People tend to go to excess with regard to birthdays. Rather than making a big fuss about them as people around us often do, birthdays should be an opportunity for us to reflect on the passing of our lives and to show gratitude to Allah for His blessings. We should give some charity and take ourselves to account. We should renew our resolve to do good and get closer to Allah. We should make tawbah and resolve to stay away from wrongdoing. The birthdays we should commemorate are the birthdays of the Prophets and those who reached high ranks.
Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)