Question

What is the shar’ee hukm regarding making bonfires and setting off fireworks?

Answer

Stay away from them. There are several reasons for that.

1. Risk of injuries

2. Economic effects

Read the following extract from Wikipedia:

“Bonfire Night celebrations can pose a risk to public safety due to the possibility of fires, injuries, or fights. For example, in London, calls to firefighting services are nearly tripled on Bonfire Night.[6] In Belfast, the July 2003 Bonfire Night resulted in ₤10,000 worth of damage to a park.[4] The use of fireworks may lead to dangerous pyrotechnic incidents. In parts of the Caribbean, laws banning fireworks and explosives have muted the occasion,[7] and safety concerns in New Zealand have resulted in similar sales restrictions, although public firework displays remain popular there.[8][9]

The tradition of Bonfire Night has been criticised for its environmental impact. A 1994 study conducted in Oxford, England, found a four-fold increase in dioxin and furan concentration in the air after a Bonfire Night celebration.[10] In 2005 a Bonfire Night in Newfoundland prompted the provincial Minister of Environment and Conservation to remind the general public of their responsibilities for safety and the environment”.

Spending hard earned money on fireworks does not suit the muttqeen, especially when we know the state of the impoverished Muslim community throughout the world.

Allah swt says in Surah Bani Israaeel

“ولا تبذر تبذيرا ان المبذرين كانوا إخوان الشياطين وكان الشيطان لربه كفورا”

Translation: “And do not overspend excessively, the extravagant are friends of shaytaan and shaytan has been extremely ungrateful to his Rabb”

3. Also there is tashabbuh element in there and we have been forbidden from being copycats.

May Allah give us the understanding of our Deen and the tawfeeq to behave properly.

Ameen