Valentine’s Day Celebrations
Allah SWT says in Sura Al-Maidah, ayat 51:
O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are, in fact, allies of one another. And whoever is an ally to them among you – then indeed, he is one of them. Indeed, Allah guides not the wrongdoing people.
Dear brothers, it’s hard living in this society. It is difficult trying to hold to values which most around us regard as dated, ancient and out of touch.
And when people of all faiths and backgrounds combine to celebrate an event, it is really difficult to remain steadfast to the truth.
It’s painted in messages of love for starters. What’s wrong with love in a world full of media-promoted hate? What’s a day of celebrating something which comes so natural to us all? Love and affection for another human being is ingrained into our species and unlike the ugly act of war, it is warm and fuzzy with images of cupid, hearts and the likes.
Dear brothers, Shaytaan is our sworn enemy as told to us by Allah SWT and his messenger SAWS. Regardless of our faith even, he is an enemy on mankind. He has sworn to lead each and every one of us astray.
We are in war with him and thus this life is the battlefield. As Muslims today, we are the last and final line between him and his achievement of sending all of mankind astray. And what can be better for him than that for Allah’s SWT creation to associate partners with Allah SWT?
Let’s shed a light on this then and expose his strategy and how dangerous Valentine’s day actual is.
It all begins with educating oneself. We need to first understand the origin of this day. We’ve spoken of Saint Valentine, a Christian, a member of the Church, a recognised Saint in Christianity being the namesake for this celebration.
But wait a minute, 14th February celebrations were around before him? What was it before Saint Valentine and why is he now associated with it?
It begins much earlier than that. It begins in ancient Rome in actual fact with the worship of the pagan God Lupercalia. On this day, names of the females were placed into a hat and chosen by males to engage in illicit relations. After all, this was a supposed God of Fertility.
And for those who wonder on Cupid. Well he is actually the son of Venus who was a Roman goddess of Beauty and Love. Some of you may know him by his other name of Eros in ancient Greece. Same individual and incidentally the name from which the word Erotica is derived from. Cupid means “to desire.”
So wait, here we have clear association with Partners with Allah SWT and we still think it’s nothing dangerous? Can you see how Shaytaan has strategized in order to disguise the worst of sins?
And how is it that Valentine is now its name? That’s simple. Coat the pagan festival with a Christian gloss and it all looks above board to the average person. Especially to the average Christian.
But wait, we’ve seen this pattern before have we not? Christmas? New Year Day? All coincidentally aligned perfectly with Pagan festivals worshipping other so-called Gods.
Dear brothers, today’s khutba is on Valentines Day but there is a deeper message than that. Two points that need to be made which are vital for us all.
Firstly, we need to recognize that even if those so-called allies around us unite in something that is wrong, then we remain steadfast and stand firm against the tactics employed on us to send us astray.
And secondly, and more importantly, we need to recognize that we are in desperate need of a mental MOT.
Dear brothers, the truth on the danger of Valentines Day isn’t a secret. It is available to us all. We all have the internet.
But in an age of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter etc, how are we utilising these tools at our disposal? Can we justify posting selfies and watching funny animal videos?
No we can’t. We, as ambassadors to the truth, need to hunt out the truth from the deception. We need to be first to recognize what is real and what is falsehood. And we need to educate people around us on the real facts on every day events such as this one coming up.
As our Prophet SAWS said:
If someone loves his brother he should tell him.
Dear brothers and sisters, our religion promotes love. Whether that is the type of Love this day promotes between partners, or a love between parent and child, bother and sister, and the ummah for one another, Islam is a religion that encourages love with the correct expression of it.
The Prophet SAWS spoke of an example of this in the following hadith in which he said:
“You will not enter Paradise until you believe and you will not believe until you love each other. Shall I show you something that, if you did, you would love each other? Spread peace between yourselves.
So dear brothers and sisters, educate one another on this day in our calendar on Sunday and remind one another that as Muslims our love for our spouses isn’t demonstrated on a single day and lastly, demonstrate to one another and our local communities that love can be demonstrated with acts of charity, kindness and consideration for others.
May Allah SWT remind us on the dangers of this day. May Allah SWT keep us protected from the traps of Shaytan and may Allah SWT enable us to demonstrate love for one another in accordance with his decree.
Ameen wal hamdullilahi rabilalameen.
