In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

The Dangers of Birthday Celebrations Fitnatu eid meelaad Peace and blessing be upon our master (sayyidina) Muhammad and also upon his family, his companions, his wives (azwaajihi) and his descendents (dhurriyyaathi) with great peace. Amen. Says the poor slave in great need of the mercy of his Lord, Naeem Abdullah. All praises are due to Allah: who raised the supports of the Sunnah and exalted its lamps; who diminished the existence of innovation (al-bid`ah) and eclipsed its lights; who elucidated the evidences of truth (al-haqiqah) and revealed its secrets; who laid bare the path of falsehood and wiped out its traces; who clarified the procedures of the spiritual realities (al-haqa'iq) and constructed its mysteries; and who commanded us to follow the Sunnah and to adhere to its traditions. May the best prayers and most abundant peace be upon our master Muhammad and upon his family and Companions - all of them. May Allah be pleased with the best of the Followers (Taabi`een), the right-acting scholars, the four Imams who exercised independent judgment, and those who follow them until the Day of Judgment. This paper is called: The Dangers of Birthday Celebrations or fitnatu eid Meelaad. If Allah wills, it will be of benefit for whoever seeks to detach themselves from on clutches of paganism in this age. Success is with Allah! I was asked to compile something on this subject by one of our noble workers and pioneers of Islam in this country Imam Mutawwaf Abdus-Shaheed, may Allah protect and preserve him, Ameen! Though I am fully aware that there are many others more qualified for the task, I consider it a humbling honor that the Imam would even make this request of me. After pondering on the issue for a bit, the importance and ramifications of neglecting to address and subsequently protect the believers from its subtle yet disastrous results hit me like a ton of bricks. In our (American) society, the celebration of ones birthday is seen as a harmless, festive commemoration of the date in which that person was born. Traditionally, on the anniversary of a persons date of birth i.e. their birthday, friends and family gather around and wish the person well. There is often a cake with the persons name or some other design on it. This cake usually has a number of candles on it; each candle representing a year in the persons life. The birthday

boy or girl is instructed to make a wish. They are then asked to blow out the candles and if he or she is successful at blowing out all of the candles simultaneously that is taken as a sign of good luck or a good omen. Of course, these celebrations are based on the Gregorian or solar calendar in our society. After the cake is cut those in attendance usually eat, intermingle and otherwise celebrate or have a good time. The specifics of every individual birthday party or celebration vary from one to the other; some are more elaborate having many other components, while others are fairly simple. Sometimes there is no celebration just an acknowledgement that someone has just aged another year. The Origin of Birthday Celebrations ********** When one investigates the history of this, and many other holidays, that fact emerges that this one tradition is actually a conglomeration of various different pagan rituals synthesized under one name. Originally, the people of ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Persia celebrated the birthdays of gods, kings, and nobles. Authors Ralph and Adelin Linton reveal the underlying reason for this. In the book called The Lore of Birthdays, the authors write: "Mesopotamia and Egypt, the cradles of civilization, were also the first lands in which men remembered and honoured their birthdays. The keeping of birthday records was important in ancient times principally because a birth date was essential for the casting of a horoscope."1 Originally the idea [of birthday greetings and wishes for happiness] was rooted in magic. The working of spells for good and evil is the chief usage of witchcraft. One is especially susceptible to such spells on his birthday, as ones personal spirits are about at that time. Dreams dreamed on the birthday eve should be remembered, for they are predictions of the future brought by the guardian spirits which hover over ones bed on the birthday eve. Birthday greetings have power for good or ill because one is closer to the spirit world on this day. Good wishes bring good fortune, but the reverse is also true, so one should avoid enemies on ones birthday and be surrounded only by well-wishers. Happy birthday and Many happy returns of the day are the traditional greetings.

