A Christian complains about prohibition of Muslims celebrating or congratulating people at Christmas

Q: Why do you condemn the celebration of the what Christians think is birth of the son of God (Allah)? We should be teaching respect for other peoples and religions. Yet with such condemnation and calling it falsehood, it makes it difficult for rational, honest, and respectful persons to communicate.

A: Praise be to the One God, who begets not, nor is begotten.

You seem to have misinterpreted the condemnation of celebration of Christmas as a matter of disrespect for Christians. In reality, it is out of respect for Allah and Jesus and the teachings of our Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon them. It is an integral part of our faith to reject celebrations that have not been prescribed and/or that have a basis in falsehood, as inevitably they lead to misguidance and alterations in faith, as has happened with Christianity. There is nothing "radical" or "fringe" about this. It is our basic right to protect our faith and practice from distortion and falsehood. Surely no one has a right to condemn us for this.

Do you think Encyclopedia Britannica is rational and honest? Please read what they have to say about Christmas:

Excerpts quoted directly from http://www.britannica.com :

The word Christmas is derived from the Old English Cristes maesse, "Christ's Mass." :

( There is no certain tradition of the date of Christ's birth. Christian chronographers of the 3rd century believed that the creation of the world took place at the spring equinox, then reckoned as March 25; hence the new creation in the incarnation (i.e., the conception) and death of Christ must therefore have occurred on the same day, with his birth following nine months later at the winter solstice, December 25).

...

According to a Roman almanac, the Christian festival of Christmas was celebrated in Rome by AD 336...

( The reason why Christmas came to be celebrated on December 25 remains uncertain, but most probably the reason is that early Christians wished the date to coincide with the pagan Roman festival marking the "birthday of the unconquered sun" ) (natalis solis invicti); this festival celebrated the winter solstice, when the days again begin to lengthen and the sun begins to climb higher in the sky. The traditional customs connected with Christmas have accordingly developed from several sources as a result of the coincidence of the celebration of the birth of Christ with the pagan agricultural and solar observances at midwinter. In the Roman world theSaturnalia (December 17) was a time of merrymaking and exchange of gifts. December 25 was also regarded as the birth date of the Iranian mystery god Mithra, the Sun of Righteousness. On the Roman New Year (January 1), houses were decorated with greenery and lights, and gifts were given to children and the poor. To these observances were added thehttp://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/idxref/0/0,5716,266282,00.htmlGerman and Celtic Yule rites when the Teutonic tribes penetrated into Gaul, Britain, and central Europe. Food and good fellowship, the Yule log and Yule cakes, greenery and fir trees, and gifts and greetings all commemorated different aspects of this festive season. Fires and lights, symbols of warmth and lasting life, have always been associated with the winter festival, both pagan and Christian. Since the European Middle Ages, evergreens, as symbols of survival, have been associated with Christmas...  [end quote]

So as any rational person can see, there is no sound basis for Christmas, nor did Jesus (peace be upon him) or his true followers celebrate Christmas or ask anyone to celebrate Christmas, nor was there any record of anyone calling themselves Christians celebrating Christmas until several hundred years after Jesus. So were the companions of Jesus more righteously guided in not celebrating Christmas or are the people of today?

So if you want to respect Jesus, peace be upon him, as Muslims do, don't celebrate some fabricated event that was chosen to coincide with pagan festivals and copy pagan customs. Do you honestly think God, or even Jesus himself, would approve or condemn such a thing? If you say approve, then obviously you are not interested in the truth.

We ask Allaah, the One, Singular God, with no partners or sons, the God of all creation and mankind, to guide us all to the path of guidance and sincerity.

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

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Can a Muslim participate in non-muslim's religious celebrations for example Christmas, Deevali, etc.?

Q: Assalamoalaikum Mufti Sahab! Kindly advise a)whether a Muslim is allowed to participate for the sake of friends in their religious events like Christmas, Deevali, etc. b)in your website, when you say 'not permissible' or 'impermissible', what does it means? does it means haraam? or its makrooh or its unadvisable? JazakAllahumul khairan kaseera.

A: It is Haram for a Muslim to attend any non-Muslims religious event, for example, Christmas, Deevali, etc. 

and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best 

Mufti Ebrahim Desai

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How is it greeting non-Muslims with Christmas greetings?

Q: Is it ok to say to a colleague at work phrases like merry Christmas or have a nice Christmas party?

A: In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Imān is the greatest commodity a Muslim possesses.  Salvation in this world and especially in the hereafter is dependent on nothing but Imān.  A billionaire without Imān will not be spared from the painful punishment despite his millions and billions.  A beggar with Imān will have access to the Eternal Gardens of Paradise despite his poverty.  Imān is the key. 

