Celebrating Valentine’s Day( must read )
✔The connection between saint valentine and the festival
✔The Muslim’s altitude towards valentine’s day
✔Fatwas of the Muslim scholars concerning valentine’s day
Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the World, and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and companions.
Allaah has chosen for us Islam as our religion and He will not accept any other religion from anyone, as He says:
“And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.” [Aali ‘Imraan 3:85]
And the Prophet (r) told us that groups of his ummah would follow the enemies of Allaah in some of their rituals and customs, as it says in the hadeeth of Abu Sa‘eed al-Khudri (t), who nar-rated that the Prophet (r) said:
“You will certainly follow the ways of those who came before you, span by span, cubit by cubit, until even if they were to enter a lizard’s hole, you would follow them.” We said, “O Messenger of Allaah, (do you mean) the Jews and Christians?” He said, “Who else!?”(Narrated by al-Bukhaari in al-I’tisaam bi’l-Kitaab wa’l-Sunnah, Baab Qawl al-Nabi (r) La tattabi‘unna Sanan man kaana qablakum, 8/151; and by Muslim in Kitaab al-‘Ilm, Baab Ittibaa’ Sanan al-Yahood wa’l-Nasaara, 4/2054)
The conflict between truth and falsehood is ongoing and will last as
long as this world remains. The fact that some groups among the
Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
are following the people of falsehood such as the Jews, Christians,
Zoroastrians, idol-worshippers and others, whilst a group is remaining
steadfast to the truth despite the pressures, is all part of the decreed
system of the universe. But this does not mean that we should give in
and follow the ways of those who are astray, because the one who
told us that this would inevitably happen also warned us against
following this path, and he commanded us to adhere firmly to Islam
no matter how many people deviate from it and no matter how strong
they become. He told us that the blessed one is the one who adheres
steadfastly to the truth no matter what the distractions, at a time when
the one who does righteous deeds will earn the reward of fifty men
whose deeds are like those of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased
with them) – as was reported in the hadeeth of Abu Tha’labah al-
Khushani (may Allaah be pleased with him).
Among the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) there will be people who deviated from the truth and went
towards falsehood, changing and altering things. Their punishment
will be that they will be kept away from the Hawd (Cistern) whilst
those who adhered to the Straight Path will come and drink from it.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“I will precede you to the Cistern, and men from among you will be
brought to me, and when I stretch forth my hand to them, they will be
pulled away. I will say, ‘O Lord! My followers!’ and it will be said:
‘You do not know what they innovated after you were gone.’”
According to another report: “I will say: ‘May he be doomed, the one
who changed (the religion) after I was gone.’”
One of the most obvious manifestations of this altering of Islam and
disdainfully treating the religion of Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) is the way in which people follow the
enemies of Allaah – may He be exalted – in everything, major or
minor, in the name of development, progress and civilization, under
the banners of peaceful coexistence, human brotherhood, new world
order, globalization and other dazzling but deceitful slogans. The
caring Muslim can spot this dangerous problem among the majority
of Muslims, except for those on whom Allaah has mercy, to such an
extent that they even follow them in their religious rituals and in their
most unique traditions and customs, such as the festivals which are
part of their belief systems. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meanings):
“and follow not their vain desires, diverging away from the truth that
has come to you. To each among you, We have prescribed a law and
a clear way” [al-Maa’idah 5:48]
“For every nation We have ordained religious ceremonies which they
must follow” [al-Hajj 22:67] – which means, a festival which is for
them alone.
Many Muslims have been led astray by the dazzling attractions of the
enemies of Allaah, especially the Christians with their major festivals
such as the celebration of the birth of the Messiah (peace be upon
him) – i.e., Christmas – and the Christian New Year. They attend
Christian parties on these occasions in their (Christians’) countries,
and some of them have brought these things back to Muslim countries
– we seek refuge with Allaah. A great disaster is the huge
preparations which are being made on an international scale and at
the level of the major Christian countries to celebrate the end of the
second millenium and the beginning of the third millenium since the
birth of the Messiah, son of Maryam (peace be upon him). If the
world is teeming with Christian celebrations during a regular New
Year, how will it be at the end of a Christian century (the twentieth
century) and the end of a millenium (the second millenium)? It is a
major event for which the Christians are preparing in a manner
appropriate to its huge significance.
This Christian event will not be like a usual New Year’s Eve
celebration taking only in the Christian countries and in their focal
point, the Vatican. Preparations are afoot to make the focal point of
the celebrations in Bethlehem, the place where the Messiah – peace
be upon him – was born. The political and religious leaders of the
Christians will go there – evangelicals and moderates alike, and even
the secularists, to celebrate this millenium of which the world press is
talking more and more as it approaches day by day. It is expected that
more than three million people will be present in Bethlehem, led by
the Pope John Paul II. Some of the neighbouring Muslim countries
are also taking part in this global event, on the grounds that some of
the symbols or major events of the Christian festival took place in
their land – namely the baptism of the Messiah (peace be upon him),
when he was baptized by John the Baptist (Yahyaa, peace be upon
him) in the River Jordan. Indeed, many Muslims will also take part in
these celebrations on the basis that they are an international event
which concerns all the inhabitants of the earth. These people do not
know that celebrating this millenium is a celebration of a Christian
religious festival (the birth of the Messiah, i.e. Christmas, and the
Christian New Year), and that taking part in it involves taking part in
the rituals of their religion, and that rejoicing in it means rejoicing in
the symbols of Kufr when they are made manifest and they prevail.
This poses a great danger to the ‘aqeedah (belief) of the Muslim,
because “Whoever imitates a people is one of them” as was reported
in a saheeh hadeeth from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). So how about one who actually
joins in with them in the rituals of their religion?! This obliges us to
discuss the rulings on the festivals of the kuffaar,
What the Prophet (r) spoke of has indeed come to pass and has become widespread in recent times, in many of the Muslim coun-tries. Many of the Muslims follow the enemies of Allaah in many of their customs and ways of behaving, and imitate them in some of their rituals and in celebrating their holidays.
The matter has been made even worse by the opening up of mass communications between peoples, whereby the rituals and cus-toms of the kuffaar are now transmitted with the glamorous adornment of sound and image from their countries into the Muslim countries, via satellite TV and the World Wide Web (Internet). Many Muslims have been deceived by their glamour.
In recent years, a new phenomenon has spread among the Mus-lim youth – males and females alike – which does not bode well. This is manifested in their imitation of the Christians in their celebration of the Valentine’s Day, which has led the scholars and daa‘iyahs to explain the rulings of sharee‘ah concerning that, out of sincerity towards Allaah, His Messenger, the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk, so that Muslims may have a clear understanding of this issue and so that they will not fall into that which will undermine the belief (‘aqeedah) with which Allaah has blessed them.
