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No to Valentine - part 2

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Assalaamu alaikum [Peace be to you],

I wasn't planning to submit anything for valentine's day. as a Muslim who does not celebrate it, I was going to just ignore it. until I got this sweet note from a Christian sister wishing me a happy valentine's day. then I really got to reply. But before that, I need to explain certain things.

REMARK: this article is not aimed to insult people's customs or practices. it is aimed to present the Islamic perspective on these customs for the purpose of better understanding of Islam.

first part:


:bulletred: ISLAMIC STANCE TOWARDS THIS FESTIVAL: (continuation)

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 it is forbidden to celebrate the festivals of non-Muslims.
2- He should not help the non-Muslims in their celebrations because it is one of the rituals of what Islam considers as disbelief. Helping them and approving of what they do is helping them to manifest disbelief and make it prevail.
3- He should not help any Muslims who celebrate it. Rather, it is obligatory for a Muslim to denounce them, because for the Muslims to celebrate the festivals of non-Muslims is considered a wrong action which must be condemned.
4- He should not accept congratulations on Valentine's Day, because it is not a holiday for the Muslims. If the Muslim is congratulated on this occasion, he should not return the congratulation. if asked why, he should politely explain.


:bulletred: WHAT ABOUT LOVE?

Some people may wonder, and say: "You mean to deprive us of love! but in this day and age we express our feelings and emotions - what is so wrong with that?"

The love referred to on this day is romantic love, taking mistresses and lovers, boyfriends and girlfriends... This is a day on which a lot of fornication happens, with no restraints or restrictions, and even children are encouraged to start engaging in premarital relationships.… We're not talking of pure love between a man and his wife or a woman and her husband. they do not distinguish between the legitimate love in the relationship between husband and wife, and the sinful love of mistresses and lovers. This festival for them is a means for everyone to express love. be it right love or wrong love.

What many of these people think is that love before marriage is a good thing. This sinful practice is condemned by the Almighty. Islam forbids anything that can possibly lead to fornication. So, how can we believe that valentine's day is of any benefit to Muslims? The truth is that it is a call for corruption, more permissiveness 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.

Besides, expression of feelings and emotions is not a justification to allocate a day for celebration and to call it a festival. 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.

Islam is a religion of Love. It encourages its followers to love and care for one another. But it 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 last Prophet of Islam -Peace be upon him- once said: "If a man loves his brother, let him tell him that he loves him."
And he -Peace be upon him- said: "By the One in whose Hand is my soul [he means 'By God'], you will not enter 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 Salaam* amongst yourselves."

*Salaam means peace. it is also the peace greeting of the Muslims.

:bulletred: LOVE IN ISLAM:

Love in Islam is more general and more comprehensive; it is not restricted only to one kind of love, that between a man and a woman. there are forms of expressing love that are Islamically acceptable, while there are others that are not religiously acceptable. Among the forms of love that are religiously acceptable are those that include the love for the God almighty. the love for the Prophets and Messengers of the God -peace be upon them-. the love for the righteous and good people. the love for the parents. the love for the friends and family. the love for the Muslim brothers and sisters. and of course the love between the husband and his wife...

Islam does recognize happy occasions that bring people closer to one another, and add spice to their lives. However, Islam goes against blindly imitating the non-believers regarding a special occasion such as Valentine’s Day. Hence, commemorating that special day known as the Valentine’s Day is an innovation that has no religious backing. Every innovation of that kind is rejected, as far as Islam is concerned. Islam requires all Muslims to love one another all over the whole year, and reducing the whole year to a single day is totally rejected.
Hence, we Muslims ought not to follow in the footsteps of such innovations and superstitions that are common in what is known as the Valentine’s Day. No doubt that there are many irreligious practices that occur on that day, and those practices are capable of dissuading people from the true meanings of love and altruism to the extent that the celebration is reduced to a moral decline.


So I, as a Muslim, my reply to "happy valentine" greeting and wishes is:
I appreciate your feelings but Sorry, I am a Muslim. and I do not celebrate this kind of festivities.
That being said, we Muslims do not deny other people's right to celebrate, be happy and enjoy their festivals. we do not force our religious opinion about Valentine's day on those who like to celebrate it. we always echo the Qur'anic verse "To you be your way and to us be ours".


I hope this was beneficial.


References:
- Why Don't Muslims Celebrate Valentine's Day? [link]
- Valentine’s Day – Its reality and ruling – I [link]
- Celebrating Valentine's Day [link]
- Valentine's Day - Love or Lust? [link]



If I am right, it is from the God. if I am wrong, it is from myself.
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