Ahmad Khatami: Fireworks on the Last Wednesday of the Year are Religious Forbidden

Interim Friday Prayer Leader of Tehran, Ahmad Khatami, deemed the celebration of Chaharshanbe Suri, or what he referred to as 'fireworks on the last Wednesday of the year,' as 'haram' (forbidden) from a religious perspective. According to Mehr News Agency, Khatami stated in his Friday sermon on March 13 that 'being happy does not mean breaking God's lines, which is joy-destroying rather than joy-inducing.' He added, 'Fireworks on the last Wednesday of the year is one of these issues... Fireworks have no origin and infringe on the rights of others, and from a religious perspective, it is haram to harm the believers.' Khatami emphasized, 'Another point is that this year our holiday is during a time when the children of Fatimah are mourning; Fatimah is on her deathbed. We have always adjusted our joy and sorrow with the Ahl al-Bayt (the family of the Prophet).' Previously, several high-ranking clerics in Iran have also deemed the celebration of Chaharshanbe Suri as un-Islamic or haram. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, issued a fatwa in 2009 stating that the Chaharshanbe Suri ceremony 'not only has no religious basis but also entails much harm and corruption, which is advisable to avoid.' Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, a source of emulation, also stated in 2010 that 'Chaharshanbe Suri is a superstitious tradition; we should not revive superstitious traditions. Beyond all this, this ceremony is wasteful of wealth and should not waste wealth.' Abdullah Jawadi Amoli, a well-known cleric, also stated in 2013 that shooting in the air and making loud noises 'are examples of wasting wealth and amusement and are haram.' He added, 'This is the same issue of the bad tradition of Chaharshanbe Suri, which is entirely haram, and if someone burns a place or harms an individual, they are liable for all of it.' In recent years, as the end of the solar year approaches, Iranian judicial and law enforcement officials have consistently warned about dealing with participants in the Chaharshanbe Suri celebrations. Taqi Mehri, head of the police's preventive force, stated on Sunday, February 21, that gatherings for the celebration of 'Chaharshanbe Suri' are prohibited, and law enforcement will not allow gatherings on this day.