Allah warned us from following the disbelievers or supporting them and commanded us to differ from them. He Almighty Says (what means): “O you who have believed! Take not those who have taken your religion in ridicule and amusement among the ones who were given the Scripture before you nor the disbelievers as allies. And fear Allah if you should (truly) be believers.” [Quran: 5: 57] The Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam said: “He who resembles a group of people will be with them (in the Hereafter).” [Ahmad and others]

　　Holidays are from the rituals of religions and that he who believes in a religion will celebrate its holidays and not the holidays of other religions. Moreover, misguidance has many ways that lead to it, but the shortest of all of them is loyalty and love for the disbelievers. If there was anything that indicated loyalty and love for someone, it would be imitating them; and the surest sign of imitation of a people is to celebrate their holidays.

　　How can it be that a Muslim accepts for himself and his family the celebration of an immoral holiday innovated by disbelievers; Valentine’s Day, the claimed celebration of love? How can he allow his family to celebrate the holiday of a Christian priest, Valentine, who was cursing Allah day and night by saying: “He is one of three, He had a wife, He had begotten a son etc.”? Allah is exalted far above what they attribute to Him.

　　Allah Says (what means): “And they say: ‘The Most Merciful (Allah) has taken (for Himself) a son. You have done an atrocious thing. The heavens almost rupture therefrom and the earth splits open and the mountains collapse in devastation. That they attribute to the Most Merciful a son. And it is not appropriate for the Most Merciful that He should take a son. There is no one in the heavens and earth but that he comes to the Most Merciful as a servant. He has enumerated them and counted them a (full) counting. And all of them are coming to Him on the Day of resurrection alone.” [Quran 19: 88-95]

　　Beware of being less concerned about Allah than the heavens, the earth and the mountains are. Beware that inanimate objects become better than you are, which will be the case if you are not concerned about this atrocious fabrication that has been made by the liars and continue to celebrate this and others of their holidays.

　　lso, I ask you: what kind love is celebrated by these people who are the enemies of humanity and even the enemies of themselves? How many villages have they demolished? How many nations have they oppressed? How much wealth of innocent people did they seize and looted? How much destruction did have they caused? They oppress people in the name of ‘human rights’ and kill people under the banner of ‘protection’. How can one who manufactures weapons of mass destruction, then tries them out on the weakest people in the poorest countries, lecture anybody on love? How is it that one who sheds innocent people’s blood and increased the numbers of orphans and widows be an authority on love? As for the one who punishes the innocent simply because of others around them, due to a mere suspicion of their guilt, which is not even founded on any credible evidence, this person does not even know justice, let alone love! How can anyone believe that those who disregard covenants, breach agreements, break promises and transgress all boundaries know anything about love?

　　When did you know a wild beast to be tame? Do snakes deliver anything but snakes?

　　No mater how much the misguided talk about love, their crimes expose the reality of their intentions. No mater how much they glorify love, we as Muslims have a worthier to claim it. In fact our religion is based on it; it is a pillar of belief, whereby no one is a believer unless he loves Allah, the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam, Islam and all its rulings. No one is a true believer unless he loves his family, wife, and friends. Nobody can claim to be a believer until he loves for his brother that which he loves for himself.

　　A Muslim loves all that is good and the people of good, he wishes good for everybody.

　　A Muslim loves his parents and does not disobey them, he shelters them and never shuns or abandons them, he cares for them and never deserts them or puts them in nursing homes as people do in the west, the home of immorality and disbelief.

　　A Muslim loves his children and provides for them; he treats them fairly and equally and is a source of guidance for them.

　　A Muslim loves his wife and respects her; he does not humiliate or embarrass her, he fulfils all her rights that she has upon him and he will never abuse her.

　　A Muslim loves his brothers and sincerely advises them; he does not expose and advertise their mistakes, he keeps ties with them, protects their honour and dignity and never backbites or slanders them.

　　A Muslim loves his sisters in faith and protects them; he respects them by lowering his gaze in front of them and would never be alone with one of them in a room.

