Celebrating Eid With Fireworks -- Is It Okay?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Hardly had the noise from the first rocket subsided than another rocket went up in the air. Within the blink of an eye, the surrounding atmosphere was lit by flares of varying colors. It is difficult to miss such display of fireworks on an Eid night in many parts of the Muslim world.

With a penchant for celebrating festivals in a glamorous way, the use of rockets and fireworks is an integral part of festivities. In Malaysia where I grew up, whether it is the Muslim’s Eid celebration or the Chinese New Year or the Hindu festive celebration (Deepavali), residents and visitors are often inundated with series of firework displays and the deafening noise that accompanies them.

Though no one knows precisely when the first set of fireworks were produced, there is evidence that fireworks were already in use in ancient China prior to its adoption by other countries.

According to John Bennet, editor of UK based FIREWORKS magazine, the Chinese invented paper and gun powder, two vital components of fireworks. In a bid to scare away evil spirits and demons, they made loud noises at festivals and religious gatherings using firecrackers. By making a fuse out of very thin paper and twisting gunpowder into a long string, reliable firecrackers were produced.

It’s been more than 2,000 years now since the chance discovery and ancient Chinese firecrackers have gone through series of metamorphoses. With the introduction of metallic salts, it became possible to witness colors in fireworks. Colors such as Strontium Red, Sodium Yellow, Copper Blue, and Barium Green are common features in modern day fireworks display.

Considering the reason for its use in ancient China, some people who are intimately aware of this history have strong reservations about the use of fireworks during Eid.

Obviously, Eid has nothing to do with evil spirits and there are better ways of celebrating our religious occasions. The money spent on firecrackers could be used to assist less privileged people in various parts of the world.

Fireworks are permissible in principle but they could lead to something forbidden, which is the loss of money and spending money inappropriately. Wasting money is forbidden and wasting in general is not the way of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wassallam).

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wassallam) said, "Do not waste water, even if you perform your ablution on the banks of an abundantly-flowing river." [Ibn Majah]

If we can't waste water that is flowing abundantly to make wudu' to worship Allah, why do you think you can spend limited resources (money) on making noises like the war zone?

Every Muslim should strive for ihsan (excellence) and the most excellent Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hands the other Muslims are safe. Fireworks no doubt disturb the peace of the neighbors who are captured audience.

Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "Who is the most excellent among the Muslims?" He said, "One from whose tongue and hands the other Muslims are secure." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Fireworks can cause unintended harm to one self and others and can cause destruction to property by misusing and mishandling of the fireworks.

Lots of people were alarmed when the consumer product safety commission of the US published its annual fireworks report in 2005. During the year under review, over 9,000 people were treated for fireworks-related injuries.

More shocking was the fact that children under the age of 15 accounted for 40% of the injuries, 23% of which happened to children below the age of five. These findings were met with outcries in the US and subsequently led to the enactment of restrictive laws by the government. Some states even settled for an outright ban.

For these reasons alone, Muslims should stay away from using fireworks themselves as part of their Eid celebration.

While it is desirable to savor every moment of this unique season, efforts should be made to ensure the limits set by Allah are not transgressed during the course of celebrating.

May Allah grant us sound understanding of His Deen and guide us to excellence. Ameen.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Related Material
History of Fireworks and Celebrations
Fireworks Injury Statistics