This is a brief discussion of the origins, development and purpose of this holiday, and what the Muslim should do with regard to it.
The Story of the Festival of Love (Valentine’s Day)
The Festival of Love was one of the festivals of the pagan Ro-mans, when paganism was the prevalent religion of the Romans more than seventeen centuries ago. In the pagan Roman concept, it was an expression of “spiritual love”.
There were myths associated with this pagan festival of the Ro-mans, which persisted with their Christian heirs. Among the most famous of these myths was the Roman belief that Romulus, the founder of Rome, was suckled one day by a she-wolf, which gave him strength and wisdom.
The Romans used to celebrate this event in mid-February each year with a big festival. One of the rituals of this festival was the sacrifice of a dog and a goat. Two strong and muscular youths would daub the blood of the dog and goat onto their bodies, then they would wash the blood away with milk. After that there would be a great parade, with these two youths at its head, which would go about the streets. The two youths would have pieces of leather with which they would hit everyone who crossed their path. The Roman women would welcome these blows, because they believed that they could prevent or cure infertility.
The Connection between Saint Valentine and this Festival
Saint Valentine is a name which is given to two of the ancient “martyrs” of the Christian Church. It was said that there were two of them, or that there was only one, who died in Rome as the result of the persecution of the Gothic leader Claudius, c. 296 CE. In 350 CE, a church was built in Rome on the site of the place where he died, to perpetuate his memory.
When the Romans embraced Christianity, they continued to cele-brate the Feast of Love mentioned above, but they changed it from the pagan concept of “spiritual love” to another concept known as the “martyrs of love”, represented by Saint Valentine who had advocated love and peace, for which cause he was mar-tyred, according to their claims. It was also called the Feast of Lovers, and Saint Valentine was considered to be the patron saint of lovers.
One of their false beliefs connected with this festival was that the names of girls who had reached marriageable age would be writ-ten on small rolls of paper and placed in a dish on a table. Then the young men who wanted to get married would be called, and each of them would pick a piece of paper. He would put himself at the service of the girl whose name he had drawn for one year, so that they could find out about one another. Then they would get married, or they would repeat the same process again on the day of the festival in the following year.
The Christian clergy reacted against this tradition, which they considered to have a corrupting influence on the morals of young men and women. It was abolished in Italy, where it had been well-known, then it was revived in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when in some western countries there appeared shops which sold small books called “Valentine’s books”, which con-tained love poems, from which the one who wanted to send a greeting to his sweetheart could choose. They also contained sug-gestions for writing love letters.
It was also said concerning the origins of this holiday that when the Romans became Christian, after Christianity had become widespread, the Roman emperor Claudius II decreed in the third century CE that soldiers should not get married, because marriage would distract them from the wars they used to fight. This decree was opposed by Saint Valentine, who started to perform mar-riages for the soldiers in secret. When the emperor found out about that, he threw him in jail and sentenced him to execution. In prison, he (Saint Valentine) fell in love with the jailer’s daugh-ter, but this was a secret because according to Christian laws, priests and monks were forbidden to marry or fall in love. But he is still regarded highly by the Christians because of his steadfast-ness in adhering to Christianity when the emperor offered to par-don him if he forsook Christianity and worshipped the Roman gods; then he would be one of his closest confidantes and he would make him his son-in-law. But Valentine refused this offer and preferred Christianity, so he was executed on 14 February 270 CE, on the eve of February 15, the festival of Lupercalis. So this day was named for this saint.
In “The Story of Civilization”, it says that the Church devised a calendar in which every day was designated as the feast day of one of the saints. In England, Saint Valentine’s Day was to come at the end of winter. When that day came, according to them, the birds mated enthusiastically in the forests, and the young men would put flowers on the windowsills of the homes of the girls whom they loved. (“The Story of Civilization” by Will Durant, 15/23)
The Pope designated the day of the death of Saint Valentine, February 14, 270 CE, as a festival of love. Who is the Pope? He is the “the archbishop, the supreme pontiff of the universal church, the successor of Saint Peter.” Look at this “archbishop” and how he prescribed for them the observance of this festival which was an innovation in their religion. This reminds us of what Allaah says:
“They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allaah (by obeying them in things which they made lawful or unlawful according to their own desires without being ordered by Allaah)…” [al-Tawbah 9:31]
It was narrated that ‘Adiy ibn Haatim said:
“I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wearing a gold cross around my neck. He said, ‘O ‘Adiy, cast aside this idol.’ And I heard him re-citing from Soorat Baraa`ah [al-Tawbah]:
‘They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allaah.’
He said: ‘They do not worship them, but when they per-mit them something they accept it as permitted, and when they forbid them something they accept it as for-bidden.’ ” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi and it is a hasan hadeeth.)
Among the most important symbols of this holiday
1 - Expressing joy and happiness on this occasion, as on their other major festivals.
2 - Exchanging red roses, which are an expression of love, the “spiritual love” of the pagans or the “love” of the Christians. Hence it is known to them as the Feast of Lovers.
3 - The sending of greetings cards. On some of these cards are pictures of “Cupid”, who appears as a child with two wings, car-rying a bow and arrows. This was the god of love of the pagan Romans – exalted be Allaah far above their fabrications and their association of others with Him.
4 - Exchange of words of love and desire in the greetings cards which they send to one another, in verse, prose and short phrases. Some of the cards contain comical pictures and funny words, and they often contain the phrase “be my Valentine”. This represents the Christian concept of this festival after it was taken from the pagan concept.
5 - In many western countries, parties are held during the day and in the evening, where there is mixing of men and women, and dancing. Many of them send gifts such as roses and boxes of chocolates to their wives, friends and those whom they love.
Anyone who looks at what is said above about the myths sur-rounding this pagan festival will clearly understand the following:
Firstly: That its origins lie in the pagan beliefs of the Romans, where it was an expression of the spiritual love of the idols which they used to worship instead of Allaah. Whoever celebrates it is
celebrating an occasion of shirk on which the idols are venerated. Allaah says:
“Verily, whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Al-laah, then Allaah has forbidden Paradise to him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Zaalimoon (polythe-ists and wrongdoers) there are no helpers.” [al-Maa’idah 5:72]
Secondly: That the development of this festival among the Ro-mans was connected to myths and legends which no sound mind can accept, let alone the mind of the Muslim who believes in Al-laah and His Messengers (r). Can anyone of sound mind believe that a she-wolf suckled the founder of the city of Rome and gave him strength and wisdom. Moreover, these myths go against the belief (‘aqeedah) of the Muslim, because the One Who bestows strength and wisdom is the Creator, may He be glorified and ex-alted, not the milk of a she-wolf! The same applies to the myth that their idols could protect them from evil or keep wolves away from their flocks.
