Question:
Are Mother’s and Father’s Day celebration permissible in Islam? If they are permissible, what are the guidelines for their celebration?
Answer:
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
Allah SWT state:
وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُ وَبِٱلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَـٰنًا ۚ إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ ٱلْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَآ أَوْ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُل لَّهُمَآ أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا ﴿٢٣﴾ وَٱخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ ٱلذُّلِّ مِنَ ٱلرَّحْمَةِ وَقُل رَّبِّ ٱرْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِى صَغِيرًا ﴿٢٤﴾ رَّبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا فِى نُفُوسِكُمْ ۚ إِن تَكُونُوا۟ صَـٰلِحِينَ فَإِنَّهُۥ كَانَ لِلْأَوَّٰبِينَ غَفُورًا ﴿٢٥﴾
And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff," and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, "My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small." Your Lord is most knowing of what is within yourselves. If you should be righteous [in intention] - then indeed He is ever, to the often returning [to Him], Forgiving.
Surah al-Isra’ (23-25)
The above verses state the responsibilities of a child towards his parents which are to supplicate for their well-being, doing good to them, offering help to them, as he should, for all his parents had done for him as well as their invaluable sacrifices in raising him.
As for the celebration of Mother’s and Father’s Day, we would like to state:
- We see the issue is more towards the terms used, where in truth, there are only two celebration days in Islam which are Eidulfitri and Eiduladha.
- Regarding honouring one’s parents, it is not limited to a certain time or date. Moreover, the obligation is continuous for as long as one lives. Thus, celebrations such as these are closer to the tradition of the West where they are forced to make a celebration honouring their mother and father. While for Muslims, honouring and respecting our parents have always been emphasized in the Quran and sunnah of the Prophet PBUH, without specifying it to a certain time or place.
We do not consider celebrating Mother’s and Father’s Day as impermissible. However, it should be celebrated following several conditions:
- Consider Mother’s and Father’s Day as an extra honour for them, not limiting the scope of respecting them only on these days.
- Do not make it as a religious celebration, but celebrate it just as a tradition.
Accordingly, a Muslim should always respect his parents and at the same time understands the teachings of Islam so that his obedience is always in line with the commandments of Islam.