And every major Muslim thinker agrees. Another clear instance of the doctrine of al-Wala' we al-Bara', as the issue at hand is the great need to differentiate oneself from non-Muslims and their infidel practices. "Grand mufti rejects Al-Oadah's fatwa," from Arab News, August 20:
Celebrating birthdays and wedding anniversaries has no base in Islam, Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Alsheikh has said.Yes, swearing on one's holy book is also evidently only an infidel -- I mean, People of the Book -- practice.The mufti made the comments while answering a question from Al-Madinah newspaper after prominent Qassim-based scholar Salman Al-Oadah issued a fatwa saying that celebrating such occasions was not against the rules of Shariah.
“Such a call is against righteousness. A Muslim should thank Almighty Allah if his children are healthy and if his married life is stable as the years pass by. He should say: Alhamdu Lillah for His generosity and kindness,” said Al-Alsheikh, who is also the chairman of the Council of Senior Scholars and the head of the Presidency for Scientific Research and Religious Edicts (Dar Al-Ifta).
Speaking on satellite television last week, Al-Oadah, who is the general supervisor of the Islamtoday.com website, created controversy after ruling that there is nothing un-Islamic in celebrating wedding anniversaries and birthdays.
“It is normal for a son or daughter to celebrate birthdays. They can invite their friends for a meal on this occasion. I see nothing wrong in this,” he said.
Al-Alsheikh, who is the highest religious authority in the Kingdom, said Muslims only have two official celebrations — Eid Al-Fitr, which is celebrated at the end of Ramadan, and Eid Al-Adha, which is celebrated on Dhul Hijjah 10. He added that Muslims also have a weekly Eid, which is Friday.
The mufti said that the celebration of other occasions such as birthdays, wedding anniversaries and mother’s day were un-Islamic.
Several prominent Muslim scholars have supported the mufti, adding that celebrating such occasions is in imitation of people of the Jewish and Christian faiths.
Sheikh Abdullah Al-Manie, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars, said Al-Oadah had made “a slip of the tongue” and urged him to retract what he had said. “Although he is a very learned scholar, Sheikh Al-Oadah has made a mistake here,” he said.Al-Manie said Muslims have their own identity, which distinguishes them from the followers of other religions. “When we celebrate birthdays and wedding anniversaries, we are imitating other religions — something that our Prophet (peace be upon him) warned us against,” he added.
Al-Manie stressed that celebrations should be undertaken within a religious context. “Otherwise we will be falling in the trap of imitating others, something that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) warned us against,” he said.
Saud Al-Finaisan, the former dean of the Shariah College at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, said celebrating wedding anniversaries and birthdays was not permissible in Islam, as they are considered to be in imitation of non-Muslim practices.
Saleh bin Muqbil Al-Osaimi, member of the Saudi Fiqh Society, said the reason behind the prohibition of such occasions is not that these occasions are irreligious, but that they are the distinct customs of the followers of other faiths. “We are prevented by Islam to liken ourselves to the nonbelievers,” he said.
Intelligence has no base in Islam either.
Islam: giving new meaning to "party-pooping".
There is no fun in Islam. The only "fun" they have is thinking up new ways to kill kufirs.
“Such a call is against righteousness. A Muslim should thank Almighty Allah if his children are healthy and if his married life is stable as the years pass by.
'Almighty Allah' was arrested a week or so ago in the UK on drug charges.
He can't receive phone calls, but grateful muslims can send him a card C/O the British Prison System...
It is amazing to see Muslims compete to see who is the most Islamic. Keeping up with the Joneses (or in this case, Haddads)now has a whole new meaning.
Fun and joy is haram in Islam. Just look at their women and children. Laugh and we will slaughter you in the name of Allah.
Zero fun.
“When we celebrate birthdays and wedding anniversaries, we are imitating other religions — something that our Prophet (peace be upon him) warned us against,” he added.
Yeah, they should NEVER try to imitate any other religion ... especially the ones that teach you to love your neighbor, bless those who curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them who use and persecute you.
Nothing good can EVER come of THOSE THINGS.
/SARC OFF/
“Otherwise we will be falling in the trap of imitating others, something that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) warned us against,” he [Al-Manie] said.
All this is not enough, birthdays celebrations are rather innocuous. There are much more serious matters in which Moslems are following infidel practices, and these should be dealt with. A good place to start would be the Jewish and Christian practice of inoculation against disease. Mohammed was never inoculated, nor were any of the caliphs. This practice must be stopped at once. Besides, it's well known that inoculation causes penis shrinkage in men, and infertility in women. Why else have birth-rates fallen so much in the Western countries, despite Westerners being so sex-crazed?
Proper understanding of the Koran is all that one needs to enjoy good health, along with a glass of camel urine every now and then.
Nobody, and I mean NOBODY can live up(?) to the standard put forth by the Koran and be considered a normal human being. It is utterly impossible-such a life would be hellish. I can see why they long for death-the next life sounds a lot more appealing than this one.
By the way, I resent being considered a "person of the book". I do not want to be a person of THAT book. Besides, what good is it being of that book when you're nothing but a subhuman on a par with apes and pigs anyway?
I had thought the Islamic historical record would suggest that Mohammed "celebrated" A'isha's ninth birthday, in his own special way.
