Ruling on Celebrating Valentine’s Day
Question:
Some people celebrate the fourteenth day of February of each Christian year as the Day of Love (Valentine’s Day), where they exchange gifts of red roses and wear red clothes, and congratulate one another. Some the bakeries make sweets that are red in colour, with hearts drawn on them, and some stores have advertisements for their products that are especially for this day. What is your opinion on the following:
- Celebrating this day
- Buying things from the stores on this day
- Storekeepers who are not celebrating it selling things that may be given as gifts to people who are celebrating it?
Answer:
The clear evidence of the Quran and Sunnah – and the consensus of the early generations of this ummah – indicates that there are only two festivals in Islam: ‘Eid Al-Fitr and ‘Eid Al-Adha. Any other festivals that have to do with a person, a group, an event or anything else are innovated festivals, which it is not permissible for Muslims to observe, approve of or express joy on those occasions, or to help others to celebrate them in any way, because that is transgressing the sacred limits of Allah, and whoever transgresses the sacred limits of Allah has wronged himself.
If the fabricated festival is also a festival of the kuffar , then the sin is even greater, because this is imitating them and it is a kind of taking them as close friends, and Allah has forbidden the believers to imitate them and take them as close friends in His Noble Book. And it is proven that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”
Valentine’s Day comes under this heading because it is an idolatrous Christian festival , so it is not permissible for a Muslim who believes in Allah and the Last Day to observe it or approve of it or congratulate people on it. Rather he has to ignore it and avoid it, in obedience to Allah and His Messenger, and so as to keep away from the causes that incur the wrath and punishment of Allah.
It is also haram for the Muslim to help with this festival or any other haram celebration in any way, be it food, drink, buying, selling, manufacturing, corresponding, advertising or in any other way, because all of that constitutes helping one another in sin, transgression and disobedience towards Allah and His Messenger, and Allah says: “Help you one another in Al‑Birr and At‑Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Severe in punishment” [Al-Ma’idah 5:2]
So the Muslim must adhere to the Qur’an and Sunnah in all his affairs, especially at times of fitan (temptation and tribulation) and when corruption is widespread. He should be smart and be careful to avoid falling into the misguidance of those who have earned the anger of Allah and of those who went astray, and of the evildoers who hope not for reward from Allah and do not show any respect towards Islam. The Muslim should seek refuge with Allah and ask for His guidance and for help to adhere steadfastly to it, because none can guide except Allah and none can make us remain steadfast except Him. And Allah is the Source of strength.
