I was told that celebrating Mother's Day is akin to being "jahil" (unbelievers before the advent of Islam) and that as Muslims we should not be following a celebration practised by the other faiths.
Firstly, in Islam it is always the niat (intentions) that are important. So telling me that celebrating mother's day is an act of worshipping the Christian reverend mother is insane. How does a scholar (religious one at that) rationalise such a connection? Or is it just the male religious scholars that have a disdain for celebrations of women?
Translation: Mother's Day is a Day for Church Mother/ Reverend Mother. Whoever wants to celebrate, go ahead. Who ever fears corrupting their morals, don't celebrate.
I felt very sad and insulted to see this being "shared" and "liked" by fellow Muslim family and friends. Have we been so blinded by our need to differentiate and segregate ourselves from those practising other religion that we become such unthinking individuals? Aren't mother's honoured in Islam, as with all other religions?
A friend shared an article with me, written by an ex-professor of mine. It's titled "Mum's aren't super, they're ordinary" and I think it fits in very well with the whole discussion on whether mother's day is allowed or forbidden in Islam.
Firstly, we're not revering our mothers and elevating her status to someone holy.
Second, this date serves a reminder for us busy modern humans to stop and just remember our mothers' contributions and to also forgive her for her humanness. We're so often arguing with them, trying to defy them, that we hardly stop to reflect unless it's Hari Raya right?
Thirdly, it also allows us to be thankful to all our caregivers - our grandmothers, aunts, teachers and even stay-home dads. Culture and society may choose not to give them their deserving attention and praise, but for some, they've become surrogate mothers and caregivers and should be honoured as well.
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