The Ruling on Celebrating Yalda Night and its History (part 8)
Yalda in the Scale of the Shari‘ah (continuation)
Anas ibn Malik (RA) said: «قدم رسول الله صلیاللهعلیهوسلم المدينة ولهم يومان يلعبون فيهما فقال «ما هذان اليومان». قالوا كنا نلعب فيهما فى الجاهلية. فقال رسول الله صلیاللهعلیهوسلم “إن الله قد أبدلكم بهما خيرا منهما يوم الأضحى ويوم الفطر”» Translation: Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) came to us in the city of Madinah, and the people of Madinah had two days on which they would celebrate and play. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “What are these two days?” They said: “We used to celebrate and play on them during the time of ignorance.” The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “Indeed, Allah has replaced them for you with two days better than them: the Day of al-Adha and the Day of al-Fitr.” [1]
If you reflect, you will see that when the Noble Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) entered Madinah, he forbade the people of Madinah from celebrating the two days that their ancestors used to celebrate, and he stated that in your religion two other days have been designated as festivals. The noble Companions (RA) did not show any opposition and did not say: “No, we do not accept this; this is our culture and from the customs of our ancestors, and we cannot abandon it.” Rather, all of them submitted to the command of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), abandoned their national festivals, and sufficed with the festivals that Islam prescribed for them. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) even taught them that festivals and celebrations are among the distinctive matters of each religion; therefore, he forbade them from their national festivals and instructed them to hold firmly to what Allah had replaced for them with something better. He used the word “أبدلكم”, which is from the same root as “replacement”, meaning to leave one thing and take another in its place: to abandon one matter and adopt another, to give up one affair and take another instead, to abandon national festivals and establish Islamic festivals, to abandon Nowruz and Yalda and suffice only with Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “إن لكل قوم عيدا وهذا عيدنا” Translation: Indeed, every people have its own festival, and this is our festival. [2] The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) stated explicitly in this hadith that festivals and celebrations fall within the distinctive characteristics of each religion, and no one has the right to follow the distinct practices of other religions. Rather, regarding festivals and celebrations, Islam has its own specific celebrations, just as has been clarified in this hadith and the previous one. Therefore, it is absolutely clear that one cannot follow the Zoroastrian religion in its festivals, just as one cannot follow it in its other characteristics. This is a grave matter that everyone must avoid. Perhaps some people assume and say: “Yalda Night is not a festival!” The answer to such a person is very simple:
Firstly, this very person and others like him, in most cases, call Nowruz a festival and refer to it explicitly as “Eid Nowruz.” So how is it that you consider Nowruz to be a festival in terminology, yet you do not call Yalda a festival?
Secondly, the word “Eid” is an Arabic term meaning “recurrence.” Therefore, the words “Eid,” “عید,” “عودت,” and “عائد” all share the same root, and all of them carry a common meaning, which is recurrence. Eid is called Eid for this reason: because it is an occasion that repeats every year. Hence, it is called Eid. Ibn al-A‘rabi, one of the Arab linguists, said: “سمي العيد عيدا لأنه يعود كل سنة بِفَرَحٍ مُجَدَّد” Translation: Eid was called Eid because it returns every year with renewed joy. [3]
Thus, the claim of someone who says that Yalda Night is not a festival is false, because Yalda, like Nowruz, recurs annually, and within it occur many forms of joy, happiness, and celebration, to which people, out of ignorance and heedlessness, give importance and value. While rejoicing in such futile and meaningless matters is itself worthless, true joy is joy in what Allah has made lawful and in obeying His commands, as He says: “قُلْ بِفَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَبِرَحْمَتِهِ فَبِذَلِكَ فَلْيَفْرَحُوا هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ” Translation: Say: “In the bounty of Allah and in His mercy in that let them rejoice; it is better than what they accumulate.” [2]
True joy is joy for the religion of Allah and for fulfilling the commands of Allah, and true joy is in distancing oneself from disbelief, the unlawful, and innovations: “فَبِذَلِكَ فَلْيَفْرَحُوا” Translation: So, in that let them rejoice!
not joy in establishing festivals that oppose the religion of Allah, which Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, nor joy in celebrations that belong to non-Islamic religions and contain many unlawful matters.
Eid means rejoicing in these blessings: rejoicing in the religion and distancing oneself from innovations and superstitions. Imam Ibn Abidin (RA) said: “سُمِّيَ الْعِيدُ بِهَذَا الِاسْمِ لِأَنَّ لِلَّهِ -تَعَالَى- فِيهِ عَوَائِدَ الْإِحْسَانِ” Translation: Eid was given this name because within it the acts of divine beneficence and blessings from Allah recur. [5]
Therefore, true joy is joy in adherence to and reviving the Sunnah of the Noble Messenger of Allah (PBUH). And the day on which you do not commit disobedience to Allah; that day is an Eid for you.
Al-Sijistani, Abu Dawud Sulayman ibn al-Ash‘ath. Vol. 1, p. 441. Kitab al-Salah (Book of Prayer), Bab Salat al-‘Idayn (Chapter: Prayer of the Two Eids). Hadith no. 1136. Beirut: Dar al-Kitab al-‘Arabi.
Al-Naysaburi, Abu al-Husayn Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj ibn Muslim al-Qushayri. Al-Jami‘ al-Sahih al-Musamma Sahih Muslim. Vol. 3, p. 21. Kitab Salat al-‘Idayn (Book: Prayer of the Two Eids), Bab al-Rukhsah fi al-La‘ib alladhi la Ma‘siyah fihi fi Ayyam al-‘Id (Chapter: Permission for play in which there is no disobedience during the days of Eid). Hadith no. 2098. Beirut: Dar al-Jil; Dar al-Afaq al-Jadidah.
Al-Zabidi, Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Husayni. Taj al-‘Arus min Jawahir al-Qamus. Vol. 1, p. 2147. Bab al-Dal al-Muhmalah: “‘Awda”. Beirut: Dar Ihya’ al-Turath al-‘Arabi.
The Qur’an. Surah Yunus, Ayah 58.
Al-Dimashqi, Muhammad Amin ibn ‘Umar. Radd al-Muhtar ‘ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar. Vol. 6, p. 138. Kitab al-Salah (Book of Prayer), Bab al-‘Idayn (Chapter: The Two Eids). Beirut: Dar al-Ma‘rifah.