Thirdly: Among the ugly rituals of the Romans on this day was the sacrifice of a dog and a goat, the daubing of their blood onto two youths then washing the blood off with milk, etc… This is something that would cause revulsion in anyone of a sound na-ture, and it is unacceptable to the sound mind.
Fourthly: The connection between Saint Valentine and this festi-val has been questioned by many sources, and it considered to be far from definite. It would have been better for the Christians to reject this pagan festival in which they imitated the pagans. So
how about us Muslims, who are commanded to be different from the Christians and the pagans before them?
Fifthly: This festival was denounced by the Christian clergy in Italy, the bastion of Catholicism, because it was spreading bad attitudes and having an adverse effect on the minds of young men and women. So it is better for the Muslims to reject it, warn others against it and to fulfill their duty towards it of enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil.
Someone may ask: why do we Muslims not celebrate this festival?
This question may be answered in several ways:
1. In Islam, the festivals are clearly defined and well established, and no additions or subtractions may be accepted. They are an essential part of our worship and there is no room for ijtihaad or personal opinion. They have been prescribed for us by Allaah and His Messenger (r). Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“Festivals are part of the laws, clear way and religious ceremo-nies of which Allaah says:
“To each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way.” [al-Maa’idah 5:48]
‘For every nation We have ordained religious ceremonies which they must follow.’ [al-Hajj 22:67]
…like the qiblah (direction faced in prayer), prayer and fasting. So there is no difference between joining them in their festival and joining them in their other rituals. Agreeing with the whole festival is agreeing with kufr. Agreeing with some of their minor issues is the same as agreeing with them in some of the branches of kufr. Festivals are the most distinctive things by which relig-ions are told apart, so whoever celebrates their festivals is agree-ing with the most distinctive rituals of kufr. Undoubtedly going along with them in their festivals may in some cases lead to kufr. Dabbling in these things, at the very least, is a sin. The Prophet (r) referred to the fact that every nation has its own festivals when he said:
‘Every nation has its own Eid, and this is our Eid.’ (al-Bukhaari , 952, Muslim, 1892).” (al-Iqtidaa´, 1/471-472)
Because Valentine’s Day goes back to Roman times, not Islamic times, this means that it is something which belongs exclusively to the Christians, not to Islam, and the Muslims have no share and no part in it. If every nation has its own festivals, as the Prophet (r) said:
“Every nation has its Eid.” (al-Bukhaari and Muslim)
…then this means that every nation should be distinguished by its festivals. If the Christians have a festival and the Jews have a festival, which belongs exclusively to them, then no Muslim should join in with them, just as he does not share their religion or their direction of prayer.
2. Celebrating Valentine’s Day means resembling or imitating the pagan Romans, then the Christian People of the Book in their imitation of the Romans in something that was not a part of their religion. If it is not allowed to imitate the Christians in things that really are part of their religion – but not part of our religion –then how about things which they have innovated in their religion in imitation of idol-worshippers?!
Imitating the kuffaar in general – whether they are idol-worshippers or People of the Book – is haraam, whether that imi-tation is of their worship – which is the most serious form – or of their customs and behavior. This is indicated by the Qur`aan, Sunnah and ijmaa’ (scholarly consensus):
i) From the Qur`aan: Allaah says:
“And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the clear proofs had come to them. It is they for whom there is an awful torment.” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:105]
ii) From the Sunnah: the Prophet (r) said:
“Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” (Ahmad, 2/50; Abu Dawood, 4021)
Shaykh al-Islam (Ibn Taymiyah) said:
“This hadeeth at the very least indicates that it is haraam to imi-tate them, although the apparent meaning implies that the one who imitates them is a kaafir, as Allaah says:
‘And if any amongst you takes them (as Awliyaa´ [friends, helpers, or allies]), then surely, he is one of them.’ [al-Maa’idah 5:51].” (al-Iqtidaa’, 2/722-725)
iii) With regard to ijmaa’, Ibn Taymiyah narrated that there was agreement that it is haraam to imitate the kuffaar in their festivals at the time of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them), and Ibn al-Qayyim narrated that there was schol-arly consensus on this point. (See al-Iqtidaa’, 1/454; Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah, 2/722-725)
Allaah has forbidden imitation of the kuffaar; He has described it as hateful and has warned against the consequences of that, in many aayahs, on many occasions, and in various ways, especially imitation of the kuffaar. Sometimes He does that by forbidding following them or obeying them; sometimes by warning against them or being deceived by their plots, following their opinions, or being influenced by their actions, conduct or attitude. Sometimes He does that by mentioning some of their characteristics that will put the believers off from them and from imitating them. Most of the warnings in the Qur`aan refer to the Jews and hypocrites (munaafiqeen), then the People of the Book in general and the mushrikeen. Allaah tells us in the Qur`aan that imitating and obeying the kuffaar may constitute riddah (apostasy). Allaah also forbids following them, obeying them, or following their whims and desires and bad characteristics.
Prohibition of imitating the kuffaar is one of the basic principles of sharee‘ah. Allaah sent His Messenger with guidance and the true religion so that it might prevail over all other religions, and Allaah has perfected His religion for mankind:
“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, com-pleted My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Is-lam as your religion.” [al-Maa’idah 5:3]
Allaah has made Islam cover all (human) interests at all times and in all places and for all people. So there is no need to adopt the ways of the kuffaar or imitate them.
Imitation causes defects in the Muslim personality, such as feel-ings of inadequacy, inferiority, weakness and defeatism, then it leads to shunning and keeping away from the path and laws of Allaah. Experience has shown that admiration for the kuffaar and imitation of them causes people to love them, have complete faith in them and take them as friends and helpers, and to reject Islam and its people, its heroes, its legacy and values, and become ignorant of all of that.
3. The purpose of Valentine’s Day in these times is to spread love between all people, believers and disbelievers alike. Undoubtedly it is haraam to love the kaafirs. Allaah says:
“You (O Muhammad) will not find any people who be-lieve in Allaah and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allaah and His Messenger (Muham-mad), even though they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred (people)…” [al-Mujaadilah 58:22]
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Allaah tells us that there is no believer who takes a kaafir as a close friend. Whoever takes a kaafir as a close friend is not a believer. Outward imitation may be taken as a sign of love, so it is haraam.” (al-Iqtidaa’, 1/490)
4. The love referred to in this festival ever since the Christians revived it is romantic love outside the framework of marriage. The result of that is the spread of zinaa (fornication and adultery) and immorality. Hence the Christian clergy opposed it at some stage and abolished it, then it came back again.
Most of the young people celebrate it because it lets them fulfill their desires, without thinking of the issues of imitation and re-sembling that are involved. Look at this tragedy, where they go so far as to commit major sins such as zinaa (fornication) and the like, by imitating the Christians in something which is part of their worship and which may even be kufr.
Some people may wonder, and say, you mean to deprive us of love, but in this day and age we express our feelings and emo-tions – what is so wrong with that.
We say:
Firstly: It is a mistake to confuse what they call the day with what the real intentions are behind it. The love referred to on this day is romantic love, taking mistresses and lovers, boyfriends and girlfriends. It is known to be a day of promiscuity and sex for them, with no restraints or restrictions… They are not talking of pure love between a man and his wife or a woman and her hus-band, or at least they do not distinguish between the legitimate love in the relationship between husband and wife, and the for-bidden love of mistresses and lovers. This festival for them is a means for everyone to express love.
Secondly: Expression of feelings and emotions is not a justifica-tion for the Muslim to allocate a day for celebration based on his own thoughts and ideas, and to call it a festival, or make it like a festival or Eid. So how about when it is one of the festivals of the kuffaar?
In Islam, a husband loves his wife throughout the year, and he expresses that love towards her with gifts, in verse and in prose,
in letters and in other ways, throughout the years – not just on one day of the year.
Thirdly: There is no religion which encourages its followers to love and care for one another more than Islam does. This applies at all times and in all circumstances, not just on one particular day. Indeed, Islam encourages us to express our emotions and love at all times, as the Prophet (r) said:
“If a man loves his brother, let him tell him that he loves him.” (narrated by Abu Dawood, 5124; al-Tirmidhi, 2329; it is saheeh)
And he said:
“By the One in Whose hand is my soul, you will not en-ter Paradise until you truly believe, and you will not truly believe until you love one another. Shall I not tell you of something that, if you do it, you will love one another? Spread (the greeting of) salaam amongst yourselves.” (Narrated by Muslim, 54)
Fourthly: Love in Islam is more general and more comprehen-sive; it is not restricted only to one kind of love, that between a man and a woman. There are many more kinds of love. There is the love of Allaah, love of His Messenger (r) and his compan-ions (may Allaah be pleased with them), love for good and right-eous people, love and support for the religion, love of martyrdom for the sake of Allaah. There are many kinds of love. It is a dan-gerous mistake to restrict this broad meaning to this one kind of love.
Fifthly: What these people think, that love before marriage is a good thing, is wrong, as has been proven in studies and by real-
life experience. In a study conducted by the University of Cairo, on what they called “love marriage” and “traditional marriage”, the following was stated:
In marriages which came after a love story, 88% of cases ended in failure, i.e., the success rate was not more than 12%. But in cases of what the study calls traditional marriage, 70% were successful. In other words, the success rate in marriages described as tradi-tional was six times more than those described as “love mar-riages.” (Risaalah ila Mu´minah, p. 255)
Now let us look at the state of affairs in western societies where Valentine’s Day is celebrated, and ask, what is the state of mar-riage relationships in those societies, and do these celebrations have any positive effect on interactions between husbands and wives?
Their own studies and statistics show the following:
1 - In an American study done in 1407 AH/1987 CE, it states that 79% of men beat their womenfolk, especially if they are mar-ried…! (al-Qabas newspaper, 15/2/1988)
2 - A study carried out by the National American Office for Men-tal Health states the following:
17% of women who go to emergency rooms are victims of beatings by their husbands or boyfriends .
83% of those who have previously been admitted to hospital at least once for treatment of injuries, were admitted as a re-sult of beating.
The study added that there are more women who do not go to hospital for treatment, but deal with their injuries at home.
3 - In a report of the Central American Agency for Examination [FPT] it states that every 18 seconds there is a woman who is beaten by her husband somewhere in America.
4 - American Time magazine stated that around 4,000 wives out of approximately 6 million who are beaten die as a result of that beating.
5 - In a German study it said that no less that 100,000 women annually are exposed to acts of physical or psychological abuse on the part of their husbands or the men they live with. The real fig-ure may exceed one million
6 - In France, approximately 2 million women face beatings.
7 - In Britain, in an opinion poll in which 7,000 women took part, 28% of them said that they had been subjected to attacks by their husbands and boyfriend.
So how can we believe that Valentine’s Day is of any benefit to married couples? The truth is that it is a call for more permissive-ness and immorality, and the forming of forbidden relationships.
The husband who sincerely loves his wife does not need this holiday to remind him of his love. He expresses his love for his wife at all times and on all occasions.
The Muslim’s Attitude towards Valentine’s Day
From the above discussion, the Muslim’s attitude towards this holiday should be clear:
(1) He should not celebrate it, or join others in their celebrations of it, or attend their celebrations, because of the evidence quoted above which shows that it is forbidden to celebrate the festivals of the kuffaar.
Al-Haafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “If the Christians have a festival and the Jews have a festival, which belongs only to them, then the Muslim should not join them in that, just as he does not join them in their religion or their direc-tion of prayer.” (Tashabbuh al-Khasees bi Ahl al-Khamees, al-Hikmah magazine, 4/193)
Because one of the basic principles of the pious predecessors was al-walaa´ wa’l-baraa´ (loyalty and friendship vs. disavowal and enmity), it is obligatory for everyone who says Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah Muhammad Rasool Allaah to follow this principle. So he should love the believers and he should hate the disbelievers, op-pose them, and be different from them. He should know that that will bring immeasurable benefits, just as imitating them causes far greater harm. In addition to that, when the Muslims imitate them it makes the kuffaar happy and fills their hearts with joy, and it leads the Muslims to love the kuffaar in their hearts. If any Muslim girl who celebrates this holiday because she sees Margaret or Hilary or whoever doing so, this undoubtedly reflects the fact that she is following them and approves of their behav-iour. But Allaah says:
“O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Chris-tians as Awliyaa´ (friends, protectors, helpers), they are but Awliyaa´ of each other. And if any amongst you takes them (as Awliyaa´), then surely, he is one of them. Ver-ily, Allaah guides not those people who are the Dhaali-moon (polytheists and wrongdoers and unjust)” [al-Maa’idah 5:51]
One of the bad effects of imitating them is that this makes it look as if there are more of them, as if they have more supporters and followers. How can it be appropriate for a Muslim who recites in every rak‘ah,
For: #Zikrlah
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✔The connection between saint valentine and the festival
✔The Muslim’s altitude towards valentine’s day
✔Fatwas of the Muslim scholars concerning valentine’s day
Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the World, and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and companions.
