History of Valentines Day... You be the Judge!

Bismi-llāhi ar-Raħmāni ar-Raħīmi

Do you know what Valentine's is all about? Do you know how it came about? Most importantly, do you know what you're celebrating?


Valentine article.
Legends abound, as they do in all such cases, but this much is clear: Valentine’s Day began as a pagan ritual started by Romans in the 4th century BCE to honour Lupercus, the ‘god of fertility and flocks’. Its main attraction was a lottery held to distribute young women to young men for ‘entertainment and pleasure’ - until the next year’s lottery.

Among other equally despicable practices associated with this day was the lashing of young women by two young men, clad only in a bit of goatskin and wielding goatskin thongs, who had been smeared with the blood of sacrificial goats and dogs. A lash of the ‘sacred’ thongs by these ‘holy men’ was believed to make the women better able to bear children.

As usual, Christianity tried, unsuccessfully, to end the evil celebration of Lupercalia. It first replaced the lottery of the names of women with a lottery of the names of saints. The idea was that during the following year the young men would emulate the life of the saint whose name they had drawn. Christianity ended up doing in Rome, and elsewhere, as the Romans did.

The idea that you can preserve the appearance of a popular evil and yet somehow turn it to serve the purpose of virtue has survived. Look at all those people who are still trying, helplessly, to use the formats of popular television entertainment to promote good. They might learn something from this episode in history. It failed miserably.

The only success it had was in changing the name of Lupercalia to St Valentine’s Day. It was done in the year 496 by Pope Gelasius, in honour of one Saint Valentine. However, there are as many as 50 different Valentines in Christian legends. Two of them are more famous, although their lives and characters are also shrouded in mystery.

According to one legend, which is more in line with the true nature of this celebration, St Valentine was a ‘lover’s saint’ who had himself fallen in love with his jailer’s daughter.

Due to serious troubles that accompanied such lottery, French government banned the Valentine ritual in 1776. It also vanished over the years in Italy, Austria, Hungry, and Germany. Earlier, during the 17th century when the Puritans were strong it had been banned in England, but King Charles II revived it in 1660.

From England the Valentine ritual arrived in the New World, where enterprising Yankees spotted a good means of making money. Esther A Howland who produced, in the 1840s, one of the first commercial American Valentine Day cards called - what else valentines sold $5,000 worth in the first year. (Then $5,000 was a lot of money.) The valentine industry has been booming ever since.

-Courtesy of Sis Shiqpe Palloshi.-

The same implies for Christmas and Halloween.
Logically, if you really love someone then everyday can be Valentine's day. If you really love to give, then everyday can be Christmas and if you want to dress up as a monster then do so at a photo studio. LOL. Some Muslims are indulging themselves in practices that they regard as innocent fun when they are actually cultural practices that may symbolize unbelief or they could be rooted in paganism. These ideas/ practices may have been products of superstitions and may be a negation to what Islam stands for.

< I didn't write any of this, May Allah bless the person who did and bless their family in Dunya and the Here-After. Ameen.

Favorite Hadith

Abu Dharr Jundub Ibn Janada narrated from the Prophet (saw) related what Allah (SWT) said,"O my slaves ! I have forbidden injustice to Myself and I have made it unlawful between you, so do not wrong one another.

O My slaves ! All of you are misguided except those whom I guide, so seek My guidance and I will guide you.

O My slaves ! All of you are hungry except those I feed, so ask Me for food and I will feed you

O My slaves ! All of you are naked except those that I clothe, so ask Me for clothing and I will clothe you.

O My slaves ! You make mistakes by day and night and I forgive all wrong actions, so ask for My forgiveness and I will forgive you.

O My slaves ! You will never attain to My harm so as to be able to harm me and you will never attain to My benefit so as to benefit Me.

O My slaves ! If the first and last of you, all the Jinn and all the men among you possessed the heart of the most god-fearing man among you, that would not increase My kingdom in any way.

O My slaves ! If the first and last of you, all the Jinn and all the men among you possessed the heart of the most evil man among you, that would not decrease My kingdom in any way.

O My slaves ! If the first and last of you, all the Jinn and all the men among you, were to stand in a single place and ask of Me, I could give to every man what he wants without decreasing what I have any more than a needle when it enters the sea.

O My slaves ! It is your actions for which I call you to account and then repay you in full. So anyone who finds good should praise Allah and anyone who finds something else should blame none but himself." (Muslim)

Eight Things to Learn

One time a scholar asked one of his students, "You have spent a long time with me, what have you learned?"

He said I learned eight things:

First, I looked to the creation. Everyone has a loved one. When he goes to the grave, he leaves his loved one. Therefore, I made my loved one my good deeds; that way, they will be with me in the grave.

Second, I looked to the verse, "But as for him who feared to stand before his Lord and restrained his soul from lust," therefore, I struggled against my desires so I could stay obeying Allah.

Third, I saw that if anyone has something with him that is worth something, he will protect it. Then I thought about the verse,"That which you have is wasted away; and that which is with Allah remains," therefore, everything worth something with me I devoted to Him so it would be with Him for me.

Fourth, I saw the people seeking wealth, honor and positions and it was not worth anything to me. Then I thought about Allah's words, "Lo, the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most aware of Allah, so I did my best to become aware of Allah in order to gain nobility in his sight.

Fifth, I saw the people being jealous towards each other and I looked at the verse, "We have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of the world", so I left jealousy.

Sixth, I saw the people having enmity and I thought about the verse, "Lo, the devil is an enemy for you, so take him as an enemy", so I left enmity and I took the Satan as my only enemy.

Seventh, I saw them debasing themselves in search of sustenance and I thought about the verse, "And there is not a beast in the earth but the sustenance thereof depends on Allah", so I kept myself busy with my responsibilities toward Him and I left my property with Him.

Eighth, I found them relying on their business, buildings and health and I thought about the verse, "And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, He will suffice him", therefore, I put my trust only on Allah.

Translated by: Jamal Zarabozo