Is Valentines Day celebrated by Muslims?
If we look into the history and origins of Valentine Day, plus the values this celebration promotes today, the answer to your question will be very clear. Muslims don’t celebrate Valentines Day per se.
While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred,—which probably occurred around A.D. 270—others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia.
Lupercalia was a bloody, violent and sexually-charged celebration awash with animal sacrifice, random matchmaking and coupling in the hopes of warding off evil spirits and infertility. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
Keeping all of the above in mind, it becomes clear that a Muslim does not blindly follow when it comes to celebrations of any kind: he or she follows the Quran and the sunnah (way) of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and make sure it complies with our religious beliefs and morals.
Valentine’s Day promotes adultery and promiscuous relationships, which undermine and jeopardize the sanctity of marriage and the stability of the family unit.
It leads to unnecessary expenditure and promotes fornication, drinking, and immorality.
Businesses, on the other hand, capitalize on this day to earn as much revenue as possible by offering customized products and services, hence the hoopla around it.
If we take the commercial aspect of Valentine’s Day out of the picture, this so-called “festival” does not have a single leg to stand on.
Lastly, this day compounds a sense of deprivation, loneliness, and low self-worth among those people who are single.
Islam prohibits dating and sex outside marriage, both of which Valentine’s Day encourages.
Islam promotes love among people and the exchange of gifts is one way for love and good relations to increase in society but does not restrict the expression of this brotherly, sisterly, marital, or familial love to just one day a year.
We are encourage to express love in many ways every day of the year!
Did you know about the history of Valentines Day? And what do you think about it?