Allaah has chosen for us Islam as our religion and He will not accept any other religion from anyone, as He says:
“And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.” [Aali ‘Imraan 3:85]
And the Prophet (r) told us that groups of his ummah would follow the enemies of Allaah in some of their rituals and customs, as it says in the hadeeth of Abu Sa‘eed al-Khudri (t), who nar-rated that the Prophet (r) said:
“You will certainly follow the ways of those who came before you, span by span, cubit by cubit, until even if they were to enter a lizard’s hole, you would follow them.” We said, “O Messenger of Allaah, (do you mean) the Jews and Christians?” He said, “Who else!?”(Narrated by al-Bukhaari in al-I’tisaam bi’l-Kitaab wa’l-Sunnah, Baab Qawl al-Nabi (r) La tattabi‘unna Sanan man kaana qablakum, 8/151; and by Muslim in Kitaab al-‘Ilm, Baab Ittibaa’ Sanan al-Yahood wa’l-Nasaara, 4/2054)
The conflict between truth and falsehood is ongoing and will last as
long as this world remains. The fact that some groups among the
Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
are following the people of falsehood such as the Jews, Christians,
Zoroastrians, idol-worshippers and others, whilst a group is remaining
steadfast to the truth despite the pressures, is all part of the decreed
system of the universe. But this does not mean that we should give in
and follow the ways of those who are astray, because the one who
told us that this would inevitably happen also warned us against
following this path, and he commanded us to adhere firmly to Islam
no matter how many people deviate from it and no matter how strong
they become. He told us that the blessed one is the one who adheres
steadfastly to the truth no matter what the distractions, at a time when
the one who does righteous deeds will earn the reward of fifty men
whose deeds are like those of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased
with them) – as was reported in the hadeeth of Abu Tha’labah al-
Khushani (may Allaah be pleased with him).
Among the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) there will be people who deviated from the truth and went
towards falsehood, changing and altering things. Their punishment
will be that they will be kept away from the Hawd (Cistern) whilst
those who adhered to the Straight Path will come and drink from it.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“I will precede you to the Cistern, and men from among you will be
brought to me, and when I stretch forth my hand to them, they will be
pulled away. I will say, ‘O Lord! My followers!’ and it will be said:
‘You do not know what they innovated after you were gone.’”
According to another report: “I will say: ‘May he be doomed, the one
who changed (the religion) after I was gone.’”
One of the most obvious manifestations of this altering of Islam and
disdainfully treating the religion of Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) is the way in which people follow the
enemies of Allaah – may He be exalted – in everything, major or
minor, in the name of development, progress and civilization, under
the banners of peaceful coexistence, human brotherhood, new world
order, globalization and other dazzling but deceitful slogans. The
caring Muslim can spot this dangerous problem among the majority
of Muslims, except for those on whom Allaah has mercy, to such an
extent that they even follow them in their religious rituals and in their
most unique traditions and customs, such as the festivals which are
part of their belief systems. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meanings):
“and follow not their vain desires, diverging away from the truth that
has come to you. To each among you, We have prescribed a law and
a clear way” [al-Maa’idah 5:48]
“For every nation We have ordained religious ceremonies which they
must follow” [al-Hajj 22:67] – which means, a festival which is for
them alone.
Many Muslims have been led astray by the dazzling attractions of the
enemies of Allaah, especially the Christians with their major festivals
such as the celebration of the birth of the Messiah (peace be upon
him) – i.e., Christmas – and the Christian New Year. They attend
Christian parties on these occasions in their (Christians’) countries,
and some of them have brought these things back to Muslim countries
– we seek refuge with Allaah. A great disaster is the huge
preparations which are being made on an international scale and at
the level of the major Christian countries to celebrate the end of the
second millenium and the beginning of the third millenium since the
birth of the Messiah, son of Maryam (peace be upon him). If the
world is teeming with Christian celebrations during a regular New
Year, how will it be at the end of a Christian century (the twentieth
century) and the end of a millenium (the second millenium)? It is a
major event for which the Christians are preparing in a manner
appropriate to its huge significance.
This Christian event will not be like a usual New Year’s Eve
celebration taking only in the Christian countries and in their focal
point, the Vatican. Preparations are afoot to make the focal point of
the celebrations in Bethlehem, the place where the Messiah – peace
be upon him – was born. The political and religious leaders of the
Christians will go there – evangelicals and moderates alike, and even
the secularists, to celebrate this millenium of which the world press is
talking more and more as it approaches day by day. It is expected that
more than three million people will be present in Bethlehem, led by
the Pope John Paul II. Some of the neighbouring Muslim countries
are also taking part in this global event, on the grounds that some of
the symbols or major events of the Christian festival took place in
their land – namely the baptism of the Messiah (peace be upon him),
when he was baptized by John the Baptist (Yahyaa, peace be upon
him) in the River Jordan. Indeed, many Muslims will also take part in
these celebrations on the basis that they are an international event
which concerns all the inhabitants of the earth. These people do not
know that celebrating this millenium is a celebration of a Christian
religious festival (the birth of the Messiah, i.e. Christmas, and the
Christian New Year), and that taking part in it involves taking part in
the rituals of their religion, and that rejoicing in it means rejoicing in
the symbols of Kufr when they are made manifest and they prevail.
This poses a great danger to the ‘aqeedah (belief) of the Muslim,
because “Whoever imitates a people is one of them” as was reported
in a saheeh hadeeth from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). So how about one who actually
joins in with them in the rituals of their religion?! This obliges us to
discuss the rulings on the festivals of the kuffaar,
What the Prophet (r) spoke of has indeed come to pass and has become widespread in recent times, in many of the Muslim coun-tries. Many of the Muslims follow the enemies of Allaah in many of their customs and ways of behaving, and imitate them in some of their rituals and in celebrating their holidays.
The matter has been made even worse by the opening up of mass communications between peoples, whereby the rituals and cus-toms of the kuffaar are now transmitted with the glamorous adornment of sound and image from their countries into the Muslim countries, via satellite TV and the World Wide Web (Internet). Many Muslims have been deceived by their glamour.
In recent years, a new phenomenon has spread among the Mus-lim youth – males and females alike – which does not bode well. This is manifested in their imitation of the Christians in their celebration of the Valentine’s Day, which has led the scholars and daa‘iyahs to explain the rulings of sharee‘ah concerning that, out of sincerity towards Allaah, His Messenger, the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk, so that Muslims may have a clear understanding of this issue and so that they will not fall into that which will undermine the belief (‘aqeedah) with which Allaah has blessed them.
