Can I Start a Diary Journal on My Birthday?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I want to start maintaining a diary/journal for a year. And I’m thinking of starting it on my birthday to keep it organized. Is it permissible to start it on my birthday (because it is not permissible to celebrate birthdays)?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health.
It would be permissible to start writing your diary and journal on your birthday, and it would not be sinful. One should be grateful for one’s existence and birth by first being thankful to Allah Most High, then parents. Write with the intention of writing up your daily blessings; this way, you will be rewarded, too.
Allah Most High said, “And proclaim the blessings of your Lord.” [Quran, 93:11]
Umar ibn al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) said, I heard the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) say, “Actions are according to intentions, and everyone will get what was intended.” [Bukhari; Muslim]
Give Some Kind of Charity, Perhaps Fast
As Allah Most High has given you existence, life, and all its blessings, giving some form of charity would also be good. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) fasted on a Monday and gave the reason for it being the day he was born.
Abu Qatada (Allah be pleased with him) reported, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was asked about fasting on Monday. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “That is the day I was born, and the day I was sent with revelation. Fasting three days of every month and Ramadan after Ramadan is like fasting for a lifetime.” [Muslim]
Related:
Can I Go to My Non-Muslim Sister’s Birthday?
The Reality and Importance of Intention
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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
