Are Centenary Celebrations Halaal?
QUESTION: Is it permissible for an Islamic organization to host a centenary celebration?
ANSWER: Another word for ‘centenary’ is 100th BIRTHDAY, or ANNIVERSARY.
How on earth can any Muslim organisation that has scholars on board ever in their right mind host such an accursed and Haraam celebration? No Muslim needs any Daleel (proof) for such Kuffaar mimicking celebrations to be Haraam. Place your hand on your heart and seek a Fatwa from your heart as to whether such celebrations are Halaal. Calling wine with another name, swine with another name or Zina with another name will not render such permissible.
Similarly, cloaking RIBA (interest) with different names such as ‘profits’ and applying itr (perfume) on it in the form of Islamisizing it, such as branding it ‘Islamic banking’, ‘Islamic finance’, etc. will not render the actual and pure interest in it as Halaal.
Thus, even if grand Muftis or presidents of Jamiats from abroad attend such centenary celebrations, it will not change the Haraam and the element of Tashabbuh-bil-Kuffaar. Haraam will remain Haraam even if all the grand Muftis, Ustaads of Hadeeth, Ulama/scholars and pious people attend such birthday celebrations.
In fact, their attending such Haraam is an act of utter shame and disgrace. Our parents and grandparents, who weren’t even Huffaaz, leave alone Aalims, yet they knew and taught their children and grandchildren that birthdays and anniversaries are Haraam. Calling anniversaries and birthdays with fancy words such as centenary, doesn’t change the Haraam ruling. Thus, the demand of FITRAT (natural disposition) with which every single human being is born with, is that for a Muslim all such parties are Haraam.
Imagine, while the Ummah is bleeding and crying, babies are dying due to hunger and the Ummah is struck with devastating ignorance of Deen, yet locally, so-called ‘scholars’ are partying and merrymaking in total and genuine Haraam wasteful celebrations.
Lastly, in the context of JUSA’s Haraam 100-years celebration; the entire theme is incorrect. In fact, it is a lie. JUSA is counting their 100 years from its inception which was pioneered by the former great, pious and orthodox on the Sunnah and Shari’ah Ulama-e-Haq. This was in 1923. Until roughly around 2001, they somewhat remained on this Ta’leem – on the Haq. Since then, especially since 2010 – the world cup year – they have become the Ulama-e-Baatil and Ulama-e-government. Thus, using the theme 100-years and turning it into a Haraam Tashabbuh-bil-Kuffaar centenary celebration is Haraam (i.e. lie) piled upon Haraam (i.e. mimicking the Kuffaar and Israaf).
Centenary celebrations are ‘Halaal’ according to JUSA’s watered-down version of ‘Izlam’!