TAKEN FROM

AHLU SUNNAH WAL

JAMAAH.COM

THE ISLAMIC
RULING ON THE ONE
WHO CELEBRATES
MOTHERS DAY

BY ABDUL KAREEM
IBN OZZIE
Mothers Day is a haram to celebrate because this is a celebration
invited for the kuffaar by a kaafir. In Islam every day of the year
should be for one’s mother, not just one day.

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: “A man came to

the Messenger of Allaah and said: ‘O Messenger of Allaah,
who among the people is most deserving of my good
company?’ He said, ‘Your mother.’ He asked, ‘Then who?’
He said, ‘Your mother.’ He asked, ‘Then who?’ He said,
‘Your mother.’ He asked, ‘Then who?’ He said, ‘Then your
father.’” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5626; Muslim, 2548.

Al- Haafiz ibn Hajar said: “Ibn Battaal said: what this means is
that the mother should be honoured three times more than the father.
He said, that is because of the difficulties of pregnancy, then giving
birth, then breastfeeding. These are hardships that are experienced
only by the mother, then the father shares with her in raising the
child.

Even if one's mother is a kaafir (disbeliever) Islam encourages one to

uphold ties of kinship with her: It was narrated that Asma’ bint
Abi Bakr said: “My mother came to visit me at the time of
the Messenger of Allaah and she was a mushrikah. I
consulted the Messenger of Allaah , saying, ‘My mother
has come to visit me for some purpose, should I uphold ties
of kinship with my mother?’ He said, ‘Yes, uphold ties of
kinship with your mother.’” Narrated by al-Bukhaari,
2477.

Mother Day in the kuffaar nations was invented by Anna Jarvis, an

American woman whose mother died in 1906. Therefore who ever
celebrates this day being good to their mum on this day in order to get
closer to Allah is taking this day as a day of celebration and worship,
which would make this act of worship a bidah.
The Messenger of Allah said: "Every innovation is
misguidance and going astray" Reported by Abu Dawood
(no. 4607), at-Tirmidhee (no. 2676) and it is saheeh. Ibn
Hajr authenticated it Takhreej Ahaadeeth Ibn ul-Haajib
(1/137).

Plus the prophet said: "… and every innovation is

misguidance and all misguidance is in the Hellfire."
Reported by an-Nasaa'ee (1/224) from Jaabir bin
Abdullaah and it is saheeh as declared by Shaikh ul-
Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah in Majmoo' ul Fataawaa (3/58).
Celebrating Mothers day is a rejected act of worship because it is a
bidah. The prophet said, “He who innovates something in
this matter of ours that is not of it, will have it rejected.”
Recorded in, Bukhari and Muslim. Also the prophet said,
“Whoever does an act which is not in agreement with our
matter, will have it rejected." Recorded by, Muslim.

If however a Muslim celebrates this day by being good to their mum

but not to get closer to Allah then it would not be considered a bidah,
but it would be considered as imitating the kufr as Mothers day is a
celebration invented by the kuffaar. Most of those who celebrate
Mother’s Day are the Jews and Christians and those who imitate
them.
The Prophet said ''Whoever imitates a people is like them.''
(Narrated by Abu Dawood, 3512; classed as saheeh by al-
Albaani).

Ibn Taymiyyah said, “Imitating them in outward matters leads to

imitating them in attitude and actions, hence we are forbidden to
imitate the kuffaar…as it says in the marfu hadeeth: ‘Whoever
imitates a people is one of them.’” Majmoo al-Fataawa, 22/154.
Ibn Taymiyyah said about this hadeeth, “This at the very least
indicates that it is haraam to imitate them, although the apparent
meaning is that the one who imitates them is a kaafir (disbeliever).
Iqtidaa al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem, 1/237.

So Mothers day is a festival (celebration) for the kuffaar. The prophet

indicated that all people have their own festivals when he said, “…
The Messenger of Allah said: “O Abu Bakr, every people
has a festival (celebration)…” Bukhari (952) and Muslim
(892).

In addition the only celebrations in Islam are Eid al-Adha and Eid al-
Fitr as these are confirmed in the Sunnah of the prophet, so Mothers
Day and all other celebrations should be avoided. Abu Dawood
(1134) narrated that Anas said: When the Messenger of
Allah came to Madeenah they had two days when they
would play. He said: “What are these two days?” They
said: “We used to play on these days during the
Jaahiliyyah (before Islam).” The Messenger of Allah said:
“Allah has given you instead of them two days that are
better than them: the day of al-Adha and the day of al-
Fitr.” This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
Saheeh Abi Dawood.

Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing

Fatwas, Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 3/59, 61 said about
Mothers Day: “It is not permissible to celebrate the so-called
Mother’s Day and similar innovated festivals because the Prophet
said: “Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours
(Islam) that is not part of it will have it rejected.” He did not
celebrate Mother’s Day and neither did any of his companions or the
salaf (earliest generations) of this ummah. Rather it is an innovation
(bid’ah) and imitation of the kuffaar.”

Side Point:
The idea of celebrating Mother’s Day in the Arab world began in
Egypt, and was started by the two brothers Mustafa and Ali Ameen,
the founders of the Akhbaar al-Yawm newspaper. Egypt celebrated
Mother’s Day for the first time on March 21, 1956. From Egypt this
idea spread to other Arab countries. Mother’s Day which is March 21
in the Arab world is also the New Year of the Coptic Christians, and
the Nawroz festival of the Kurds.

Clearly the Muslims who celebrate Mothers Day have fallen into this
saheeh hadeeth in which the Messenger of Allaah said: “You
will certainly follow the ways of those who came before
you, step by step, until even if they entered the hole of a
lizard, you will do so too.” We asked, “O Messenger of
Allaah, (do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?” He
said, “Who else?”

According to another version, “My ummah will follow in

the footsteps of those who came before it, handspan by
handspan, cubit by cubit.” It was asked, “O Messenger of
Allaah, the Persians and Romans?” He said, “Who else?”