　　If you were to ask western women about their lifestyles, you would hear stories of misery and humiliation, abuse and exploitation. No one has mercy on them, neither their husbands, nor their friends – not even their brothers or sons. If the western woman were not able to feed herself of secure her means of provisions, she would find herself to be viewed as completely useless and an unnecessary burden; her rights are rejected by oppressive and unjust rules. This is the situation of anyone who does not live by the Book of Allah.

　　To us Muslims, love has a great meaning as Ibn Al-Qayyim said: "For love and with love the heavens and the earth where created, galaxies formed and every aim reached its objective. Love is in the nature of people; it helped people overcome their shortcomings; it brought people close to Allah; through it people lived a joyful life, tasted the sweetness of belief and accepted Allah as their Lord, Muhammad as His Messenger and Islam as the only religion."

　　Our Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam set the very best example for love. ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, told of his lasting loyalty to Khadeejah, may Allah be pleased with her. She said: “I was never jealous of any other wife of the Prophet as I was of Khadeejah, she died three years before the Prophet married me, but he, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam, would still mention her abundantly” and in another narration, “he, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam, used to slaughter animals and send the meat as gifts to some of her friends (after her death).” [Al-Bukhari & Muslim] This is well-founded love that is reflected by actions.

　　Out of concern for the Ummah, the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam guided to that which establishes love between them and explained that it is the means by which they will attain Jannah (Paradise). He sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam said as narrated by Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him: “You will not enter Jannah until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I guide to that which would make you love one another? Spread greetings (salaam) abundantly amongst yourselves.” [Muslim]

　　The Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam guided us to another way to establish love amongst ourselves, as Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated: “Exchange gifts, you would thereby attain love for one another.” [Al-Bayhaqi and others] He sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam also said, as narrated by Anas Ibn Maalik, may Allah be pleased with him, and others that: “If a man feels love for his brother, then let him inform him of this.” [Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi and others] There are many other Hadeeths which reflects his eagerness to spread love amongst the community as well as all the things that would lead to it. He sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam would also warn against things that might weaken or obstruct it.

　　Some of the liars, the weak-hearted, the hypocrites and their arrogant and deceived followers evilly misuse this word (love) and attribute it to premarital love relationships, which are mostly experiences that are illusion-like and evaporate fast.

　　We are living in an era where values are upside down, facts are hidden and things are given other than their actual name. Immorality, sinning and adultery are called love; decency, chastity and respect are called sicknesses; living a respectable married life is thought of as burdens and restrictions; killing innocent people and muggings are called Jihaad; real Jihaad for the sake of Allah to propagate Islam and support the Muslims is labelled as terrorism; enjoining good and forbidding evil has become known as aggression and intrusion into private affairs; traditions and worn out customs have become ‘culture’ and added to the religion of Islam; those who adhere to Islam and practice the Sunnah of the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam are labelled as backward and old-fashioned; imitating disbelievers and resembling sinners is called known as progression and development; dancing, singing and impudence has become known as ‘art’. All these are signs of the impending Hour.

　　Allah Says (what means): “Be not deceived by the (uninhibited) movement of the disbelievers throughout the land, (It is but) a small enjoyment; then their (final) refuge is Hell, and wretched is the resting place!” [Quran 3: 196-197] Do not be deceived by them and what they doing because this life is a temporary one and it is vanishing fast. Allah Says (what means): “But the Hereafter is better and more lasting” (Al-A’laa: 17) and also: “It will be, on the Day they see it, as though they had not remained (in the world) except for an afternoon or a morning thereof.” [Quran 79: 46]

　　Aware of these holidays which have been invented by the disbelievers and warn people against them; be proud of your religion; be distinct from the misguided; do not follow in their footsteps or be affected by their ideas; ask Allah to guide you and keep you steadfast.

　　Do not allow the uncertain to fool you; don’t allow the disbelievers to misguide you; be proud of your religion and your celebrations; preserve your identity; and do not resemble or imitate the disbelievers because it leads to destruction and Hell.

　　Valentine’s Day – Its reality and ruling – I