The Muslim's attitude towards Valentine's Day

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.
Ath-Thahabi said: "If the Christians have a festival and the Jews have
a festival, which is peculiar to them, then the Muslim should not join
them in that, just as he does not join them in their religion or their
direction of prayer."
This is so because the basic principles of the pious predecessors
[As-Salaf As-Saalih] was Al-Walaa' wal-Baraa' (loyalty and friendship
vs. disavowal and enmity), therefore, it is obligatoryfor every Muslim
to follow this principle. He should love the Muslims and should not
follow the non-Muslims; rather, he mustbe different from them. By
doing so, he achieves immeasurable benefits, just as imitating them
causes greater harm.
In addition to this, when the Muslims imitate non-Muslims, this makes
the latter happy and fills their hearts with joy. If any Muslim girl
celebrates this holiday because she sees Margaret or Hilary or whoever
does so, then this undoubtedly reflects the fact that she is imitating
them and approves of their behavior. But Allaah Says (what means): "O
you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as
allies. They are [in fact] allies of one another. And whoever is an
ally to them among you - then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed,
Allaah guides not the wrongdoing people." [Quran 5:51]
One of the bad effects of imitating them is that this increases their
number, as this makes it look as if they have more supporters and
followers. How can it be appropriate for a Muslim who recites in every
Rak'ah (prayer unit) Allaah's words (which mean): "Guide us to the
Straight Way, The way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace,
not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those who went
astray" [ Quran 1:6-7], to ask Allaah for guidance to the Straight
Path of the believers and to keep him away from the path of those who
have earned His anger and of those who went astray, and then
deliberately follows their path and imitates them?
Statistics indicate that Valentine'sDay is second only to Christmas
inpopularity. So it is clear that the Feast of Love is one of the
festivals of non-Muslims and that it is second only to the festival of
Christmas. So it is not permissiblefor Muslims to participate in
suchcelebrations, because we are commanded to differ from them in
their religion, customs and other things that exclusively belong to
them, as is stated in the Quran, Sunnah (Prophet's tradition) and
scholarly consensus.
2- He should not help the non-Muslims in their celebrationsbecause it
is one of the rituals of disbelief. Helping them and approving of what
they do is helping them to manifest disbelief and make it prevail, and
approving of it. The Islamic religion does not allow a Muslim to
approve of disbelief or help others to manifest it and make it
prevail.
Hence, Ibn Taymiyyah said:"It is not permissible for the Muslims to
imitate them in anything that is specifically part of their festivals,
whether it is food, clothing, bathing, lighting fires, or changing a
custom of daily life or worship."
3- He should not help any Muslims who celebrate it. Rather,it is
obligatory to denounce them, because for the Muslims tocelebrate the
festivals of non-Muslims is an evil action which must be condemned.
Ibn Taymiyah said: "Just as we should not imitate them in their
festivals, we should not help a Muslim to do that as well; rather, he
should be told not to do that."
Based on this, it is not permissible for Muslim businessmen to deal in
gifts for Valentine's Day, whether they areparticular kinds of
clothes, red roses, or whatever. Similarly, it is not permissible for
the one who is given a gift on this occasion to accept it, because by
accepting it,he is showing approval of this holiday.
One Daa'iyah (caller to Islam) said: we went to a flower shop inone of
the Muslim countries and we were shocked to find it completely
prepared for this occasion, with red carpets at the entrance, red
placards and red decorations. We were met by oneof the people who
worked there, and we asked him why they had done so much to decorate
the place for this occasion.
He said that these preparations had begun early, and that there had
been so many orders… Then he told us that he had been amazed by that,
because he was a new Muslim who had left Christianity. He had known
about that before he became Muslim, sohow come his customers were
Muslims and not Christians?
Other shops ran out of red roses, which were being sold at high
prices. When one of the female Du'aat entered upon the female students
who were gathered in the lecture hall, she was dismayed to find them
all carrying something red. One had a red rose, another had a red
scarf, or a red handkerchief, or a red bag, or red socks…
Among the things that have beenseen among the Muslims on this holiday:
a- All the female students agreeing with their friends to tie a red
ribbon on the right wrist.
b- Wearing something red (a blouse, hair clip, shoes…). This reached
such an extent last year that when we entered the classroom we found
most of the students wearing it, as if it was a uniform.
c- Red balloons on which are written the words "I love you". They
usually bring these out at the end of the school day, in an area far
from where the teachers can see them.
d- Writing names and hearts on their hands, or just initials.
e- Red roses are widespread on this day.
Groups of girls entered their lecture rooms on February 14, each of
them wearing somethingred, with red heart-shaped stickers on their
faces, wearing red make-up. They started to exchange red-colored gifts
and kiss one another warmly. This happened in more than one university
in the Muslim world, even in an Islamic university. In other words,
they were celebrating Saint Valentine's Day.
On that day, secondary schools (high schools) were astonished by the
large numbers of female students who brought red roses of the finest
quality, colored theirfaces with red cosmetics, wore red earrings, and
started to exchange gifts and warm greetings, in celebration of this
day.
Valentine's Day has come to a number of Arab and Muslim countries, and
has even reached the heartland of Islam (the Arabian Peninsula). It
has reachedsocieties which we had thought far removed from this
insanity. InRiyadh, the price of roses has risen incredibly, to an
extent thata single rose costs 36 riyals (10 dollars), whereas before
this day it cost 5 riyals. Gift shops and card shops compete in
designing cards and gifts for this occasion, and some families hang up
red roses in the windows of their homes on this day.
In some of the Muslim countries, shopping centers and hotels
haveorganized special celebrations forValentine's Day. Most of the
stores and business places are covered in red. One of the finest Gulf
hotels was full of balloons and dolls. Following the customs of the
Feast of Love and the pagan myths, one restaurant owner put on a
dramatic production with "Cupid", the idol of love in the Roman myths,
nearly naked and carrying a bow and arrow. He and his cohorts were
looking to select "Mr. & Mrs.Valentine" from among the people present.
Less expensive restaurants also celebrated this day in their own way.
Some stores replaced their regular plates with heart-shaped plates,
used red tablecloths and linens, and put a red rose on eachtable for
the man to present to his beloved.
We must oppose these things by all possible means. The responsibility
rests with us all.
4- We should not accept congratulations on Valentine's Day, because it
is not a holiday or an 'Eed for the Muslims. If the Muslim is
congratulated on this occasion, he should not return the
congratulation. Ibn Al-Qayyim said: "With regard to congratulating
others with the congratulations used by the non-Muslims on such
occasions, it is prohibited by scholarly consensus, such as
congratulating them on the occasion of their festivals or fasts,
wishing them a blessed festival, etc.
Finally, we must explain the true nature of this holiday and other
festivals of the non-Muslims to those Muslims who have been deceived
by them, and explain to them that it is essential for the Muslim to be
distinguished by hisreligion and to protect his 'Aqeedah (belief) from
anything that may damage it. This should be done towards the Ummah
(Muslim nation) for the sake of Allaah and in fulfillment of the
command of enjoining good and forbidding evil.