The giving of birthday gifts is a custom associated with the offering of sacrifices to pagan gods on their birthdays. Certainly the custom was linked with the same superstitions that formed the background for birthday greetings. The exchange of presents is associated with the importance of ingratiating good and evil fairies on their or our birthdays. The traditional birthday cake and candles also have their origin in ancient pagan idol worship. The ancients believed that the fire of candles had magical properties. They offered prayers and made wishes to be carried to the gods on the flames of the candles. Thus we still have the widely practiced birthday custom of making a wish, then blowing out the candles. The Greeks celebrated the birthday of their moon goddess, Artemis, with cakes adorned with lighted candles... The Egyptians discovered to which of the gods each month and day is sacred; and found out from the day of a mans birth, what he will meet with in the course of his life, and how he will end his days, and what sort of man he will be (Herodotus, Persian Wars, Book II, ch. 82) Since it was believed that the positions of the stars at the time of birth influenced a childs future, astrological horoscopes came into being, purporting to foretell the future, based on the time of birth. Birthdays are intimately linked with the stars, since without the calendar, no one could tell when to celebrate his birthday. They are also indebted to the stars in another way, for in early days the chief importance of birthday records was to enable the astrologers to chart horoscopes (The Lore of Birthdays, p. 53). The origin of the birthday celebration is also connected with the celebration of Christmas, which takes place on December 25th. As we mentioned earlier, the original birthday celebration was not to acknowledge ones own personal birthday, but rather the birth of that individuals or societys god or deity. The 1966 edition of the World Book Encyclopedia states, that In 354 A.D., Bishop Liberius of Rome ordered the people to celebrate [Christmas] on December 25. He probably chose this date because the people of Rome already observed it as the Feast of Saturn, celebrating the birthday of the sun. The sun which they are referring to is the sun-god whose name is Mithras not Jesus or Isa ibn Maryam, who they believe to be the son of God.

So to reiterate, the [1] acknowledgement and or celebration of ones date of birth originated from paying homage to the alleged birth of pagan deities (taaghuut). [2] This pagan practice eventually evolved into what we now call Birthday. [3] The practices associated with birthday celebrations such as exchanging gifts, lighting candles, making wishes, etc all serve a purpose in the worship of false gods. The practice of exchanging gifts takes its origin from offering sacrifices to these various pagan gods on their birthdays. They believed that the flames from the candles had special magical properties and prayers and wishes made over them would be carried to the gods. [4] Even the use of the cake on this occasion has its significance The Greeks believed that everyone had a protective spirit or daemon who attended his birth and watched over him in life. This spirit had a mystic relation with the false-god on whose birthday the individual was born. The Romans also subscribed to this idea. . . . This notion was carried down in human belief and is reflected in the guardian angel, the fairy godmother and the patron saint. . . . The custom of lighted candles on the cakes started with the Greeks. . . . Honey cakes round as the moon and lit with tapers were placed on the temple altars of [Artemis]. . . . Birthday candles, in folk belief, are endowed with special magic for granting wishes. . . . Lighted tapers and sacrificial fires have had a special mystic significance ever since man first set up altars to his gods. The birthday candles are thus an honor and tribute to the birthday child and bring good fortune... The above makes it clear that the concept of celebrating birthdays not only has its origin in paganism, but all of the seemingly harmless practices which go along with it are also rooted in kufr and shirk (disbelief and polytheism). The Ruling on Birthday Celebrations ********** The believers must always be aware that Muslims do not have or give credence to the false division of religious and secular. It is this false-idea which has opened the door for Muslims to engage in many practices that are not only bad but, in many cases, nullify their Islam. Some of us have been fooled into thinking that if a holiday or a practice doesnt have a religious origin then it is okay to engage in it. One of the first people to inject this poisonous idea of a secular/religious division into the Muslim discourse was the freemasonic agent of European interests named Muhammad Abdu of Egypt. Many of our contemporary challenges