This is a brief discussion of the origins, development and purpose of this holiday, and what the Muslim should do with regard to it.
The Story of the Festival of Love (Valentine’s Day)
The Festival of Love was one of the festivals of the pagan Ro-mans, when paganism was the prevalent religion of the Romans more than seventeen centuries ago. In the pagan Roman concept, it was an expression of “spiritual love”.
There were myths associated with this pagan festival of the Ro-mans, which persisted with their Christian heirs. Among the most famous of these myths was the Roman belief that Romulus, the founder of Rome, was suckled one day by a she-wolf, which gave him strength and wisdom.
The Romans used to celebrate this event in mid-February each year with a big festival. One of the rituals of this festival was the sacrifice of a dog and a goat. Two strong and muscular youths would daub the blood of the dog and goat onto their bodies, then they would wash the blood away with milk. After that there would be a great parade, with these two youths at its head, which would go about the streets. The two youths would have pieces of leather with which they would hit everyone who crossed their path. The Roman women would welcome these blows, because they believed that they could prevent or cure infertility.
The Connection between Saint Valentine and this Festival
Saint Valentine is a name which is given to two of the ancient “martyrs” of the Christian Church. It was said that there were two of them, or that there was only one, who died in Rome as the result of the persecution of the Gothic leader Claudius, c. 296 CE. In 350 CE, a church was built in Rome on the site of the place where he died, to perpetuate his memory.
When the Romans embraced Christianity, they continued to cele-brate the Feast of Love mentioned above, but they changed it from the pagan concept of “spiritual love” to another concept known as the “martyrs of love”, represented by Saint Valentine who had advocated love and peace, for which cause he was mar-tyred, according to their claims. It was also called the Feast of Lovers, and Saint Valentine was considered to be the patron saint of lovers.
One of their false beliefs connected with this festival was that the names of girls who had reached marriageable age would be writ-ten on small rolls of paper and placed in a dish on a table. Then the young men who wanted to get married would be called, and each of them would pick a piece of paper. He would put himself at the service of the girl whose name he had drawn for one year, so that they could find out about one another. Then they would get married, or they would repeat the same process again on the day of the festival in the following year.
The Christian clergy reacted against this tradition, which they considered to have a corrupting influence on the morals of young men and women. It was abolished in Italy, where it had been well-known, then it was revived in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when in some western countries there appeared shops which sold small books called “Valentine’s books”, which con-tained love poems, from which the one who wanted to send a greeting to his sweetheart could choose. They also contained sug-gestions for writing love letters.
It was also said concerning the origins of this holiday that when the Romans became Christian, after Christianity had become widespread, the Roman emperor Claudius II decreed in the third century CE that soldiers should not get married, because marriage would distract them from the wars they used to fight. This decree was opposed by Saint Valentine, who started to perform mar-riages for the soldiers in secret. When the emperor found out about that, he threw him in jail and sentenced him to execution. In prison, he (Saint Valentine) fell in love with the jailer’s daugh-ter, but this was a secret because according to Christian laws, priests and monks were forbidden to marry or fall in love. But he is still regarded highly by the Christians because of his steadfast-ness in adhering to Christianity when the emperor offered to par-don him if he forsook Christianity and worshipped the Roman gods; then he would be one of his closest confidantes and he would make him his son-in-law. But Valentine refused this offer and preferred Christianity, so he was executed on 14 February 270 CE, on the eve of February 15, the festival of Lupercalis. So this day was named for this saint.
In “The Story of Civilization”, it says that the Church devised a calendar in which every day was designated as the feast day of one of the saints. In England, Saint Valentine’s Day was to come at the end of winter. When that day came, according to them, the birds mated enthusiastically in the forests, and the young men would put flowers on the windowsills of the homes of the girls whom they loved. (“The Story of Civilization” by Will Durant, 15/23)
The Pope designated the day of the death of Saint Valentine, February 14, 270 CE, as a festival of love. Who is the Pope? He is the “the archbishop, the supreme pontiff of the universal church, the successor of Saint Peter.” Look at this “archbishop” and how he prescribed for them the observance of this festival which was an innovation in their religion. This reminds us of what Allaah says:
“They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allaah (by obeying them in things which they made lawful or unlawful according to their own desires without being ordered by Allaah)…” [al-Tawbah 9:31]
It was narrated that ‘Adiy ibn Haatim said:
“I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wearing a gold cross around my neck. He said, ‘O ‘Adiy, cast aside this idol.’ And I heard him re-citing from Soorat Baraa`ah [al-Tawbah]:
‘They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allaah.’
He said: ‘They do not worship them, but when they per-mit them something they accept it as permitted, and when they forbid them something they accept it as for-bidden.’ ” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi and it is a hasan hadeeth.)
Among the most important symbols of this holiday
1 - Expressing joy and happiness on this occasion, as on their other major festivals.
2 - Exchanging red roses, which are an expression of love, the “spiritual love” of the pagans or the “love” of the Christians. Hence it is known to them as the Feast of Lovers.
3 - The sending of greetings cards. On some of these cards are pictures of “Cupid”, who appears as a child with two wings, car-rying a bow and arrows. This was the god of love of the pagan Romans – exalted be Allaah far above their fabrications and their association of others with Him.
4 - Exchange of words of love and desire in the greetings cards which they send to one another, in verse, prose and short phrases. Some of the cards contain comical pictures and funny words, and they often contain the phrase “be my Valentine”. This represents the Christian concept of this festival after it was taken from the pagan concept.
5 - In many western countries, parties are held during the day and in the evening, where there is mixing of men and women, and dancing. Many of them send gifts such as roses and boxes of chocolates to their wives, friends and those whom they love.
Anyone who looks at what is said above about the myths sur-rounding this pagan festival will clearly understand the following:
Firstly: That its origins lie in the pagan beliefs of the Romans, where it was an expression of the spiritual love of the idols which they used to worship instead of Allaah. Whoever celebrates it is
celebrating an occasion of shirk on which the idols are venerated. Allaah says:
“Verily, whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Al-laah, then Allaah has forbidden Paradise to him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Zaalimoon (polythe-ists and wrongdoers) there are no helpers.” [al-Maa’idah 5:72]
Secondly: That the development of this festival among the Ro-mans was connected to myths and legends which no sound mind can accept, let alone the mind of the Muslim who believes in Al-laah and His Messengers (r). Can anyone of sound mind believe that a she-wolf suckled the founder of the city of Rome and gave him strength and wisdom. Moreover, these myths go against the belief (‘aqeedah) of the Muslim, because the One Who bestows strength and wisdom is the Creator, may He be glorified and ex-alted, not the milk of a she-wolf! The same applies to the myth that their idols could protect them from evil or keep wolves away from their flocks.
