In my office, today a party was arranged by 2-3 guys who had their birthday this month & last month. There was no cake cutting ceremony or chanting of happy birthday to so n so but dinner was arranged. Sometimes or always avoiding such things become hard. What should be done? Is it ok to participate or be the part of such celebrations or not? My participation was a sinful act? What shall I do going forward because such situations would keep on arising in the future too? They would be asking me too to throw a party on my birthday? Please suggest how to handle the situation?
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, The Most Merciful.
As-salaamu `alaykum wa-ramatullahi wa-barakatuh.
You enquire what you should do going forward on joining a birthday party or throwing a party on your birthday.
In Islam, when one completes another year of his life, it is a moment to ponder and reflect on the past. It is a time to repent and make determination to get closer to Allah in the future. You should advise your colleagues with wisdom on the concept of birthdays in Islam. That will make your colleagues understand your religious perspective on birthdays and hopefully they will respect your view on it.
And Allah Ta`ala Knows Best.
Hussein Muhammad.
Student Darul Iftaa
Arusha, Tanzania
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.