Question:

Is recognising a birthday haram intrinsically? So for example just because someone celebrated a birthday, would it be haram because of that person giving importance to a birthday or because of the connotations 'celebrating' a birthday carries.

If being merry on a birthday is not haram in itself, but rather because of the evils of non-Muslim practices, then what is the ruling on a birthday carried out in a 'good' manner? For example if a family was to say before the birthday of a member of the family, we'll complete a khatm of the Qur'an for that person and then once we've completed, we'll make du'a together in a festive environment, in that everyone is grateful to Allah for Him bestowing the family with a new member on this day.

Can this be seen as a means of getting closer to Allah because people will be reciting Qur'an and remembering Allah.

Answer:

It cannot be said that the practice of Birthdays is in itself Haraam. However, we must remember that Islam is a religion that has given us a clear way to do things for every aspect of life which gives the Islamic Community its own outlook and character. Thus it is very important that we do not import practices from other communities, which are not in consonance with the spirit of Islamic teachings, and furthermore result in the Islamic Community losing its own special character.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever resembles a people is from them.”

Islam has already shown us the manner in which we should celebrate the birth of a child. Namely, the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) taught that we should offer thanks to Allah taala by performing an Aqeeqah (sacrificing a sheep for a girl and two for a boy) and doing the Tahneek (getting a pious person to chew something sweet like a date and then putting it into the baby’s mouth). How sad is it that these Islamic traditions, which are firmly based in evidence, are neglected by the same many Muslims who, avidly and almost religiously, wish to annually celebrate the birthday of someone, a practice which has no basis in the Shariah. It was neither commanded nor practiced by anyone of the greatest of generations and our ideal the Sahabah, Tabieen and their successors.

The obvious reason they never adopted this practice is because Islam's teachings were enough for them and they clearly considered this as in various different ways not in the spirit of Islamic principles and teachings. Furthermore, to perform a thing in a manner that people consider it necessary or of real importance such that by missing it out one year kids throw tantrums, friends fall out, relatives stop talking to each other, as the Islamically uneducated tend to do, would bring it close to a Bidah (reprehensible innovation) if not a Bidah itself and as such should be abandoned. And thus even if many of the evils that currently accompany this practice are removed (which is unlikely as the average person who practices it today will lose his desire for it), and pious deeds added to it, it would still be dubious and best avoided.

Mufti Mohammed Sajjad

Wallahu Aalam bis-sawab

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The answer to this question is the opinion of the scholar and does not reflect the opinion of other scholars of As-Suffa Institute and As-Suffa Institute as an organisation.