Thirdly: Among the ugly rituals of the Romans on this day was the sacrifice of a dog and a goat, the daubing of their blood onto two youths then washing the blood off with milk, etc… This is something that would cause revulsion in anyone of a sound na-ture, and it is unacceptable to the sound mind.
Fourthly: The connection between Saint Valentine and this festi-val has been questioned by many sources, and it considered to be far from definite. It would have been better for the Christians to reject this pagan festival in which they imitated the pagans. So
how about us Muslims, who are commanded to be different from the Christians and the pagans before them?
Fifthly: This festival was denounced by the Christian clergy in Italy, the bastion of Catholicism, because it was spreading bad attitudes and having an adverse effect on the minds of young men and women. So it is better for the Muslims to reject it, warn others against it and to fulfill their duty towards it of enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil.
Someone may ask: why do we Muslims not celebrate this festival?
This question may be answered in several ways:
1. In Islam, the festivals are clearly defined and well established, and no additions or subtractions may be accepted. They are an essential part of our worship and there is no room for ijtihaad or personal opinion. They have been prescribed for us by Allaah and His Messenger (r). Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“Festivals are part of the laws, clear way and religious ceremo-nies of which Allaah says:
“To each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way.” [al-Maa’idah 5:48]
‘For every nation We have ordained religious ceremonies which they must follow.’ [al-Hajj 22:67]
…like the qiblah (direction faced in prayer), prayer and fasting. So there is no difference between joining them in their festival and joining them in their other rituals. Agreeing with the whole festival is agreeing with kufr. Agreeing with some of their minor issues is the same as agreeing with them in some of the branches of kufr. Festivals are the most distinctive things by which relig-ions are told apart, so whoever celebrates their festivals is agree-ing with the most distinctive rituals of kufr. Undoubtedly going along with them in their festivals may in some cases lead to kufr. Dabbling in these things, at the very least, is a sin. The Prophet (r) referred to the fact that every nation has its own festivals when he said:
‘Every nation has its own Eid, and this is our Eid.’ (al-Bukhaari , 952, Muslim, 1892).” (al-Iqtidaa´, 1/471-472)
Because Valentine’s Day goes back to Roman times, not Islamic times, this means that it is something which belongs exclusively to the Christians, not to Islam, and the Muslims have no share and no part in it. If every nation has its own festivals, as the Prophet (r) said:
“Every nation has its Eid.” (al-Bukhaari and Muslim)
…then this means that every nation should be distinguished by its festivals. If the Christians have a festival and the Jews have a festival, which belongs exclusively to them, then no Muslim should join in with them, just as he does not share their religion or their direction of prayer.
2. Celebrating Valentine’s Day means resembling or imitating the pagan Romans, then the Christian People of the Book in their imitation of the Romans in something that was not a part of their religion. If it is not allowed to imitate the Christians in things that really are part of their religion – but not part of our religion –then how about things which they have innovated in their religion in imitation of idol-worshippers?!
Imitating the kuffaar in general – whether they are idol-worshippers or People of the Book – is haraam, whether that imi-tation is of their worship – which is the most serious form – or of their customs and behavior. This is indicated by the Qur`aan, Sunnah and ijmaa’ (scholarly consensus):
i) From the Qur`aan: Allaah says:
“And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the clear proofs had come to them. It is they for whom there is an awful torment.” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:105]
ii) From the Sunnah: the Prophet (r) said:
“Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” (Ahmad, 2/50; Abu Dawood, 4021)
Shaykh al-Islam (Ibn Taymiyah) said:
“This hadeeth at the very least indicates that it is haraam to imi-tate them, although the apparent meaning implies that the one who imitates them is a kaafir, as Allaah says:
‘And if any amongst you takes them (as Awliyaa´ [friends, helpers, or allies]), then surely, he is one of them.’ [al-Maa’idah 5:51].” (al-Iqtidaa’, 2/722-725)
iii) With regard to ijmaa’, Ibn Taymiyah narrated that there was agreement that it is haraam to imitate the kuffaar in their festivals at the time of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them), and Ibn al-Qayyim narrated that there was schol-arly consensus on this point. (See al-Iqtidaa’, 1/454; Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah, 2/722-725)
Allaah has forbidden imitation of the kuffaar; He has described it as hateful and has warned against the consequences of that, in many aayahs, on many occasions, and in various ways, especially imitation of the kuffaar. Sometimes He does that by forbidding following them or obeying them; sometimes by warning against them or being deceived by their plots, following their opinions, or being influenced by their actions, conduct or attitude. Sometimes He does that by mentioning some of their characteristics that will put the believers off from them and from imitating them. Most of the warnings in the Qur`aan refer to the Jews and hypocrites (munaafiqeen), then the People of the Book in general and the mushrikeen. Allaah tells us in the Qur`aan that imitating and obeying the kuffaar may constitute riddah (apostasy). Allaah also forbids following them, obeying them, or following their whims and desires and bad characteristics.
Prohibition of imitating the kuffaar is one of the basic principles of sharee‘ah. Allaah sent His Messenger with guidance and the true religion so that it might prevail over all other religions, and Allaah has perfected His religion for mankind:
“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, com-pleted My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Is-lam as your religion.” [al-Maa’idah 5:3]
Allaah has made Islam cover all (human) interests at all times and in all places and for all people. So there is no need to adopt the ways of the kuffaar or imitate them.
Imitation causes defects in the Muslim personality, such as feel-ings of inadequacy, inferiority, weakness and defeatism, then it leads to shunning and keeping away from the path and laws of Allaah. Experience has shown that admiration for the kuffaar and imitation of them causes people to love them, have complete faith in them and take them as friends and helpers, and to reject Islam and its people, its heroes, its legacy and values, and become ignorant of all of that.
3. The purpose of Valentine’s Day in these times is to spread love between all people, believers and disbelievers alike. Undoubtedly it is haraam to love the kaafirs. Allaah says:
“You (O Muhammad) will not find any people who be-lieve in Allaah and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allaah and His Messenger (Muham-mad), even though they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred (people)…” [al-Mujaadilah 58:22]
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Allaah tells us that there is no believer who takes a kaafir as a close friend. Whoever takes a kaafir as a close friend is not a believer. Outward imitation may be taken as a sign of love, so it is haraam.” (al-Iqtidaa’, 1/490)
4. The love referred to in this festival ever since the Christians revived it is romantic love outside the framework of marriage. The result of that is the spread of zinaa (fornication and adultery) and immorality. Hence the Christian clergy opposed it at some stage and abolished it, then it came back again.
