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| Fatwa ID: | 77128 |
| Title: | Is it haram to celebrate my birthday? |
| Category: | Manners and Ethics |
| Scholar: | Dr. Main Khalid Al-Qudah |
| Date: | 12/15/2008 |
Assalamu alaikum,
Is celebrating my birthday haram? Why or why not?
Celebrating birthdays is not part of Islamic tradition or culture; rather, it is an imitation of people of other faiths. A Muslim is always expected to have his Islamic identity clear and distinct from other identities. Additionally, holidays in Islam are well-defined.
However, people who celebrate birthdays do not generally take it to be a religious celebration; rather, they consider it a social occasion and an opportunity to gather family and friends together. Therefore, it is not among the explicitly prohibited matters that we must avoid. There would be no harm if our children want to celebrate their birthday once in a while, but we need to keep teaching them that this is not part of our Islamic tradition.