Pfftt. Shiekh Grand Mufti Shiekh Abdul Shiekh al-alShiekh got nailed by Tilth #3 for forgetting their anniversary again, and kids Mohammed #9, Mohammed #15 and Mohammed #17 spent the evening whining that nobody made special couscous or got them a jumpy hut for their birthdays. It's enough to drive a Shiekh Shiekh al-alShiekh to drink after a long day at the office issuing death fatwas.
He's just trying to save all those other Shiekhs the trouble of updating their calendars. Patriarchs all over the Muslim world are undoubtedly grateful.
The year is 2084. The "Tislam" ideology has conquered the whole world. Birthdays and Anniveraries are against the law. Huge signs stating "There is no Fun in Tislam" stare down at the citizens whever they go. Men are Etc., etc., etc.
Add on your ideas.
Who wants to write the screenplay with me?
There is an even MORE universally observed practice among the pagans and unbelievers: BREATHING. But don't hold your breath waiting for a fatwa to come down on that one. Pity.
But what about The Jewish Bomb? Does that have a basis in Islam?
http://www.jbuff.com/c072805.htm
The Saudi Grand Mufti is not alone and is not making a new ruling:
http://www.askimam.org/fatwa/fatwa.php?askid=7fdef991952600cc5c6f51db302634d0
Excerpt: Celebrating birthdays and wedding anniversaries have no basis in Islam; they are the customs of the Kuffaar. (Semicolon added)
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
What? Muslims can't celebrate Hitler and Mohammad's birthday on April 20th? Yes, that's right, the world's two biggest fascists share a birtdate, although someone scrubbed it from Wikipedia. Mo's was April 20th 571 AD. It roams around the calender now since the Islamic "year" is not a true solar year, but a crude estimation--only 355 days.
Here's an authoritive article on the topic:
http://www.amaana.org/prophet/milad.htm
And if you're a Muslim guy in Sweeden, and you've got a Christian wife, don't put toys in your five year old son's coffin!
http://islamineurope.blogspot.com/2008/08/sweden-problems-at-joint.html
I wonder. If the vast majority of Muslims ever get wise to the fact that the tiny, insignificant but highly murderous percentage of their more religious brethren don't think the vast majority of Muslims are true Muslims, then how many the vast majority of Muslims will decided that it is no longer worth it to continue to be Muslim.
There is no fun in mohammedanism.
I saw a TV program about a muslim family in Australia where the husband wouldn't celebrate his birthday because it was forbidden by Islam.
From the article: 'Saleh bin Muqbil Al-Osaimi, member of the Saudi Fiqh Society, said the reason behind the prohibition of such occasions is not that these occasions are irreligious, but that they are the distinct customs of the followers of other faiths. “We are prevented by Islam to liken ourselves to the nonbelievers,” he said.'
Yeah. Practically every human group on the planet likes dogs and keeps them for pets...so, Muslims are taught to hate and despise dogs.
Every other known human group on the planet sings and makes music and uses music in both religious and 'profane' or 'fun' contexts: so what does sharia do? - totally forbids the use of music in the mosque and even tries to ban music, voice or instrumental, everywhere else as well (which has proven to be about as easy to achieve as to try to forbid the birds from singing or tell the tide to stop coming in, yet the Muslim purists are still at it, issuing the fatwas, blowing up the music shops in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Gaza and Somalia).
No other human group on the planet has ever attempted to render women completely invisible in the public square.
It's about being Different, sure, but it's much, much more than that, in lots of things it's about being flatly in opposition.
There is an obsessive pattern of reversal and destruction of the natural and normal, a drive toward inversion and perversion, that seems to run right through Islam. To me it smells of what some might call 'the Occult', Goetia, Black Magic.
Does this include their King's Mercedes 550 SLK? Or his private/personal Boeing 777?
Methinks these morons have not completely thought through to full conclusion their blanket statement:
Hey, if ya'll want to live just like your profit did in 610 AD, that can be arranged, and I'm all for it.
But I think you might want to run this through the chain of command first.
Islam is inhumane. However, it will keep growing for a while because the west has turned its back on the good news of Christ who came to rescue humans from sin and depravity and so give them many reasons to celebrate - including birthday! Where Christ is known, true humour thrives and blessings flow.
Love, fun, actually living a life - these are all bad!
But blood, murder, abuse, hatred, slavery - these are all wonderful Islamic qualities.
My God, what will it take to secure the world from this evil depravity called Islam?
The Truth About Islam
Soon islam may not allow islam if this keeps up.
They plagiarize their entire religion from the Jews and gnostic Christians and now they pretend to be above taking the traditions of others.
Islam- the joke is on them.
@Rasmus
Birthdays and the like are not mandated by Christ, but are secular anniversaries. People were celebrating birthdays long before Jesus 'made' the proverbial 'scene'.
While I am a huge Jesus fan, it must be noted that anyone with good in his heart shrinks from Islam, once he understands it, no matter what his faith, or lack thereof, may be.
Not only does decency abhor Islam, but common sense does, as well.
If you believe Islam is some sort of judgment on the world (and I'm not saying that you do) by God, I can't agree with that. A test, perhaps, but not a Soddom and Gomorrah style judgment.