Most of the young people celebrate it because it lets them fulfill their desires, without thinking of the issues of imitation and re-sembling that are involved. Look at this tragedy, where they go so far as to commit major sins such as zinaa (fornication) and the like, by imitating the Christians in something which is part of their worship and which may even be kufr.
Some people may wonder, and say, you mean to deprive us of love, but in this day and age we express our feelings and emo-tions – what is so wrong with that.
We say:
Firstly: It is a mistake to confuse what they call the day with what the real intentions are behind it. The love referred to on this day is romantic love, taking mistresses and lovers, boyfriends and girlfriends. It is known to be a day of promiscuity and sex for them, with no restraints or restrictions… They are not talking of pure love between a man and his wife or a woman and her hus-band, or at least they do not distinguish between the legitimate love in the relationship between husband and wife, and the for-bidden love of mistresses and lovers. This festival for them is a means for everyone to express love.
Secondly: Expression of feelings and emotions is not a justifica-tion for the Muslim to allocate a day for celebration based on his own thoughts and ideas, and to call it a festival, or make it like a festival or Eid. So how about when it is one of the festivals of the kuffaar?
In Islam, a husband loves his wife throughout the year, and he expresses that love towards her with gifts, in verse and in prose,
in letters and in other ways, throughout the years – not just on one day of the year.
Thirdly: There is no religion which encourages its followers to love and care for one another more than Islam does. This applies at all times and in all circumstances, not just on one particular day. Indeed, Islam encourages us to express our emotions and love at all times, as the Prophet (r) said:
“If a man loves his brother, let him tell him that he loves him.” (narrated by Abu Dawood, 5124; al-Tirmidhi, 2329; it is saheeh)
And he said:
“By the One in Whose hand is my soul, you will not en-ter Paradise until you truly believe, and you will not truly believe until you love one another. Shall I not tell you of something that, if you do it, you will love one another? Spread (the greeting of) salaam amongst yourselves.” (Narrated by Muslim, 54)
Fourthly: Love in Islam is more general and more comprehen-sive; it is not restricted only to one kind of love, that between a man and a woman. There are many more kinds of love. There is the love of Allaah, love of His Messenger (r) and his compan-ions (may Allaah be pleased with them), love for good and right-eous people, love and support for the religion, love of martyrdom for the sake of Allaah. There are many kinds of love. It is a dan-gerous mistake to restrict this broad meaning to this one kind of love.
Fifthly: What these people think, that love before marriage is a good thing, is wrong, as has been proven in studies and by real-
life experience. In a study conducted by the University of Cairo, on what they called “love marriage” and “traditional marriage”, the following was stated:
In marriages which came after a love story, 88% of cases ended in failure, i.e., the success rate was not more than 12%. But in cases of what the study calls traditional marriage, 70% were successful. In other words, the success rate in marriages described as tradi-tional was six times more than those described as “love mar-riages.” (Risaalah ila Mu´minah, p. 255)
Now let us look at the state of affairs in western societies where Valentine’s Day is celebrated, and ask, what is the state of mar-riage relationships in those societies, and do these celebrations have any positive effect on interactions between husbands and wives?
Their own studies and statistics show the following:
1 - In an American study done in 1407 AH/1987 CE, it states that 79% of men beat their womenfolk, especially if they are mar-ried…! (al-Qabas newspaper, 15/2/1988)
2 - A study carried out by the National American Office for Men-tal Health states the following:
17% of women who go to emergency rooms are victims of beatings by their husbands or boyfriends .
83% of those who have previously been admitted to hospital at least once for treatment of injuries, were admitted as a re-sult of beating.
The study added that there are more women who do not go to hospital for treatment, but deal with their injuries at home.
3 - In a report of the Central American Agency for Examination [FPT] it states that every 18 seconds there is a woman who is beaten by her husband somewhere in America.
4 - American Time magazine stated that around 4,000 wives out of approximately 6 million who are beaten die as a result of that beating.
5 - In a German study it said that no less that 100,000 women annually are exposed to acts of physical or psychological abuse on the part of their husbands or the men they live with. The real fig-ure may exceed one million
6 - In France, approximately 2 million women face beatings.
7 - In Britain, in an opinion poll in which 7,000 women took part, 28% of them said that they had been subjected to attacks by their husbands and boyfriend.
So how can we believe that Valentine’s Day is of any benefit to married couples? The truth is that it is a call for more permissive-ness and immorality, and the forming of forbidden relationships.
The husband who sincerely loves his wife does not need this holiday to remind him of his love. He expresses his love for his wife at all times and on all occasions.
The Muslim’s Attitude towards Valentine’s Day
From the above discussion, the Muslim’s attitude towards this holiday should be clear:
(1) He should not celebrate it, or join others in their celebrations of it, or attend their celebrations, because of the evidence quoted above which shows that it is forbidden to celebrate the festivals of the kuffaar.
Al-Haafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “If the Christians have a festival and the Jews have a festival, which belongs only to them, then the Muslim should not join them in that, just as he does not join them in their religion or their direc-tion of prayer.” (Tashabbuh al-Khasees bi Ahl al-Khamees, al-Hikmah magazine, 4/193)
Because one of the basic principles of the pious predecessors was al-walaa´ wa’l-baraa´ (loyalty and friendship vs. disavowal and enmity), it is obligatory for everyone who says Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah Muhammad Rasool Allaah to follow this principle. So he should love the believers and he should hate the disbelievers, op-pose them, and be different from them. He should know that that will bring immeasurable benefits, just as imitating them causes far greater harm. In addition to that, when the Muslims imitate them it makes the kuffaar happy and fills their hearts with joy, and it leads the Muslims to love the kuffaar in their hearts. If any Muslim girl who celebrates this holiday because she sees Margaret or Hilary or whoever doing so, this undoubtedly reflects the fact that she is following them and approves of their behav-iour. But Allaah says:
“O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Chris-tians as Awliyaa´ (friends, protectors, helpers), they are but Awliyaa´ of each other. And if any amongst you takes them (as Awliyaa´), then surely, he is one of them. Ver-ily, Allaah guides not those people who are the Dhaali-moon (polytheists and wrongdoers and unjust)” [al-Maa’idah 5:51]
One of the bad effects of imitating them is that this makes it look as if there are more of them, as if they have more supporters and followers. How can it be appropriate for a Muslim who recites in every rak‘ah,
For: #Zikrlah
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