Islamic Perspectives Masjid Al-Tawba Youth Islamic Club - Presentation January 24, 2015.

Islamic Perspectives

*Valentine’s Day

Masjid Al-Tawba Youth Islamic Club - Presentation

January 24, 2015

Topic Agenda Historical Background

What are The Intentions Behind Commemorating This Day

Society of Today & Valentine’s Day

The Islamic View of This Day

Muslims & Valentine’s Day – How To Approach Those Who Celebrate it

Q & A - Discussions

Historical Background

o Historical Factso February has been celebrated as month of romance

o Valentine’s Day contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition.

o Legendso Who was St. Valentine

o What was his mission

o How he became so popular

What Are The Intentions Behind Commemorating This

Day

o Historically anyone going against the rules becomes popular.

o If there is a violation of what is norm of that society – the violation itself becomes a custom.

o Popular stories and legends emerge from these events and are passed onto generations.

Financial Tag For V-Day

o Being there for your partner every day more important than gifts or flowers, a study finds.

o Americans are spending on romance again, and men throw down far more cash than women.

o Retailers love this day as Americans sell out billions of dollars every February 14.

1) Ref: US News: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/02/14/charts-the-economics-of-valentines-day

Average Spending 2004-2013

(Source: National Retail Federation. All figures except 2013 are adjusted for inflation to 2012 dollars.)

Distribution of Purchases

(Source: National Retail Federation.)

Popular for Single – Harvard Business School

Valentine’s Day In Schools

o Portrayed as innocent festival - Friendship Day

o Encourage relationship – not approved by Allah

o Freedom for kids to pass inappropriate notes

o One more day to celebrate

QS: Al-Hadid - 20

Know that the life of this world is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children, (it is) as the likeness of vegetation after rain, thereof the growth is pleasing to the tiller; afterwards it dries up and you see it turning yellow; then it becomes straw. But in the Hereafter (there is) a severe torment (for the disbelievers, evil-doers), and (there is) Forgiveness from Allâh and (His) Good Pleasure (for the believers — good-doers), And the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment.

The Islamic View

o The gift of HAWA (aptitude to have feelings)

o The crucial role of HAWA in preserving the human kind

o The types of Love ( vertical and horizontal )

o The balanced management of feelings for the achievement of the perfect love

o Valentine’s day in the balance of the perfect love structure!

Muslims & Valentine’s Day

LoVe

Love In Islam Allah SWT is Al Wadud – The Most

Loving

Love is a feeling that Allah bestows onto the hearts of human kind

Love of Allah & His Messenger SAW

Love of the spouses

Love of the family, parents, brothers and sisters, the relatives,

Love of your Muslim community

Love for the sake of Allah SWT

Misconception of Love Love that is not Blessed by Allah

SWT .

It turns the meaning of love to the satisfaction of desire.

This love which leads to deception, misery and despair by establishing illusions and fantasies in the minds of people making them prone to error and easy prey to temptation

This idea of Love can never bring satisfaction.

It encourages Fahisha which leads to Zina

Ultimately leads to the loss of the self in this Life and in the Hereafter

Celebration of Love

o ‘For every nation We have ordained religious ceremonies which they must follow.’ (Surah Al Hajj, Verse 67)

o In Islam, the festivals are clearly defined and well established. They are an essential part of our worship, the best way to worship Allah SWT is the way he wanted us to worship Him (ie. following the Quran and Sunnah).

o In Islam, love is expressed throughout the year, at all times and on all occasions and not just on one day of the year. The husband who sincerely loves his wife, and the wife who sincerely loves her husband does not need Valentine’s Day to remind them of their love.

Celebration of Love

o Allah SWT rewards abundantly those who strives to please their loved ones by being kind, loving, exchanging gifts, hearts, chocolates, flowers, writing love letters/cards/poems and going out, as long as they are Islamically permissible to you.

o Do we want to strive towards seeking Allah’s SWT Pleasure or His Displeasure?

