Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

I was wondering if you could tell me if Muslims are allowed to celebrate

holidays such as mother's and father's day.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Can one celebrate Mothers & Fathers day?

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

After the rights due to Allah Subhanah, in Islam, the biggest rights in all mankind are due to our parents. Islam has made it obligatory for the believers to love, respect, and be humble, kind and polite to one’s parents.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 17 Surah Bani Israel verses 23-24:Your Lord has enjoined the following: You should not worship anyone but Him Alone! Treat your parents with great kindness; if either or both of them attain old age, do not even say ‘uff’ to them; nor rebuke them; but speak to them kind words. Treat them with humility and tenderness and pray, “O our Lord, be merciful to them, just as they brought me up with kindness and affection in my childhood.”

It is imperative and obligatory on every believer, who fears Allah and the Last Day, to treat and obey his parents in absolutely everything, except if they ask you to do something which is against the command of Allah and His Messenger (saws). Other than that, their word is basically a command for us! We are not allowed in any circumstance to groan, moan, growl, whimper or even say ‘uff’ to them! We have to obey them in every respect, as long as their command is not against Allah and His Messenger (saws). We have been enjoined by Allah Subhanah to be kind to them, be patient with them, be merciful to them, be obedient to them, and treat them with the utmost respect. So much so, that this right and obligation is termed ‘fard ain’(absolutely obligatory for every individual) in Islam. And ‘fard ain’ means, that no matter how old you are … 10-20-50-90… as along as one or both of your parents are alive, you have to be obedient to them! No one can do this on your behalf… you have the obligation to do it yourself! This is the high station and the elevated ‘maqaam’ of parents in Islam.

The peoples or nations who treat their parents like a burden rather than a mercy from their Creator, are the ones who have needed to invent one day out of the whole year to honor their parents! By wishing them well on this one particular day, and maybe sending them a card of a gift, they wish to repay the innumerable favors their parents have done upon them.

In contrast to such people, Islam has guided the believers to honor and respect their parents, serve them, and pray for their well-being, every single moment of their lives!

A parable would be if a non-believer were to come and give a believer a ‘miswaak’ and tell him to use it once in a year on a particular day! Why would a believer accept the disbeliever’s invitation when he knows that the Messenger of Allah (saws) has guided the believers to use the ‘miswaak’ to cleanse their mouth at least five times a day, every day of the year, whenever they go for their prayers?

Besides, these are festivals of the pagans, and it does not behove a believer, who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day, to copy or celebrate their festivals.

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4020 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar

The Prophet (saws) said: ‘He who copies any people, is one of them.’

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan