What is the ruling on celebrating Valentine's Day, which falls on February 14th of each year?
Valentine's Day is a pre-Islamic Roman holiday associated with Priest Valentine. Its celebration continued after the Romans embraced Christianity, and it falls on February 14th. It is not permissible for a Muslim to celebrate any of the holidays of the disbelievers, because holidays are part of the Sharia, which is bound by sacred texts. Scholars have issued fatwas prohibiting the celebration of Valentine's Day for several reasons: it is an innovation (bid'ah) that has no basis in Islamic law, it calls for ardent love and infatuation, it occupies the heart with trivial matters, and it involves imitating the disbelievers, which Islam has forbidden. It is also forbidden to buy or sell gifts or anything that aids in its celebration.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/2918