What is the ruling in Islam regarding some people celebrating their birthdays?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
A listener sent a message containing a collection of questions. He is the brother Abu Ahmad from the Yemen Arab Republic. Abu Ahmad asks about the following matters: He says: What is the ruling in Islam regarding the following: some people celebrating their birthdays, meaning: the day a person is born, and their repeating the celebration every year that passes on this day?
Answer:
Celebrations for birthdays are a religious innovation (bid'ah) with no basis, and they imitate the Jews and the Christians; therefore, that is not permissible, neither for the birthdays of the prophets, such as our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), nor for anyone else. It is not permissible for a person to celebrate his own birthday, nor his father's birthday, nor his mother's birthday. All of this is from the reprehensible innovations if it is done as an act of worship; it is an innovation. And if it is done out of mere approval, then he has imitated the polytheists among the Jews and the Christians in that. So it is prohibited as an act of worship and prohibited as imitation. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 1718a, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 1718b meaning: so it is rejected, and this is not part of his (peace and blessings be upon him) deeds, nor is it in his religion. He is the most sincere of people (peace and blessings be upon him) and the most complete in conveying the message, so he did not tell the people: celebrate my birthday. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do it himself, nor did the Rightly Guided Caliphs do it, nor the rest of the Companions, nor the Salaf in the first, second, and third centuries. So it is a reprehensible innovation, and one of the causes of associating partners with Allah (shirk). For some people, when they celebrate a birthday, they call upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the person being celebrated, and seek aid from him, and ask him for help. And this is major shirk. We ask Allah for safety from it.
And perhaps some of them think that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is present; so they stand up for him and say: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is present. And this is also from great ignorance and clear falsehood. So celebrating birthdays, if it is in the way of worship, it is a reprehensible innovation. And if it is in the way of imitating the enemies of Allah, the Jews and the Christians, it is also reprehensible. So it is between two things: an innovation and imitating the enemies of Allah. So it is absolutely not permissible, neither for your birthday, nor your father's birthday, nor your brother's birthday, nor the birthdays of the prophets, nor the birthdays of the righteous. Rather, all of this is from the innovations that people have introduced. We ask Allah for guidance and success for everyone.
The presenter : May Allah accept it.
A listener sent a message containing a collection of questions. He is the brother Abu Ahmad from the Yemen Arab Republic. Abu Ahmad asks about the following matters: He says: What is the ruling in Islam regarding the following: some people celebrating their birthdays, meaning: the day a person is born, and their repeating the celebration every year that passes on this day?
Answer:
Celebrations for birthdays are a religious innovation (bid'ah) with no basis, and they imitate the Jews and the Christians; therefore, that is not permissible, neither for the birthdays of the prophets, such as our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), nor for anyone else. It is not permissible for a person to celebrate his own birthday, nor his father's birthday, nor his mother's birthday. All of this is from the reprehensible innovations if it is done as an act of worship; it is an innovation. And if it is done out of mere approval, then he has imitated the polytheists among the Jews and the Christians in that. So it is prohibited as an act of worship and prohibited as imitation. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
'A'isha reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: He who innovates things in our affairs for which there is no valid (reason) (commits sin) and these are to be rejected.
من أحدث في أمرنا هذا ما ليس منه؛ فهو ردHe who did any act for which there is no sanction from our behalf, that is to be rejected.
من عمل عملًا ليس عليه أمرنا؛ فهو ردAnd perhaps some of them think that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is present; so they stand up for him and say: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is present. And this is also from great ignorance and clear falsehood. So celebrating birthdays, if it is in the way of worship, it is a reprehensible innovation. And if it is in the way of imitating the enemies of Allah, the Jews and the Christians, it is also reprehensible. So it is between two things: an innovation and imitating the enemies of Allah. So it is absolutely not permissible, neither for your birthday, nor your father's birthday, nor your brother's birthday, nor the birthdays of the prophets, nor the birthdays of the righteous. Rather, all of this is from the innovations that people have introduced. We ask Allah for guidance and success for everyone.
The presenter : May Allah accept it.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.