The Practice of Celebrating Valentine’s Day is HARAM & Contradicts the Teachings of Islam – Fatwa of the Research Panel of Faith and the Research Panel of Syari’a of the Malaysian Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM)
Here are excerpts of the research paper, “Avoid Celebrating Valentine’s Day”, available at Islam.gov.my
✦ Avoid Celebrating Valentine’s Day
The celebration of Valentine’s Day began to influence our society’s culture, especially among the youngsters, around the end of the 1980s along with the emergence of television broadcasts showing advertisements or films with the celebration as the theme.
Valentine’s Day celebration becomes more popular among the younger generations due to the influx of foreign culture through various media channels either electronic or print. The celebration is known to them as a day to celebrate love, which according to them, is the most appropriate moment to express the feeling of love and affection towards their dearest or loved ones.
✦ 14 February was the Date Christians Defeated Muslims in Cordova
Historically, the word Valentine was after a Christian priest during the reign of Queen Isabella of Spain which was Saint Valentine. His success in defeating the Islamic government in Cordova, Spain on 14 February 270 AD gave a deep meaning to Queen Isabella so much so that he was regarded as the lover of her beloved people. Hence, February 14 is celebrated every year by the people of Cordova to celebrate the victorious day with a celebration called Valentine.
✦ Valentine’s Day is a Christian Festival
History has clearly shown that Valentine’s Day is a religious festival celebrated by the Christians. If we refer to the statements of the Christians today, they still regard Valentine’s Day as a ritual in Christianity.
In the website Spiritrestoration.org: The Premier, Ecumenical Christian Website. A Resource for Mature Christians and Scholars under the topic Definition of Religious Holy Days, under the index of Saint Valentine’s Day, it is stated that:
“Christian celebration of the love of God presented in Jesus and in the lives of Christian believers. St Valentine was a 3rd century martyr. This day is widely observed in the USA as a secular celebration of love”.
Written in the Catholic Encyclopaedia’s website, the recognition and in any version on St. Valentine, was that all of them were regarded as martyrs. A quote stated: “At least three different Saint Valentines, all of them are Martyrs, mentioned in the early martyrologies under the date of 14 February”.
Based on the above facts, it is clear that Valentine’s Day is one of the celebrations which have become a ritual practice of Christianity. This automatically contradicts a principle of Islam which does not allow its followers to imitate the identity of another religion or ways of life especially in the matters involving the faith of Islam.
✦ Muslims Must Have Distinct Identities
Islam cares and desires for all Muslims to have distinct identities which are different from the people of other religions. Therefore, the appreciation of the Islamic faith, the execution of ibadah, muamalah and moral as well as other traditions of the Muslims should not be the same and similar to other religion followers. In other words, Muslims must not mix their own faith and devotion with the faith and devotion of other religions.
Allah s.w.t. has said:
Say, “O disbelievers, I do not worship what you worship. Nor are you worshippers of what I worship. Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship. Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship. For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.” (Al-Kafirun verses 1-6)
[…]
In this matter, the Research Panel of Faith and the Research Panel of Syari’a of the Malaysian Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM) have decided that “the practice of celebrating Valentine’s Day is haram and contradicts the teachings of Islam”. The 71st Fatwa Committee of the National Council for Islamic Affairs Malaysia Meeting which was held from 22 to 24 November 2005 concluded that: “The practice of celebrating Valentine’s Day has never been recommended by Islam. The spirit of the celebration has elements of Christianity and the practice, which is mixed with sinful acts, is contradictory and prohibited by Islam. Thus the practice of celebrating Valentine’s Day is not encouraged by Islam”.
Source: Islamiq Sg