stem from him and the works of his teacher and one of his students and colleagues, Jamal adDeen al-Afghani and Rashid Rida, respectively. All of our actions fall into one of five categories; either the action is [1] waajib or obligatory, which means that the practitioner of the action is deserving of Allahs reward, while the one guilty of neglecting the act is worthy of Allahs punishment, or [2] haraam meaning prohibited, which means that the doer of the deed is deserving of Allahs punishment while at the same time the one who abstains from it is deserving of Allahs reward. An action can also be classified as [3] manduub, which means that it is recommended. When someone does an action which is manduub, he is worthy of Allahs reward however neglect of this action does not open the negligent one up to Allahs divine punishment. A [4] makruuh action is one which is disliked or hated by Allah. This act is just short of being prohibited, so there is no punishment for doing it, yet there is a reward for abandoning it. Lastly, there is a neutral category called [5] mubaah which we translate as permissible. So there is no such thing as an act that falls outside of the shariah the Islamic law or way of life! Every act has a ruling connected to it. If that were not the case, what act is more non-religious than having sex? Yet our beloved Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace has informed us that there is a reward or a punishment involved in that act. This is proven by the following hadith, which can be found in Imam an-Nawawis Forty Hadith2:

" . : : . :

. ".

In was narrated on the authority of Abu Dharr may Allah be pleased with him.: Some of the companions of the messenger of Allah peace be upon him said:" O Messenger of Allah, the affluent have made off with the rewards, they pray as we pray they fast as we fast, and they give away in charity the superfluity of their wealth." He said:" Has not Allah made things for you to give away in charity? Every tasbihah is a charity, every takbirah is a charity, every tahmidah is a charity, and every tahlilah is a charity, to enjoin a good action is a charity, to forbid an evil action is a charity, and in the sexual act of each of you there is a charity." They said: "O Messenger of Allah, when one of us fulfils his sexual desire will he have some reward for that?" He said: "Do you not think that were he to act upon it unlawfully he would be sinning? Likewise, if he lawfully acts upon it he will have a reward." This hadith was related by Imam Muslim may Allah be pleased with him. Consider this verse:

O you who believe, enter into al-Islam completely (kffatan) and follow not the footsteps, of Shaytan, he is an open enemy to you.3 This verse was revealed in Medinah regarding 'Abdullh ibn Salm and his companions, who after converting to Islam still observed the Sabbath with reverence and were averse to [the consumption of] camels. When one examines this situation carefully you will notice that the Sabbath was a Jewish observance. In fact, it was a Jewish practice that was enforced by Allah, meaning the Quran tells us how those who violated the Sabbath were punished severely. Also when one looks at some of the individual aspects of it, it does not seem to violate any of the tenets of Islam. But yet, Allah still revealed that verse condemning this observance! He, the Most High, even after addressing them (and by extension us) as believers then commands us to enter

Islam completely! In other words, the fact that you still want to hold on to remnants of your old ways, you have not entered Islam all of the way. And the fact that you still have a soft spot in your heart for the old observances and still practice them you are, in fact, following the footsteps of Shaytan (the devil). Keep in mind that the sabab un-nuzuul or reason for the revelation of this verse was for a group of noble Sahaabah (companions of the Prophet) who were practicing something that was formerly legislated by Allah! What should be said about the observance of someones birthday in light of the paganism associated with every single aspect of this practice? Truly to Allah we belong and to Him is our return! The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace went out of his way to protect the integrity of his ummah (community). He wanted to insure that his blessed ummah would not be infected by the diseases of foreign communities. This is why he ordered us to be different from them in almost every way imaginable. Consider the following: [1] He ordered us to dye our hair because the Christians and Jews dont dye their hair. (Abu Hurayrah relates that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace said, The Jews and Christians do not dye their hair therefore you should do the opposite. Bukhari and Muslim); [2] He prohibited us from imitating the Devil. (Jaabir, may Allah be pleased with him relates that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace said Do not eat with your left hand, for Shaytan eats with his left hand. Muslim.) [3] He encouraged us to hurry when breaking our fast, so as not to be like the former nations who were destroyed; [4] He commanded us to trim our mustaches and let our beards grow because the People of the Book (Christians and Jews) do the opposite of that; [5] He even combed his hair in Mecca in a way different than the Pagans of Quraysh and then after his Hijrah from Mecca to Medina he combed his hair like the people of Mecca to be different than the people of the Book in Madinah! (It is related in the Shamaail of Imam at-Tirmidhi that Ibn Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him and his father says: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to leave his hair the way it naturally was, without making a path in the hair (parting the hair). The reason being that the mushrikeen (polytheists) used to make a path in their hair, and the AhlulKitaab (People of the Book) did not do so. In the early periods, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace preferred to follow the Ahlul-Kitaab, rather than others, in matters where no command had come from Allah. Later this was abrogated, and the Messenger

