one fundamental principle of islamic rulings is the famous hadith - a maxim - which is as famous for its eloquence as for its pithiness and its impact and bearing on a major part of islamic rulings. don't get hurt and don't hurt others. la Darara wa la Diraar.
ok, here is the update: http://phys.org/news99672229.html http://www.backcountryattitude.com/toxic_fireworks.html http://www.treehugger.com/culture/fireworks-the-annual-whine-about-their-environmental-impact.html http://www.mnn.com/family/family-activities/questions/do-fireworks-harm-the-environment http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/translating-uncle-sam/stories/are-fireworks-bad-for-the-environment http://www.salon.com/2008/06/30/ask_pablo_fireworks/ darwinawards http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/nov/08/pollutionwatch-fireworks-bonfires-smoke http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/poll/2009/nov/05/fireworks-banned-environmental --- only 2 google searches and 5 minutes to sift through the material.
must be hard to read through a fatwa that doesn't appeal to one's comedian nafs! firstly, waste of money is waste of money regardless of amount. secondly, there's safety issues too, specially with those 'dirt cheap' fire-crackers used on the streets of india and pakistan. we can routinely hear about such crackers blowing away a few fingers or taking out an eye, and it mostly happens with those poor kids in poorer locations. most importantly, as this and other fatawa of ala hazrat and other subcontinental scholars state, it is mainly a reprehensible innovation as far as celebrations and the like are concerned (as opposed to smoke signals in jungles, or any usage out on the farms) and has its roots in the fire-veneration practices of the native idol-worshipers! oh, and those drums you beat during your basant celebrations, they are purely from sikh culture, and there's no sama3 at basant last time i checked!
is this fatwa relevant to/applicable to today where fireworks--even in poor countries like india and pakistan--are no longer a luxury or waste of money but dirt cheap?
THE LEGAL RULING PERTAINING TO FIREWORKS by – Imām Aḥmad Riḍā Khān al Qādirī Translated by – Abū Ḥāmid al Qādirī http://thesunniway.com/ebooks/english/file/120-the-legal-ruling-pertaining-to-fireworks
