Many of us are confused about whether it is haraam for Muslims to celebrate their birthdays. We know that Islam forbids excess and bidah (innovation in religion), but at the same time, we see our friends and relatives, as well as celebrities and athletes, flaunting their birthday celebrations on social media. At the same time, there are a number of articles online that claim that celebrating one’s birthday is haraam or makrooh. Some of these articles cite hadiths from Al-Bukhari and others to support this claim. But what do these scholars mean when they say that celebrating one’s birthday is haraam or makrooh?
Is It Haraam To Celebrate Birthdays?
According to the Quran, Islam and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) teach us that birthday celebrations are haram. A Birthday is an event that every human on earth celebrates it with different ways. But Allah Almighty has given us some principles that we must follow while celebrating it. Allah says in the Quran: “Do not follow in the footsteps of Satan. Instead, follow what comes from your Lord’s presence in a straight line.” (Quran 2:169).
What Is The Reason The Birthday Celebrate Is Haraam?
- Celebrating birthdays is haraam because the birthday Celebrate is an event that every human is celebrating with different ways.
- Celebrating birthdays is haraam because it has been mentioned in the Quran that it’s a tradition of jahilliyah, which means to follow Satan (devil) and his ways. The Quran states: “Do not follow in the footsteps of Satan. Instead, follow what comes from your Lord’s presence in a straight line.” (Quran 2:169).
- Celebrating birthdays is haraam because as mentioned in the Quran, Allah Almighty says that we must only celebrate Him, and not our own desires or wishes. The Quran says: “O you who have believed, indeed, those who disbelieve are froward folk who will never believe. They take their religion for amusement and pastime while they thought that they would be able to driveest they think to be religious, and they do not observe it as it should be observed.” (Quran 2:208).
- Celebrating birthdays is haraam because it is not part of the Islamic calendar. Celebrating birthdays is a part of the Western culture that has been imported into Islam, and it has no place in Islam. In fact, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “There are three things that are haram [forbidden] for you: to have a birthday, to wear gold or silver articles of jewelry, and to celebrate a birthday.”
- Celebrating birthdays is haraam because it makes people weak in their religion by showing off their wealth. The Quran says: “And when you see those who engage in vain discourse about Our signs, turn away from them until they enter into some other topic; then if they continue to speak [of Ourest you (Muslims) have the religion of Allah in its most perfect form. So be not weary and faint-hearted, crying for peace when it does not come to you by the leave of Allah. Allah is with you, and will never let your enemies have success over you.” (Quran 8:35).
- Celebrating birthdays is haraam because it is a superstition which has been described as being one of the major signs of jahilliyah, which means to follow Satan (devil), and his ways. The Quran says: “O you who have believed, do not take those who disbelieve as allies instead of believers. And whoever does that shall never be helped by Allah in any way, unless you guard yourselves against them… O you who have believed, when believing women come to you as emigrants in your land asking for protection – then give them their due compensation so that they may be content with it; butest you take your religion seriously. Do not take these people as friends, instead, fear them, and their abode is the Fire.” (Quran 3:112).
- Celebrating birthdays is haraam because having a birthday celebration requires that we spend money on it. The Quran states: “O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants and gambling, [sacrificing to] idols of stone or wood – which [previously] were invoked – and the strangled (devil), are an abomination of Shaitan’s handiwork. So avoid it so that you may prosper. Satan wants only to excite enmity and hatred among you through intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from Salah (Prayer). So will you be recompensed?” (Quran 5:90).
What Does The Qur’an Say About Celebrating Birthdays?
- Birthday is a time of celebration, and the Qur’an specifically commands us to ‘celebrate the praises of your Lord.
- The Qur’an tells us that Allah has appointed for every person an angel who records his or her actions. On the Day of Judgment, we will be called to account for everything we did in our lives. The angels will present our record to Allah (SWT), and it is He Who will decide whether we are deserving of Paradise or Hellfire. We should always live in a way that pleases Allah (SWT) – celebrating our birthday should be done according to His (SWT) guidance: “…and celebrate the praises of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting; yea, celebrate them for part of the hours of the night as well as at both ends thereof…” (Qur’an 30:17).
- The Qur’an tells us that the Day of Judgment will be a day of absolute justice. Allah (SWT) will not show any mercy to those who have shown no mercy to others on earth. We are commanded to be kind and fair to all creatures, and never be unjust even as much as a needle prick. That is why we should not celebrate our birthday in a way that shows no concern for the feelings of others: “…and celebrate the praises of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting; yea, celebrate them for part of the hours of the night as well as at both ends thereof…” (Qur’an 30:17).
- The Qur’an tells us that on the Day of Judgment, Allah (SWT) will gather all people together, and He will judge them according to their deeds. In order to reach Paradise, we must perform good deeds throughout our lives – and there are many ways we can do so: “And the book (of deeds) will be placed (before you), and you will see the sinful in great terror because of what is (recorded) therein; they will say: “Ah! Woe to us! What a book is this! It leaves out nothing small or great, but takes account thereof!” They will find all that they did, placed before them: And not one will your Lord treat with injustice.” (Qur’an 18:49-50)
- The Qur’an tells us that Allah (SWT) is the Sustainer of all creation, and He created all things for our benefit. We should thank Him for His blessings, and we should not waste anything He has given us. Allah (SWT) has created us in a certain form and granted us with certain abilities – we should use them to please Him. The Qur’an tells us that if you want to thank Allah for His blessingsi.
Summary
The Quran tells us that it is makruh to celebrate birthdays. This means that it is an act that should be avoided but one that is not haram. The Quran only talks about the ceremony and not the celebration itself. This is because the laws are not meant for Muslims alone but for everyone living on Earth. The Quran wants us to shun celebrating birthdays because it wants us to remember Allah and thank Him for our blessings.
