✅ Answer: 'Yalda' is a Syriac word meaning 'birth.' Ancient Iranians named the first night of winter 'Yalda Night,' believing that the goddess Mithra, or the deity of light and sun—one of the deities alongside the deities of fire, nature, Anahita, water, etc.—was born on this night. Hence, they held special ceremonies and celebrations, considering it one of their festivals.

Given the idolatrous and ignorant foundation of Yalda, it was natural that with the advent of Islam, the divine proofs did not endorse Yalda night ceremonies at all. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and the Imams from his progeny paid no attention to it. This is evident when reviewing the traditions and even the history of Muslims, as there is no support from the sayings of the Infallibles for reviving it, celebrating it, or performing its special customs.

✅ Since there is no specific mention of Yalda night in the traditions of Shia heritage, we must refer to general principles from the words of the Infallibles because:

1⃣هِشَامُ بْنُ سَالِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْداللّهِ عليه السلام قَالَ إِنَّمَا عَلَيْنَا أَنْ نُلْقِيَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْأُصُولَ وَعَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ تُفَرِّعُوا

📚 Al-Sara’ir, Volume 3, Page 575

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: It is upon us to convey the principles to you, and it is upon you to derive the branches and details from them!

2⃣أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي نَصْرٍ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الرضا عليه السلام قَالَ عَلَيْنَا إِلْقَاءُ الْأُصُولِ إِلَيْكُمْ وَعَلَيْكُمُ التَّفَرُّعُ.

📚 Al-Sara’ir, Volume 3, Page 575

Imam Ridha (peace be upon him) said: Conveying the principles to you is our duty, and deriving and extracting the branches and details is your responsibility!

✅ Therefore, consider the following principles:

3⃣قال امیرالمؤمنین... وَ إِنَّ لَکُمْ فِی الْقُرُونِ السَّالِفَةِ لَعِبْرَةً، أَیْنَ الْعَمَالِقَةُ وَ أَبْنَاءُ الْعَمَالِقَةِ؟ أَیْنَ الْفَرَاعِنَةُ وَ أَبْنَاءُ الْفَرَاعِنَةِ؟ أَیْنَ أَصْحَابُ مَدَائِنِ الرَّسِّ الَّذِینَ قَتَلُوا النَّبِیِّینَ وَ أَطْفَئُوا سُنَنَ الْمُرْسَلِینَ وَ أَحْیَوْا سُنَنَ الْجَبَّارِینَ؟

📚 Nahj al-Balaghah, Page 263

The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said in a sermon: Indeed, there are lessons for you in past nations! Where are the Amalekites and their descendants? Where are the Pharaohs and their offspring? Where are the people of the cities of Ras who killed the prophets and extinguished their traditions, reviving the practices of tyrants?

✅ In the above narration, 'reviving the practices of tyrants' is condemned as one of the actions of deviant people of the past by our master, the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him). Clearly, holding special ceremonies on Yalda night is nothing but reviving the customs and practices of tyrants!

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْر

https://t.me/porseshvapasokhe

4⃣عَنْ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: مَنْ تَشَبَّهَ بِقَوْمٍ عُدَّ مِنْهُمْ

📚 Mustadrak al-Wasa'il, Volume 17, Page 439

The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said: Whoever resembles a people is considered one of them!

📚 Mustadrak al-Wasa'il, Volume 14, Page 225

... فَکَرِهْتُ..... وَ أَتَشَبَّهَ بِقَوْمٍ عَیَّرَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِی کِتَابِهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ...

In a narration from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), he said: I dislike resembling a people whom Allah, the Almighty, has condemned in His Book!

✅ The above narrations and others show that imitating the actions of condemned individuals is disliked and makes one considered among them. Holding special ceremonies on Yalda night is nothing but imitating those who believed their deity Mithra was born on this night!

📚 Al-Faqih, Volume 1, Page 252

6⃣عَنْ إِسْمَاعِیلَ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنِ الصَّادِقِ قَالَ إِنَّهُ أَوْحَی اللَّهُ إِلَی نَبِیٍّ مِنْ أَنْبِیَائِهِ قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِینَ لَا تَلْبَسُوا لِبَاسَ أَعْدَائِی وَ لَا تَطْعَمُوا مَطَاعِمَ أَعْدَائِی وَ لَا تَسْلُکُوا مَسَالِکَ أَعْدَائِی فَتَکُونُوا أَعْدَائِی کَمَا هُمْ أَعْدَائِی.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Allah revealed to one of His prophets to tell the believers not to wear the clothing of My enemies, not to eat the food of My enemies, and not to follow the practices and customs of My enemies, lest they become My enemies, just as they are enemies of Mine!

✅ It is clear that holding ceremonies and special customs on Yalda night is following the path of enemies and polytheists!

✅ Some try to justify reviving Yalda night as a good deed under secondary titles such as family gatherings and visits. However, this is nothing but ignorance in the guise of knowledge!

📚 Al-Kafi, Volume 5, Page 19

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said regarding the unjustified struggles of the Zaydi sect: If this action were good, the Zaydi sect would not have preceded us in it!

لَوْ کانَ خَیْراً ما سَبَقُونا إِلَیْهِ

Indeed, if visiting and family gatherings were especially virtuous on Yalda night, the Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them) would have informed us of it through their words or actions, without the need for the opinions of pseudo-scholars!

Furthermore, family visits and gatherings on this night often serve as a cover for activities like frivolity, music, dancing, heedlessness, gender mixing, and superstitious acts like drawing omens from books such as Hafiz’s Divan—activities prevalent among those reviving this polytheistic innovation. Even eating certain foods like watermelon, which is discouraged in this season in some narrations, is done simply because of its red color, a symbol for Mithra worshipers!

✅ One of the reprehensible practices of this night is drawing omens from Sufi texts like Hafiz or Rumi, which is unfortunately common among Shia, and is deeply regrettable!

✅ Instead of engaging in the superstitious rituals of polytheists, believers focus on acts like the following on Yalda night and other winter nights:

📚 Ma'ani al-Akhbar, Page 228

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Winter is the spring of the believer; its nights are long, and he uses them for night prayer, and its days are short, and he uses them for fasting!

8⃣عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سُلَیْمَانَ الدَّیْلَمِیِّ عَنْ أَبِیهِ عَنْ أَبِی عَبْداللَّهِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُهُ یَقُولُ الشِّتَاءُ رَبِیعُ الْمُؤْمِنِ یَطُولُ فِیهِ لَیْلُهُ فَیَسْتَعِینُ بِهِ عَلَی قِیَامِهِ وَ یَقْصُرُ فِیهِ نَهَارُهُ فَیَسْتَعِینُ بِهِ عَلَی صِیَامِهِ.

https://t.me/porseshvapasokhe

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْر