Question Summary:
Buying and selling Valentine’s items Question Detail:
Please advise me with regards to the buying and selling of valentines items, and what will be the status of the money earned from such trade?
Answer :
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The inception and history of Valentine’s Day is vague and clouded by various fanciful legends.[1]
However, there is reference of Valentines having its roots in Christianity and celebrating the anniversary of Valentine, the priest.
Today, Valentine is known to be a day of love and romance and more so a commercially driven holiday. Valentine promotes promiscuity and immoral behavior which is in clear opposition to the teachings of Islam. Allah Ta’ala says,
وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا الزِّنَا ۖ إِنَّهُ كَانَ فَاحِشَةً وَسَاءَ سَبِيلًا {32}
“Abstain totally from zina (fornication), for it is immoral and an evil way.” (Quran 17:32)
As Muslims, we should completely disassociate ourselves from such un-Islamic events and holidays – whether it be directly participating in its activities or helping promote the holiday by purchasing items with symbols of the occasion.
The purchasing and selling of items with symbols of such holidays should not be viewed independently.
Items sold in relation to Valentine’s Day may be classified in three categories;
1) Those that do not have any relation to Valentine. However, the store marks the prices down due to the holiday season. The purchase and sale of such items will be permissible.[2]
2) Those items which are exclusive to Valentine’s Day, for example, Valentine’s Day cards. The purchase and sale of such items will be impermissible.[3]
3) Those items which are generally permissible to buy and sell, such as chocolates and flowers, but they have symbols of Valentine.
It is makrooh (resented) to purchase and sell such items.[4]
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Saad Haque
Student Darul Iftaa
New Jersey, USA
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
[1] http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day
We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition.
While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of (Christian priest) Valentine’s death or burial–which probably occurred around A.D. 270–others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia.
[2] بحوث فى قضابا فقهية معاصرة (٢/١٥٨)
فمن اشترى بضاعة حصل على كوبون، فلو وافق رقم كوبونهالرقم المنتخب للجائزة، استحق ان يحوز الجائزة المخصصة لذلك الرقم
[3] فقه البيوع (١/٣١٦)
http://www.askimam.org/public/question_detail/37842
[4] فقه البيوع (١/٣٢٣)
والقسم الثالث: ما وضع لاغراض عامة ويمكن استعماله فى حالتها الموجودة فى مباح او غيره...
والظاهر من مذهب الحنفية انهم يجيزون بيع هذا القسم وان كان معظم منافعه محرما...
ولكن جواز البيع فى هذه الاشياء بمعنى صحة العقد اما الاثم فيتأتى فيه ما كرناه فى شروط العاقد من انه اذا كان يقصد به معصية بائعا او مشتريا فالبيع يكره تحريما وذلك اما بنية فى القلب او بالتصريح فى العقد ان البيع يقصد به محذور. اما اذا العقد من الامرين ولا يعلم البائع انه يستعمله فى مجذور فلا اثم فى بيعه. وان علم البائع انه يستعمله فى محذور وكان سببا قريبا داعيا الى المعصية فيكره له البيع تحريما. وان كان سببا بعيدا لا يكره
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