of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace began opposing the ways of the Ahlul-Kitaab after this. [6] He found the Jews in Madinah fasting on the 10th of Muharram and said that if he were to live the next year he would also fast an additional day just to distinguish himself from them. We could continue in this vein for a very long time. When Allah changed the Qiblah from Jerusalem to Mecca one of the charges that the Jews of Medinah leveled against him was that he only looks to what they do and then legislates the opposite! [7] The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace would also substitute pagan holidays with Islamic ones:

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Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that when the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to Medina, the people had two days on which they engaged in games. He asked, What are these two days (what is the significance)? They said, We used to engage ourselves in them in the Pre-Islamic period (al-jahiliyyah). The Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, Allah has substituted for them something better than them, the Day of Sacrifice and the Day of the breaking of the Fast (yaum al-adha wa yaum al-fitr). [Abu Dawuud; An-Nasaai; Bayhaqi] In Awn al Mabuud, a commentary of the Sunan Abu Dawuud, it explains that these two days were the days of Nayrouz (solar new year -- festival of Magians) and Mahrajaan (spring equinox). As you can see the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace replaced their pre-Islamic celebrations with Islamic ones. Our holidays and celebrations not only allow us to have fun but at the same time this fun is still connected to a higher purpose and is still an act of worship.

In this light the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace in a well known hadith informed us that:

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Whoever resembles a people is from among them.4 This comprehensive statement of our beloved Prophet is always found in the book or chapter of Dress in our books of Hadith. Most of us think that there is no harm in dressing, acting, or celebrating in a way which is synonymous with the popular, disbelieving culture. In fact, any condemnation of this imitation is usually met with accusations of shallow thinking or the like. However, what the proponents of imitation fail to realize is the fact that this outer imitation is a clear manifestation of what has already taken root in the heart. This was brought to light by one of the scholars amongst the companions - Abdullahi ibn Masud - when he said:

There is no imitation in the outer until or unless there is imitation of the inner (i.e. the hearts). This fact is so well known and accepted as such that it has been reiterated from the time of the Prophet until now. Ibn Khaldun, the famous father of modern historiography, even dedicated an entire chapter to the concept; The vanquished (al-mughlabuun) always want to imitate the victor in his distinctive characteristics (shiaarihi), his dress (zayyihi), his occupation, and all his other conditions (ahwaalihi) and customs. The reason for this is that the soul always sees perfection in the person who is superior to it and to whom it is subservient. It considers him perfect, either because it is impressed by the respect it has for him, or because it erroneously assumes that its own subservience to him is not due to the nature of defeat but to the perfection of the victor. If that erroneous assumption fixes itself in the soul, it becomes a firm belief. The soul then, adopts all the manners of the victor and assimilates itself to him. This, then, is imitation Therefore, the vanquished can always be observed to assimilate themselves to the victor in the use and style of dress, mounts, and weapons; indeed, in everything.5

