Is it permissible to celebrate personal birthdays and wedding occasions in an Islamic way, free from un-Islamic practices, knowing that these occasions are not attributed to any religion?
It is permissible to hold worldly celebrations such as weddings, provided they are free from forbidden things like intermingling and musical instruments. These are not acts of worship but rather expressions of joy, and the general rule for customs is permissibility. As for forbidden celebrations, they are those that involve imitation of the disbelievers, such as celebrating birthdays and Mother's Day, especially if they take the form of legitimate Islamic holidays. The Permanent Committee was asked about the ruling on celebrating children's birthdays and replied: "Birthday celebrations, or fasting for the sake of a birthday: all of that is an innovation, with no basis [in Islamic law]."
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/2700