Muslims Attitude Towards Valentine’s Day

o Do you really want to participate in a pagan celebration:o that reveres Cupid – their naked god of love, who

shoots you with his bow and arrow so that you fall in love?

o that forces you to conform to peer pressures – like wearing red clothes and exchanging gifts?

o that imitates the actions, customs and behavior of those who are not Muslims?

o that glamorizes boyfriend/girlfriend relationships, and encourages intimate relations?

o that goes against everything we are advised to do in Islam?

Muslims Attitude Towards Valentine’s Day

o Muslims are proud to identify themselves as Muslims. We must embrace our uniqueness and not worry about distinguishing ourselves from the people around us. We don’t want to follow their customs or be influenced by their behavior.

o There is no religion which encourages its followers to love and care for one another more than Islam does.

o Our goal in life is to win the pleasure of Allah SWT!!!

Why Muslims Should Not Celebrate & Support Or Encourage

Valentine’s Day

o Society sells Valentine’s Day as a loving and harmless festival so it is very easy to buy into all the hype and feel compelled to partake in Valentine’s Day customs too

o Societal pressures constantly push you to take it a step further

o It start with a Valentine’s card, then Valentine’s gift and then bigger trouble

o So stay far away from anything that can lead you down a dangerous path. Protect yourself and your family from getting sucked into the Valentine’s Day myth by not participating or encouraging it at all

Tips For Parents

o Teach your children to love Allah SWT and love their Deen. frequently discuss the pitfalls of seeking love before marriageo Be there friend and talk to them and they will listen

o Talk about how marriage protects love

o Discuss frequently the pitfalls of love outside of marriage, the carelessness and the consequence

o Keep them busy with activities, especially during the adolescence years

o Teach them to avoid trouble at a distance

o Explain how love and attraction are normal and good

o Encourage and explain the way to Islamic marriage

Tips For Parents

o Teach your children to love Allah SWT and love their Deen. frequently discuss the pitfalls of seeking love before marriageo Be there friend and talk to them and they will listen

o Talk about how marriage protects love

o Discuss frequently the pitfalls of love outside of marriage, the carelessness and the consequence

o Keep them busy with activities, especially during the adolescence years

o Teach them to avoid trouble at a distance

o Explain how love and attraction are normal and good

o Encourage and explain the way to Islamic marriage

Tips For Parents

o Make your children feel loved so that they don’t seek it any where else. If your child wants to be hugged stop everything and give them one o The most powerful hold you will have over your

children is your connection to their hart, nurture it, its bond that will last for ever

o Show them how to love, how to be kind and how to forgive by being a great role model

o Create an environment in your home where your kids don’t feel left out and long for what is going on in secular society, celebrate love and sharing in your home everyday

Tips For Young People

o Be proud to be a Muslim. o Each one you have been selected by Allah SWT and

bless with this perfected way of life, its pure, just and merciful

o Nobody can be more powerful than a Muslim because when you need help you turn to Allah the Most Powerful and Tremendous, able to do all things

Tips For Young People

o Avoid trouble at a distanceo Don’t confuse the satisfaction of desire with love

o Giving into the low desires leads to deception, misery and despair by establishing illusions and fantasies in the minds of people making them prone to error and easy prey to temptation

o Some young people convince themselves that they have true feelings of love. Do not kid yourselves, this is not Love but hormones, don’t give in, learn to avoid temptation at a distance

o This idea of Love can never bring satisfaction

Tips For Young People

o There is a lot of pressure in broader society to part-take. o Be honest, simply tell your non-Muslim friends that

you don’t celebrate Valentine’s day as its not part of your religion

o Stay busy with activities, reading, sports, exercise, etc.

From The Quran & Hadith

o "O you who have believed, enter into Islam completely and perfectly and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy." (Surah Al Baqarah, Verse 208)

o “And come not near to adultery. Verily, it is a Fahisha [i.e. anything that transgresses its limits (a great sin)], and an evil way.” (Surah Al-Isra‘, Verse 32)

o "By the One in Whose hand is my soul, you will not enter Paradise until you truly believe, and you will not truly believe until you love one another. Shall I not tell you of something that, if you do it, you will love one another? Spread (the greeting of) salaam amongst yourselves." (Sahih Muslim)

Q & ADiscussions