In this way, Modibbo Abdullahi ibn Muhammad Bellel (Qadi Modi Abdu) - one of the premier scholars of the Sokoto Caliphate - said by way of advice to the Amirs and other notables on the eve of the British invasion of Modern-Day Nigeria: However, if the terms of truce (al-muhadinah) result in the opposite of the above, then no one among the scholars said that it was permitted - like the terms of truce with the Christians in these times. This is because their terms of truce will only amount to the promotion of the diminishing of al-Islam and its people; which is the necessary result of the Christian Europeans entering among the people of al-Islam. This will result in the Muslims being stamped with their destructive characteristics and blameworthy customs and the Muslims will eventually imitate the Europeans illicit way of life. This will go on until the weak hearted ones among the Muslims grow fond of their customs and become laden with corruption. Eventually, the youth will mature molded in the pattern of the European way of life. The women and children will become fascinated by them and began to dress themselves with their adornment until when the amply honored Sunnah of the Prophet perishes and pitch-black innovation (bid`ah) is revived. This state of affairs will continue until their European way of life prevails and spreads. Thus, the Muslims become humiliated because of their entering under the domination of the Christians. "Truly we belong to Allah, and to Him we will return!" Indeed, this is the real danger inherit in the desire of the modern Muslim in his yearning to celebrate the pagan holidays of those who once conquered him. An imitation of the disbelievers regarding their outer appearance and customs is only a symptom of a deeper imitation and love in the hearts which ultimately leads to loving what Allah hates which is disbelief and everything that glorifies disbelief. May Allah protect us from that! Where does this custom of commemorating a persons date of birth come from? It comes from the paganism of Ahlur-Ruum or the Europeans, as we mentioned above. These are the same people that Qadi Modi Abdu is warning against! This Pagan practice existed during the time of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace; if there were any good in it, he would have incorporated it into Islam! He incorporated the use of the Dinar (gold coin) and the Dirham (silver coin) into Islam, in fact they are mentioned in the Quran. These medium of exchange were not originated by the Arabs or the Muslims, however their use is consistent with

the principles of Islam therefore Allah, and His Messenger have sanctioned their use. Likewise, the Jewish practice of fasting on the 10th of Muharram in commemoration of Allahs rescue of Musa, may Allah grant him peace and the Children of Israel was absorbed into Islam with the addition of an additional day of fasting for the purpose of differentiating the Muslims from the Jews. It is clear from all that was mentioned above that the birthday celebration (eid meelaad) is a haraam innovation (al-bidatu l-muharram). It is an innovation because it does not have its foundation or roots in Islam; as Shehu Uthman Dan Fodio, may Allah envelop him in his mercy said,

Innovation is that which does not have its foundation in the Book, the Sunnah or the Consensus.6 This statement is based upon the words of the best of creation, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,

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Whoever introduces into this affair of ours that which is not from it is rejected.7 The operative word in this well-known hadith is ahdatha (translated as introduces into). This affair of ours is the Deen of Islam itself. That which is not from it is key to understanding the essence of bidah or innovation. In other words, those practices whose fundamental principles contradict the aims and objectives of the Shariah are rejected i.e. not acceptable and invalid (baatil). As ahlus-sunnah wal-Jamaaah (the people of the Sunnah and the community) we know that there are several types of innovation not all of them are bad (contrary to popular belief). However, this practice is based on ibaadah or worship to other than Allah. This is why it is not permissible (haraam).

The premise of the birthday celebration is the worship of pagan gods! Every traditional practice connected to it is designed to summon some demonic spirit! Birthday celebrations are even praised in The Satanic Bible: "The highest of all holidays in the satanic religion is the date of ones own birthday. This is in direct contradiction to the holy of holy days of other religions, which deify a particular god who has been created in an anthropomorphic form of their own image, thereby showing that the ego is not really buried. The Satanist feels: Why not really be honest and if you are going to create a god in your image, why not create that god as yourself." Every man is a god if he chooses to recognize himself as one. So, the Satanist celebrates his own birthday as the most important holiday of the year. After all, arent you happier about the fact that you were born than you are about the birth of someone you have never even met? Or for that matter, aside from religious holidays, why pay higher tribute to the birthday of a president or to a date in history than we do to the day we were brought into this greatest of all worlds? Despite the fact that some of us may not have been wanted, or at least were not particularly planned, were glad, even if no one else is, that were here! You should give yourself a pat on the back, buy yourself whatever you want, treat yourself like the king (or god) that you are, and generally celebrate your birthday with as much pomp and ceremony as possible."8 By way of review, at least 5 lessons should be learned from this discussion. [1] There is no such thing as a religious or a secular holiday. Islam does not recognize such distinctions. For the believer, every action is religious or has an effect on his or her religion. The action is either [a] obligatory, [b] prohibited, [c] highly recommended, [d] disliked, or [e] permissible. [2] Those who hold on to the holidays and ceremonies of the previous nations have not embraced Islam completely, are following the footsteps of Shaytan, and need to come full circle. This is evidenced by the revelation of Surah al-Baqarah, Verse 208. [3] Allah and His Messenger the Prophet, Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace have commanded us to be different and distinct from the disbelievers who surround us. We have mentioned 7 examples of this in the Shariah; the last of which being that the Prophet substituted the 2 days of celebration practiced in Madinah for the Eidayn i.e. the 2 Eids.

