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Historical Origins of Celebration of Valentine’s Day (Yawm al-Hubb/‘Eid ul-Hubb) and the Verdict of Islam
Abstract
ABSTRACT: Many people are alleging Islam that is against love and because Muslims don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. This article, therefore, intends to take a look at the historical background of the Valentine’s Day and examines the verdict of Islam on the reasons why Muslims are not celebrating Valentine Day and weather the it truly a day of love in the verdict of Islam. This research work is historical and analytical in nature. The existing available literatures on Islamic books, journals, Al-Hadith, the Glorious Qur’an, and research work related to the topic will be equally reviewed. The study revealed that Valentine’s Day is a pagan Roman festival, which continued to be celebrated until after the Romans became Christian. Therefore, celebrating this Day means resembling or imitating the pagan Romans, which is strictly forbidden in Islam. In Islam, the festivals are clearly defined and well established, and no additions or subtractions may be accepted. Also the festival promotes infatuation and sexual immorality. It also observes that the expression of feelings and emotions is not a justification for the Muslim to allocate a day for celebration in Islam. It concluded that in Islam, a husband loves his wife throughout the year, and he expresses that love towards her with gifts, in verse and in prose, in letters and in other ways.
KEY WORD: Celebration; Valentine’s Day; Islamic Verdict; Love; Festival.
IKHTISAR: “Asal-Usul Sejarah Perayaan Hari Valentine (Yawm al-Hubb/‘Eid ul-Hubb) dan Pandangan Hukum Islam”. Banyak pihak menuduh Islam menentang cinta karena umat Muslim tidak merayakan Hari Valentine. Oleh karena itu, artikel ini bertujuan untuk meninjau latar belakang sejarah Hari Valentine serta mengkaji pandangan hukum Islam mengenai alasan mengapa umat Muslim tidak merayakannya, dan apakah perayaan tersebut benar-benar merupakan hari kasih-sayang menurut perspektif Islam. Penelitian ini bersifat historis dan analitis. Berbagai literatur yang tersedia—meliputi buku-buku ke-Islam-an, jurnal, Hadis, Al-Qur'an, serta karya penelitian terkait topik ini—akan ditelaah secara menyeluruh. Studi ini mengungkapkan bahwa Hari Valentine merupakan festival pagan Romawi, yang terus dirayakan bahkan setelah bangsa Romawi memeluk agama Kristen. Dengan demikian, merayakan hal ini berarti menyerupai atau meniru kaum pagan Romawi, suatu tindakan yang dilarang keras dalam Islam. Dalam Islam, perayaan-perayaan telah ditetapkan secara jelas dan baku, sehingga tidak diperbolehkan adanya penambahan maupun pengurangan. Selain itu, festival ini mendorong munculnya rasa tergila-gila dan perilaku amoral seksual. Studi ini juga mencatat bahwa ekspresi perasaan dan emosi bukanlah alasan yang sah bagi seorang Muslim untuk mengkhususkan satu hari tertentu sebagai perayaan dalam Islam. Kesimpulannya, dalam Islam, seorang suami mencintai istrinya sepanjang tahun dan mengungkapkan cinta tersebut melalui pemberian hadiah, bait-bait puisi maupun prosa, surat-surat, serta berbagai cara lainnya.
KATA KUNCI: Perayaan; Hari Valentine; Pandangan Hukum Islam; Cinta; Festival.
About the Author: Prof. Dr. Kamal-deen Olawale Sulaiman is a Lecturer at the Department of Religious Studies EKSU (Ekiti State University), P.M.B 5363, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. E-mail: kamaldeen.sulaiman@eksu.edu.ng
Suggested Citation: Sulaiman, Kamal-deen Olawale. (2026). “Historical Origins of Celebration of Valentine’s Day (Yawm al-Hubb/‘Eid ul-Hubb) and the Verdict of Islam” in SUSURGALUR: Jurnal Kajian Sejarah & Pendidikan Sejarah, Volume 14(2), September, pp.1-18. Bandung, Indonesia and Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam: MINDAMAS Foundation, ASPENSI, and PERSEBAR with ISSN 2302-5808 (print) and ISSN 2684-7388 (online).
Article Timeline: Accepted (July 10, 2026); Revised (August 24, 2026); and Published (September 15, 2026).
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.2121/susurgalur.v14i2.1579
DOI (PDF): https://doi.org/10.2121/susurgalur.v14i2.1579.g1285
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