتم؟ أفشوا السلام بينكم» رواه مسلم
However, Islam has not left everyone to express his feelings as he wishes and to innovate occasions and feasts as he likes. This is in order to keep such feelings pure, clear, and elevated.
Therefore, after Allah has honored us by His religion, does it suit us, Muslims, to imitate those disbelievers in their feasts and to revive such rituals of disbelief with a pretext of keeping up with modernism and civilization?
I ask Allah Almighty to guard our religion and to guide us to the Right Way. Peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad.
Prepared by the Scholarly Section in Dar Al-Watan
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