Celebrating Birthdays (summary):

بسم الله والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ، وبعد

➡ It is considered as an act of Bid`ah because those who celebrate birthdays mark it as a special occasion. [Shaikh Ibn Baaz, Shaikh Ibn al-`Uthaymeen, Shaikh al-Fawzaan, The Lajna and others]

➡ People celebrate it annually, making it like a third Eid after Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adh-haa. The word Eid is derived from `Aada, Yu`eed (return, repeat). It is thus called Eid because it returns every year.

➡ Narrated Anas ibn Malik: When the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم came to Madeenah, the people had two days on which they engaged in games. He صلى الله عليه وسلم asked: ❝What are these two days (what is the significance)?❞ They said: “We used to engage ourselves on them in the pre-Islaamic period.” The Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: ❝Allaah has substituted for them something better than them, the day of sacrifice (Yaum al-Nahr) and the day of the breaking of the fast (Yaum al-Fitr).❞

📚 [Sunan Abu Dawood (1134) and graded as “Saheeh” by Shaikh al-Albaanee]

➡ The two days which the people marked as special days for playing games and having fun and were not considered by them as acts of worship, yet these days were replaced by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم with the days of Eid.

➡ Celebrating birthdays is like self-glorification.

➡ It is an act adopted from the pagans. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: ❝You will indeed follow the ways of those before you...❞ (meaning: the Jews and Christians) [Saheehain]

➡ It is imitating the Kuffaar. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: ❝Whoever imitates a people then he is one of them.❞ [Sunan Abu Dawood (4031) and graded as “Hasan-Saheeh” by Shaikh al-Albaanee]

➡ The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم did not celebrate his birthday at all during his lifetime nor did he ever order it to be celebrated, and nor did he teach such to his Companions.

➡ The rightly-guided caliphs and all the Companions did not celebrate it. They were the most knowledgeable of the people concerning the Prophet's Sunnah and they are the most beloved to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

➡ We have books of History (Taareekh) and biographies like al-Bidaayah wal-Nihaayah, Siyar A`laam al-Nubalaa’, Taareekh Damishq, in which dates of birth and death of major personalities have been recorded, which means that marking dates were done even in the past, but none celebrated their birthdays.

➡ The same ruling will be applied on "mother's day", "father's day", "Hijaab day" etc.

And Allaah is the One Who grants success.