There was a statement that if you want to hide anything for the contemporary Muslims, put it in a book. I cannot agree less. Ours is a generation who chooses comfort and pastimes above reading.
Despite the plethora of information online and offline in our time,
we are in no way chips from the old blocks compared with the early Muslims.
They led as models because they were readers and thinkers. They thought for others
and were never thought for. They were trailblazers and not dolls. Unlike us,
they were not led along the way like a dog behind its owner. They were disciplined,
ascetic and principled. As for us, we are being technically enslaved because we
still hold on to ignorance when it is no longer popular among the living.
In a digital age, a Muslim proudly announces his birthday without
ever caring to find out about its origin. He floods the social media with the pictures
of his kid, wife or parent who is a year older! It never occurs to him to
explore the same internet to read about the chains of transmission of the birthday
tradition.
This is my mission in this piece. My goal is to remind a Muslim reader
realises that birthday is not Islamic. It is bid’ah as scholars of Islam have
posited. After reading this, a Muslim should not feel proud announcing his birthday
or responding to the greeting of ‘happy birthday’. He should feel guilty and
seek forgiveness when it is being celebrated in his name or for someone else in
a situation where he is present but has no capacity to influence it.
The genesis: The ‘birth’ of the Egyptian gods
The beginning of birthday was in reference to Egyptian pharaoh
kings. When Egyptian pharaohs were
crowned in ancient Egypt, they were considered to have transformed into gods. Is this not a myth and superstition? How must a
Muslim react to this?
Rather than their physical births as children into the world, the crowning
is referred to as their ‘birth’ as gods and the day of crowning is the birthday.
They were believed as being ‘reborn’ on the day of their coronation. The days
of coronation of Egyptian Pharaohs were the first ‘birthdays’ ever known in the
history of humanity.
The Candle light: The Ancient Greek’s Inclusion
The ancient Greeks were predominantly pagans.
Who are the pagans? Paganism is another name for polytheism. The
pagans or the polytheists are called so because they worship many gods (like
the foremost Arabs). Does a Muslim need to be reminded that he is supposed to
be a monotheistic (believer and devout to only One God) and that the mission of
the messenger of Allah was to displace paganism?
It was said the candle lights part of the birthday merry came from
the ancient Greeks. However, there was no clear narrative. One account has it that
these people celebrate their gods and goddess like the Egyptian celebrate
pharaoh as gods. They offered cakes shaped like the moon to their lunar goddess.
They then light the candles and put them on the cake to glow and create a radiant
semblance of the moon.
The other account was that they belief that
each person had a spirit that was present on the day of his or her birth. To ward off these evil spirits, they gathered
around the person on his or her birthday to protect him. With the belief that
evil spirits operate in darkness, they lit the candle to keep it away. The
candles were responses to the evil spirits!
Some say the lunar goddess called Artemis
was believed to be beautiful. The radiance of the candle light was to create
her semblance. Another view posited that the lit candle is a means of seeking prayers
and blessings from the gods for the person on his/her birthday and the message
is sent to the gods when it is blown off. Which of these is Islamic-compliant ideologically?
The Ancient Romans: Socialization of birthday
The ancient romans were believed to be the
first civilization to dedicate the paganic birthday in honour of their common
men only. It was reported that birthday for the women was not invented until after
the 12th century.
The romans would celebrate the ‘date’ of birth of
male friends and families while the government declare public holidays for the prominent
male citizens. Those on their 50th year
had special cakes for their celebration. This way, birthday which was originally
of pagan religion in origin was reincarnated as a social or non-religious event.
Every other celebration in the world metamorphosed in this way. The next phase in the trend seems to be islamization!!
That fact is fast becoming more obvious in the way and manner Muslim families and
friends compete in that ‘sunnah’ of yelling ‘happy birthday’.
The Christians: Early Rejection and Later Compromise
For the first few hundred years of its
existence, early Christians were opposed to the idea of birthday. By their doctrine,
every man was born with the ‘original sin’. His birth therefore needs no
special worth of celebration. Besides, the origin was in connection with the pagan
gods and so considered unholy for the believers.
However, by the 4th century, the Christians
later adopted the birthday in their churches as a compromise for recruiting and
converting the ancient romans who had birthday as part of their traditions into
their faith. In fact, The Christmas was adopted by the Christians because it was
a matrix of birthday and Saturnalia culture of the pagan Romans. Please, I
encourage you to read more about Saturnalia as it relates to the church and the
Christmas. May be you would appreciate why you have to be proud that you are a
Muslim.
Before the end
of the fourth century, many of the traditions of Saturnalia—including giving
gifts, singing, lighting candles, feasting and merrymaking—had become absorbed
by the traditions of Christmas as many of us know them today.
Every holiday
celebration tagged as Christians today came by the way of Christianisation of the
pagan roman festivals. Is this the way those who canvass for Mauludun-Nabbiyy
want the nation of Muhammad to go? Is dedicating individual birthday for
fasting, special night prayers, charity (giving gifts), thanksgiving with
families etc. not islamization of these pagan religious practices among the
Muslims?
As for the statement
of the greeting, do I need to bother you? It irks to see it become the most
popular lyrics in the world. It was narrated to be a “good morning all’ poem in
a kiddies school. It was composed by two-sister teachers. It was then transformed
into ‘happy birthday day to you’ in a songbook edited by one unknown Robert H.
Coleman. Both the author and copyright are controversial!
This is what a
Muslim would proudly face his child, parents, wife and whoever to utter. The Jehoval
witnesses reject the birthday and Christmas on account of their pagan origin. A
Muslim joyfully announces Mauludun Nabiyy and birthday of himself or families
members on the social media and he is much eager and anticipating for people’s
wishes and blessings!!!
Oh Muslims! Doing
this casually is an imitation of the non-believers. Islamizing it is a sinful innovation.
Whichever way, the statement of the messager of Allah had preceded: 1. ‘whoever
models (his ways or doing) after a group of people is one of them (Abu
Daud). 2. ‘Beware of newly invented
matters for every innovation is a misguidance’ (abu Daud authenticated by
Imaam Nasruddeen Al’albaani). 3. ‘Whoever invents in this affair of
ours (Islam) what is alien to it would be rejected’ (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Allah says: ‘You
the Muslims are the best nation ever raised among humans’. His prophet
added: ‘You are also the last of the humans on earth but the first on the
Day of Judgement’ (reported by Muslim).
In view of this enviable
status, ‘marking’ birthday in body or spirit is a self-devaluation. We can put back on our befitting garment of
honour and cast back the birthday culture to its ‘blind’ inheritors.
We ask Allah for
forgiveness and guidance.
Bibliography
1.
https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/01/24/good-question-how-did-birthday-traditions-start/
2.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/history-of-birthdays_n_4227366
4. (https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-rome/saturnalia)
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