Is celebrating independence day allowed islamically ?

Society Religion & Philosophy
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!4 august is aproaching, I want to ask

Can we celebrate independence day (jashan-e-azadi ) according to islamic guidlines , as we (whole pakistan) celebrates it on 14 august ?

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Re: Is celebrating independence day allowed islamically ?

Well, it’s not like we are worshipping or doing a milaad or special salat on that day. Just a few happy happy patriotic emotions. Like probably when people came back from a war, victorious. :hmmm:

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I guess we can do a special namaz/salaat called namaz a shukrana for being blessed with a country of our own. That should not count as an innovation/bidat , I guess.

Timepass -April 2012
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Peace Mirch bro

What is the criteria for bid'ah? When we can answer this question we can answer this post.

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Re: Is celebrating independence day allowed islamically ?

bidat is an innovation in religion.. IMO

but namaz-e-shukrana is NOT a bidat as it is a simple way to show our gratitude and thanks towards Allah for the blessings..

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If you do not know what an innovation/bidah is open a separate thread in religion forum , please. :chai:

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Peace Ansoon

What makes you sure about this?

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Peace to you too.
If you know better , then please share it instead of just throwing teaser out.

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Peace bro Mirch

I think the thread title asks the question that is inclusive of the question that begs for the reasoning behind bid’ah classification, it does not seem to ask for an opinion rather it seems to ask for authoritative permission. Our claims aught to be given whilst providing evidence, that is the spirit of Islam.

I take a very cautious approach towards celebrations outside Eidain. I have my reasoning, but please provide your reasons why I should take the celebration of ID of Pak not as innovation. It is not a trick question, nor am I going to argue a counter-position my aim is not to attack or to refute you purely based on a said position. I would like us to operate in accordance with the correct adab and duly I ask for evidence.

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Re: Is celebrating independence day allowed islamically ?

Why did Prophet :saw2: attend Festival of “Ukaaz” … was it islamic to attend that?

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Peace again Mirch

I am not saying that i know better, but I would like to throw out (instead of teasers) the following ideas:

Please look at Wikipedia on bidah it is very interesting. According to my understanding an issue needs to pass all the following:

a) Purpose - (The purpose of the act needs to be good or not evil.)
b) Practice - (The practices the act involves need themselves to be permissible)
c) Effect - (The immediate effect should not directly hinder any aspect of Islam)
d) Long term effect - (It should not have evil consquences in the long term)
e) Secularity - (It should not be passed off as part of the religion)
f) Routine - (If regularity is there it should not be made ritualistic and passed off as good to do or bad not to do, when all other points are fulfilled i.e. it should not be prescriptive)
g) Should not contradict a direct instruction from RasulAllah (SAW)

The issue of bid'ah is broader than the issue of celebratory bid'ah. Where I feel we are quite free to undertake many bid'ah hasana which are not called bid'a at all by many scholars. In celebrations however, many people are involved together doing an event. Most collective activities are tied with an Islamic framework. If we do a shukrana prayer that is one thing, but to do so in jamaat would be a different issue, not that anyone has said to do this.

In the last Khutbah RasulAllah (SAW) sternly asserted that our celebrations are 2 (i.e. Eidain) and he specified where they came in the calendar. Routine events, calendar based with Islamic content such as prayer seem to be reserved for Islamic practices. It may seem to generations down the line in centuries to come if such a practices was allowed that it is a required practice because of the potency in such celebrations. The purpose of nationalism is recognising our separation from other humans on a racial, ethnic or geopolitic level, but Islam teaches that we aught to be engaged with all people and dismantle psychological barriers for Islam to be portrayed in the best possible way. Recognising our independence is also recognising their difference.

Though I am not saying that we should not recognise independence day, rather we should landmark it as a historical event, but to celebrate it for the sake of another holiday I don't we would be wise to do.

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AbdurRahman.org [Thankfulness towards Allah]

An excerpt from this article Thankfullness to Allah:

What is Thankfulness?
In Islamic terminology, Thankfulness is the acknowledgment of the fact that Allah is the only Grantor of graces, and full submission to Allah in a way that assures that acknowledgment. The graces (favors) of Allah are endless and countless. Allah says in His Book: “And if you were to count the blessings of Allah, you will never be able to count them.” {Soorah Ibrahim (14): 34}
He, the All Mighty also says: “And whatever blessings and good you have, it is from Allaah ..” {Soorah an-Nahl, (16): 53}
How can a servant (Abd) thank Allaah?
{The word ‘slaves’ represents mankind, for all of mankind are expected to totally submit to the will of Allah}The servant can thank Allaah in many ways. These include:

**1. Prostrating to Allah,**when the servant receives a blessing from Allaah or when Allah saves him from a disaster. The Messenger of Allaah (salallahu alaihi wasallam) used to prostrate to Allah whenever he received a pleasant thing or was told good news. This prostration is conducted for the sole purpose of giving thanks to Allaah, the Granter of the grace and benefit that the servant received. [see Fiqh as-Sunnah by Sayyid Sabiq (English trans.) vol.2, p.45]
Abdur-Rahman ibn 'Auf relates that the Messenger of Allah (sallaahu alayhi wasallam) went out once and he followed him until he entered a grove of palm trees and prostrated. His prostration was so long that 'Abdur-Rahman feared that Allah had taken his soul. ‘Abdur-Rahman came to look at him and he raised his head and said: "What is wrong, Abdur-Rahman’?" Abdur rahman mentioned what had happened, and he (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: “Gibra’el came to me and said: ‘Shall I not give you glad tidings’? Allah says to you, Whoever prays upon you, I pray upon him. Whoever salutes you, I salute him.’ Therefore, I prostrated to Allah in thanks.” {This is related by Ahmad and by Al-Haakim who says: "It is sahih according to the criterion of al-Bukhari and Muslim}
**2. Thanking Allah in words: **
The majority of the scholars agreed that if the servant does not thank Allaah for the grace he has, then that grace will go away and may never come back. Allah’s Messenger (sallaahu alayhi wasallam) said: “It is a fine thing when a believer praises and thanks Allah if good comes to him, and praises Allah and shows endurance if smitten by affliction. The believer is rewarded for everything, even for the morsel he raises to his wife’s mouth.” {Bayhaqi transmitted it in Shu’ab al-Iman. Sunan at-Tirmidhi no.1733 See also Saheeh Muslim (7138)}
3. Talking about the benefits Allah has granted him.
This is because concealing the benefits of Allah is ungrateful. Allaah says in the Quraan: “Do they believe in the false deities and deny the favor of Allaah.” {Soorah an-Nahl (16):72}
Ibn Katheer commented that denying the favors of Allah means hiding his grants and/or relating them to others than Allah.
Narrated by Zaid bin Khalid Al Juhani : The Prophet led us in the Fajr prayer at Hudaibiya after a rainy night. On completion of the prayer, he faced the people and said, “Do you know what your Lord has said (revealed)?” The people replied, “Allah and His Apostle know better.” He said, “Allah has said, 'In this morning some of my slaves remained as true believers and some became non-believers; whoever said that the rain was due to the Blessings and the Mercy of Allah had belief in Me and he disbelieves in the stars, and whoever said that it rained because of a particular star had no belief in Me but believes in that star.” {Saheeh al-Bukhari (1:807)}

4. Helping people in need
It was mentioned in a Hadeeth of Prophet Muhammad (sallaahu alayhi wasallam) that: “As the grants from Allah to a servant increase, so will the people’s needs of that blessed servant’s services. If the servant ignores their needs, it will cause those grants to be removed” (lbn Hibban)
The Prophet (sallaahu alayhi wasallam) said, “If anyone strokes an orphan’s head, doing so only for Allah’s sake, he will have blessings for every hair over which his hand passes; and if anyone treats well an orphan girl or boy under his care, he and I shall be like these two in Paradise,” putting two of his fingers together." {Sunan at-Tirmidhi no.4974}

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Re: Is celebrating independence day allowed islamically ?

Just a simple question:

Man does zina ... loves it and thanks Allah (SWT) for the pleasure he has received. What is the inherent flaw in this process?

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Whatever you are trying to say , say it in simple words , you do not need to play riddles. If you see something against Islamic teachings for celebrating Independence Day of Pakistan say it so that we could learn something .

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:salam:

Very interesting thought.

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.

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you dont go around life, checking what is Islamic about each and every act ..

the philosophy works in opposite order

you look for , what is unislamic about our act and if we find something, we quit doing that

I dont see anything unislamic about observing 14th aug .. for the lack of better term, we call it celebration but it could be called rememberance or observing

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I thought we are supposed to do exactly that :confused:

Observing independence day of a country ( even muslim) has no place in

1.Islamic theology
2. Islamic tradition

Creation of different Muslim countries and nationalism has no place in islam.
there was a single islamic empire for some 1300 year, even though i dont think anyone ever celebrated it independence day.

I quote Dr. Muhammad Iqbal herewith as he understood the concept :

In taza khudao.n main BaRa sab se watan hai
Ju parahan iska hai, wo mazhab ka kafan hai

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Re: Is celebrating independence day allowed islamically ?

So something that has no religious significance is ok in itself, but try and bring some religion act into it and it becomes bid'a?

wouldnt it be more productive to bring some act of ibadah into it?

4 letter word game
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Peace Ma Mooli

No ... bringing in of religious act does not make it bid'a. Making the occassion itself into a religious act, is. By bringing in religious acts into it and making that a habit may turn the activity into a religious act in itself in future.

But the main concern is not the ibadah done as a result of the occassion it is the occassion itself. I don't think the creation of Pakistan is something to celebrate. It represents a Muslim loss!

However, we have it as a stark reminder a time to think and mend our ways not to rejoice and celebrate.

Timepass -April 2012