Is it permissible in Islam to hold a large celebration for girls when they reach the age of sixteen?
It is not permissible to celebrate a girl reaching the age of sixteen, as it involves imitating the disbelievers. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever imitates a people is one of them." This age does not represent anything in the religion. The signs of puberty are: menstruation, wet dreams, growth of coarse hair around the pubic area, or reaching fifteen years of age. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not legislate celebrating the puberty of a male or female, or their entering a certain age. Celebrating the first anniversary of a child's birth, or their walking or speaking, has no basis in Islam; rather, it is one of the customs of non-Muslims. It is obligatory to beware of imitating the disbelievers, to preserve the Islamic identity, and to stay away from blind imitation. When a child reaches puberty, they should be alerted to its importance in their life according to the Sharia signs, and that their afterlife is connected to it, as they have become responsible for their actions, and accountable for their words and deeds: "So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it, And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it."
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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