[4] Imitation of a people in terms of dress, mannerisms and other outward displays are a clear sign of the love and admiration contained in the heart for those same people, their customs and is an admission of their superiority. One who loves a thing seeks to be like it. Hence, the believer who loves the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace always finds ways to imitate him! Much of the world has been conquered by the disbelieving Europeans therefore many of us see their customs as being superior and are inclined to embrace them even at the expense of our deen. We seek refuge with Allah from that! [5] This practice is a haraam innovation (bidatu muharramah) which must be avoided at all costs! There is nothing whatsoever about this practice that has originated from the Prophets or their followers. This practice is even held in high esteem by the Devil worshippers! It was not our intention to exhaust the subject matter or the evidences for the position contained therein. It was only our intention to scratch the surface and alert the intelligent, sincere seeker of truth. After knowing the origin and objective of this Shaytanic practice, we find it hard to believe that anyone with an ounce of imaan in their heart would still seek out a way to celebrate this evil practice! Some of us may attempt to continue this tradition of celebrating birthdays or saying happy birthday by changing the name! We may begin to call it an anniversary or something else. Our advice to those who do this is to fear Allah! Altering the name of a thing does not change its essence or the sin associated with it. For those of us who may have celebrated birthdays in the past without knowing what we have mentioned in this discourse, we must make tawbah (a sincere repentance) and warn our friends, loved ones, and anyone who will listen against this demonic tradition. Our beloved soldier, Imam Mutawwaf, asked me to compile this based upon the position of the Maliki School or the Amal of the people of Madinah. When I began to look into this matter I found that this issue undermines the very essence (usuul) of our deen or way of life our Aqeedah! It is our belief that this affair goes beyond madhhaab or school of thought. However, with the Imams request in mind, weve supported the ruling in this matter with the statement of one of the most well known Maliki Mujtahids in recent history Shehu Uthman Dan Fodio the West African, Fulani, scholar-warrior of 18th Century Hausaland! We pray that the Imam is pleased and that he and the remainer of those who hear or read it obtain some benefit from it.

We will conclude by saying what Shaykh Uthman Dan Fodio said in his book called Umdat Ubaad (The Support of the Slaves of Allah). Whoever devotes himself to what is in this book and takes some benefit from it, I ask that he include me in his pious supplication, that Allah may benefit me by it in this world and the hereafter. It has been related in Sahih Muslim on the authority of Abu Dardaa', may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace said,

, (( , (( :
The supplication of an individual Muslim for his brother who is absent is answered. There sits at his head an angel charged with his needs. Whenever he supplicates for blessings for his brother, the angel charged with his affairs says, Amen-and the like for you.

O Allah give us success in following the Sunnah of Your Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, by his rank with You.

1 2 3 4

The Lore of Birthdays, Ralph and Adelin Linton (New York, 1952) Hadith #25 Qur'an: al-Baqarah 208. Related by Abu Dawuud in his Sunan on the authority of Abdullahi ibn Umar, May Allah be pleased with him and

his father.
5

Franz Rosenthal, Ibn Khaldun: The Muqaddimah: An Introduction to History (Princeton University Press, 1967), This statement was taken from Shaykh Uthman Dan Fodios book Wathiqah al-Ikhwaan. Related by both Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim on the authority of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her. The Satanic Bible (Anton Szandor LaVey, (Air) Book of Lucifer The Enlightenment, Avon Books, 1969, Ch XI,

116.
6 7

This hadith is well-known and can also be found in Imam an-Nawawis 40 Hadith (Hadith #5).
8

"Religious Holidays," p. 96)