Birthdays. Valentine's Day. Mother's Day. Father's Day. Halloween. And every other "Eid" - any celebration which is recurring, be that weekly, monthly or yearly.
Islam has something better than all of this. Allah has replaced all of this with the two Eids which are well known.
When the Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) came to al-Madeenah, he found the people had various celebrations which they would enjoy. He informed them that Allah had replaced all of those celebrations with the two Eids of Islam.
We find people today saying about birthdays, valentines etc - "these are not religious festivals - we don't seek nearness to Allah through them".
We say: regardless of what your intention is, these are Eids because they recur and are symbols of the societies which started them and those who practice them. The Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) clarified that the recurring festivals in Islam are TWO - and this number is fixed. Aside from the two Eids of Al-Adha and Al-Fitr; there are no other recurring celebrations which should be taken.
Also, when we look at these celebrations which many Muslims have wrongfully adopted; we find that they represent morals and values which are totally contradictory to the Shari'a.
For example - i invite you to study the origin of birthdays - a paganistic ritual, thought to be when the people would celebrate the birth of their "Gods" or to ward off evil spirits on days of major change. When we examine it today, we see the psychological effect of celebrating birthdays has on some children. Let me give you an example:
Your child goes to school on his birthday and a few sweets to hand around to his friends. You are a working family and this is all you can afford.
As for his school friends, their parents send in cakes, mini-presents and surprises for the entire class. They make a massive deal out of it.
What will this do to your child? He will think he is worth less. He will feel less-loved and valued and he will feel like a failure in front of his classmates.
On top of this, where does it stop? If we celebrate our own birthdays, then it may be argued that the pious and the righteous have MORE right that we celebrate their births. And so we may as well celebrate the birth of the Messenger of Allah and other prophets too. Hey, let's join in with Christmas! And so you see, where do you draw the line? Because according to some, "as long as you don't take it as a religious festival then it's fine".
Also..... and think about this. Why should you celebrate the day you were born? That's quite an arrogant and self-aggrandising thing to do - what's so special about you that you celebrate your own birth?
Next, let's move to Valentine's Day - thought to be some form of polytheistic "Saint". And in modern times? Going out with your boyfriend or girlfriend, buying her a rose and taking her to have sex (pre-marriage) to declare your love. That might be quite blunt, but if you think it's not an accurate representation, then you are very out of touch with what is happening on the ground.
Mother's Day / Father's Day - also don't stand up to scrutiny and promote values and behaviour that are opposed to the Shari'a.
These celebrations are big commercial events.
When it comes to loving your SPOUSE - the Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) told us that the best of us are those who are best to our wives - therefore we should strive to be romantic, loving and kind every day. Without the need to open the door to great haram.
When it comes to your parents - our religion places great emphasis on their good treatment and the need to respect them and make them happy. EVERY DAY.
When it comes to the rest of the festivals, or EIDS that people have taken, and that have become a symbol of society, then Islam has given us our own identity that is free of these things.
The question is - will we assume the Muslim identity totally and in all things, or merely when it suits us?
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