The Ruling on Observing Anniversaries

This address was delivered to commemorate the first anniversary of Syria’s liberation from the rule of Bashar...As inspiring as the speech may be, what is the ruling on holding anniversaries? Firstly: We can exclude one-off celebrations, as they aren’t relevant to what we’re addressing. Sheikh ibn Baz rahimahullah said: "If a person does not make it a recurring celebration that repeats regularly, then it’s fine. If the occasion is a blessing that happened — like returning from travel or recovering from an illness — and he gathers people because of that, there is no problem...If someone makes a meal because a child was born to him and he offers the ‘aqiqah on the seventh day, inviting whoever he wishes, or because Allāh healed him from an illness and he gathers people and makes a meal or something similar — this is not considered an eid. This is simply thanking Allāh for His blessings. An eid is something that comes around repeatedly with the passing of a month, week, or year." [https://binbaz.org.sa/fatwas/2368/%D8%AD%D9%83%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A8%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%A9-%D9%85%D8%A7-%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%AA%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%87%D8%A7] Secondly: Recurrent celebrations can be divided into two types: 1st: If the day is chosen to be honoured and set apart for its own sake, this is considered similar to a religious holiday. Whether people mark it with acts of worship or just customs, the main point is to glorify that specific day. This makes it fall under the definition of an ’eid. The Prophet ﷺ had major events like Badr, the Battle of the Trench, Hunayn, the Conquest of Makkah, and the Hijra, but he did not make any of these into a recurring celebration, which shows that only prescribed days are to be honoured. Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullah said: «فأما اتخاذ اجتماع راتب يتكرر بتكرر الأسابيع أو الشهور أو الأعوام، غير الاجتماعات المشروعة، فإن ذلك يضاهي الاجتماع للصلوات الخمس، وللجمعة، وللعيدين وللحج، وذلك هو المبتدَع المحدث» “As for holding regular gatherings that recur with the repetition of weeks, months, or years, outside of the prescribed gatherings, this is comparable to the gatherings for the five daily prayers, Friday prayer, the two ’Eids, or Hajj, and this is an innovated (forbidden) practice.” [Iqtidā’ al-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm, Volume 2, page 140] The Permanent Committee for Islamic Research also said: «ما كان من ذلك مقصوداً به التنسك والتقرب، أو التعظيم كسباً للأجر، أو كان فيه تشبه بأهل الجاهلية، أو نحوهم من طوائف الكفار: فهو بدعة محدثة ممنوعة، داخلة في عموم قول النبي ﷺ: ((من أحدث في أمرنا هذا ما ليس منه فهو رد)) رواه البخاري ومسلم. مثال ذلك: الاحتفال بعيد المولد، وعيد الأم، والعيد الوطني؛ لما في الأول من إحداث عبادة لم يأذن بها الله، ولما في ذلك من التشبه بالنصارى ونحوهم من الكفرة، ولما في الثاني والثالث من التشبه بالكفار» “If any of this is intended for acts of devotion and drawing closer to Allāh, or for glorification in order to earn reward, or if it involves imitating the people of ignorance or other groups of disbelievers, then it is an innovated (forbidden) practice. It falls under the general statement of the Prophet ﷺ: ‘Whoever introduces into our matter something that is not part of it, it will be rejected.’ (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim). Examples include celebrating the Prophet’s birthday (Mawlid), Mother’s Day, and national holidays: the first involves introducing a form of worship that Allāh did not permit, the latter involves imitation of disbelievers.” [Fatawa of the Permanent Committee, Volume 3, page 88] 2nd: If the day is chosen not to be glorified for its own sake, but for coordination, organisation, or raising awareness, it is allowed. Here, the goal is not worship, but doing something permissible, like: * Awareness campaigns: traffic week, tree-planting week, health day, language day, etc. * Warnings about dangers: anti-smoking campaigns, anti-drugs, etc.