35. “Bi’r-rafā’ wa’l-banīn”: a pre-Islamic form of congratulation

Do not say, “Bi’r-rafā’ wa’l-banīn” (may you live together in harmony and be blessed with sons), as those who are unaware still do, for it belongs to the practices of the Age of Ignorance (al-Jāhiliyyah) and has been forbidden in several hadiths. Among them is the report narrated by al-Ḥasan: ʿAqīl ibn Abī Ṭālib married a woman of the Jusham tribe. When people came in to congratulate him they said, “Bi’r-rafā’ wa’l-banīn.” He replied, “Do not say that, for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade it.” They asked, “What should we say, Abū Zayd?” He answered, “Say: ‘May Allah bless…’”}