Islamic Fiqh > Marriage and family > Others' festivals, birthdays and celebrations
Christmas, birthdays, national holidays: participating, wishing, offering: the Sunna's rule and contemporary scholars' positions.
Contents
Updated on 06 October 2026 at 10:50 PM
Arriving in Medina, the Prophet found 2 days of play: "Allah has replaced them for you with 2 better ones: the day of sacrifice and the day of breaking the fast" (Abu Dawud 4031; al-Bukhari 952). Every ritual festival is thus closed: 2 houses of joy, a closed calendar (al-Bukhari 953).
Two institutional readings. The restrictive reading: the Saudi Permanent Committee judges these festivals innovations: "in Islam there are only 2 festivals: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha" (Fatawa al-Lajna ad-Da'imah, second collection); Ibn Baz forbids congratulating non-Muslims on their festivals, by mouth, by phone or in writing (fatwa 21240); Ibn Uthaymin forbids sharing them through greetings and prepared dishes. The broader reading: Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyya holds there is no impediment to wishing non-Muslims a good festival and treating them with benevolence (opinion on congratulating non-Muslims).
The Permanent Committee: the birthday is not a festival of Islam, celebrating it and offering gifts for it is not permitted (Fatawa al-Lajna ad-Da'imah, second collection); Ibn Baz: "the only occasion we customarily celebrate is the 2 Eids". Family joy has its licit paths: the 2 Eids, daily gratitude, meals and gifts without a ritual calendar.
The simple rule for the family: put splendor into the 2 Eids (gifts, outings, outfits), keep constant kindness with neighbors of every confession, and treat other celebrations with respect and politeness, without religious ritual.