Question:
What is the ruling on Muslims celebrating birthdays?
Answer:
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
The ruling on celebrating birthdays returns to two major legal questions:
- Is it a newly invented practice (muhdath) in religion, or is it a customary action (‘adah)?
- Does it resemble or imitate any religious practice outside of Islam in a way that makes it impermissible?
Principle 1: Innovation in Religion vs. Custom
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever introduces into this matter of ours that which is not from it, it is rejected.” (Bukhari, Muslim)
This hadith is applied to acts introduced into the religion as religious devotion or spiritual ritual. The usool of all four madhhabs distinguish between ‘ibadah (worship-based actions that must have clear precedent) and ‘adah (worldly custom), which is judged based on general permissibility unless it contradicts Shar‘i principles.
Principle 2: Festivals and Religious Occasions
Islam has specific celebrations legislated through revelation:
- Eid al-Fitr
- Eid al-Adha
- Jumu‘ah (weekly gathering)
The Prophet ﷺ forbade adding to these. As mentioned in the narration of Anas (in Abu Dawud), when the people of Madinah had days of celebration from Jahiliyyah, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Allah has replaced them with two better days: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.”
This establishes that introducing new annual religious festivals is not permitted. That includes occasions that carry symbolic rituals or structured celebration, even if not labeled religious directly.
Principle 3: Imitation of Non-Islamic Practices
The statement of the Prophet ﷺ:
“Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” (Abu Dawud)
This applies when imitation touches on distinct religious, cultural, or identity markers of non-Muslim communities.
If birthday celebrations — such as cakes, candles, singing, decorations, and gift-giving — are culturally rooted in non-Islamic identity and symbolic meaning, then adopting them is problematic. This is especially the case if it includes themes of self-glorification or resembles other religious festivities.
Application of These Principles
If the birthday celebration is:
- A yearly structured ritual
- Includes practices borrowed from foreign traditions
- Treated as a special symbolic day, with attention, dress, ceremony
Then the stronger view is that it is not permissible, due to the absence of precedent in Islam, the presence of imitation, and the pattern of creating new symbolic events without basis in Shariah.
However, if someone merely thanks Allah for life, gives a gift to a family member, or shows appreciation — without ritual, symbolism, or imitation — this may fall under permissible custom (‘adah) as long as it is not formalized into a “celebration” or recurring symbolic event.
The usooli principle here is: Al-asl fi al-‘adat al-ibahah ma lam yu‘arid shar‘an
“The default in customs is permissibility unless it conflicts with the Shari‘ah.”
Wallahu a‘lam