All the dollars and pounds of the world do not equate to the value of Imān.  The price and worth of Imān is greater than all the gold, silver and diamonds put together.  Our life revolves around the security of our Imān.  Preservation of Imān until one’s last breath is obligatory on us.  Imān equivalent to the size of a mustard seed is sufficient to purchase the everlasting gardens of Paradise.

Anything which compromises our Imān or contradicts our Imān is hazardous for us.  Other faiths contradict our faith.  Showing happiness for another faith’s festival is extremely hazardous.  Greeting adherents of other faiths well or happiness in their festivals in essence is verbal acknowledgement, recognition and approval of their festival.  The Jurists have stated that there is fear of one losing his Imān if he wishes others well in their festivities.[1]

A Muslim should not forsake his principles and beliefs merely to be friendly.  Friendliness and foolishness are two poles apart.  Friendliness is to be courteous and well-mannered whilst adhering to one’s belief and principles.  Foolishness is to risk one’s belief and principles merely to please or to ‘fit in’ to a society.  

Thus, greeting others with any phrase indicating a greeting for the Christmas festival is impermissible.

This does not mean we do not be kind and courteous.  We must be kind, caring, loving and compassionate to the whole of creation.  The Prophet salallahu alaihi wasallam was an embodiment of compassion.  He was a fountain of mercy.   We must be friendly with all and not foolish with ourselves.    

 And Allah Ta’ālā Knows Best

Mufti Faraz

www.darulfiqh.com

[1] اجتمع المجوس يوم النيروز فقال مسلم خوب رسم نهاده اند أو قال نيك أثرنهاده اند خيف عليه الكفر. (جامع الفصولين ج 2 ص 230 إسلامي كتب خانه)

فتاوى محمودية ج 19 ص 267 إدارة القرآن

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Children want a Christmas tree at home

Q. I have small children who would like to have a tree for the season with only some lights, what are my halaal options?

A. All the different forms of celebrations that occur in this season are all connected to the Christian’s celebration of Christmas, which is totally un-Islamic. The tree itself is termed a ‘Christmas tree’ and is not from the teachings of Islam. Christmas is not our celebration, and as such, we are not allowed to express joy and happiness or to exchange gifts, have Christmas tress, decorative lights, etc. etc. on this occasion. You will need to teach your children the true values of Islam, so that they may understand this from a young age.

And Allah knows best.

Mufti Waseem Khan

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Is it permissible for a Muslim to eat Christmas food?

Q:I’m a Muslim and I reside in an area where there are Christians around us. Every year when the Christians are celebrating Christmas, they normally bring the food they cook on that day. My question is: Is it lawful for a Muslim to eat Christmas food?

A: In the Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

At the outset, one should know that joining the Christians in celebrating Christmas and doing what the Christians do on that day is absolutely forbidden and is extremely detrimental to one’s iman (faith). In fact, the Jurists have stated that such acts could take a person out of the fold of Islam. The answer given below is only regarding accepting food that a Christian offers to a Muslim on Christmas day and is not about celebrating Christmas:

في التاترخانية: قال الشيخ أبو بكر بن طرخان: من خرج إلى النشيدة فقد كفر ، وعلى قياس مسألة النشيدة: الخروج إلى نيروز المجوس والموافقة معهم فيما يفعلون في ذلك اليوم من المسلمين يوجب الكفر ، وأكثر ما يفعل ذلك من كان أسلم منهم ويخرج إليهم في ذلك اليوم ويوافقهم فيصير به كافرا ولا يشعر بذلك. قال في الجامع الأصغر: رجل اشترى يوم النيروز شيئا لم يكن يشتريه قبل ذلك إن أراد به تعظيم النيروز كما يعظمه المشركون كفر ، وإن أراد الأكل والشرب والنعمة لم يكفر. قال صاحب الجامع الأصغر: المسلم أذا أهدى يوم النيروز إلى مسلم آخر شيئا ولم يرد به تعظيم ذلك اليوم ولكن جرى على ما اعتاده بعض الناس لا يكفر ، ولكن ينبغي أن لا يفعل ذلك في ذلك اليوم خاصة ويفعله قبله أو بعده كيلا يكون تشبيها بأولئك القوم

( الفتاوى التاترخانية: 5/354 ، دار إحياء التراث العربي )

For a Muslim to accept Christmas food in agreement with the celebration of Christmas or in happiness of the celebration of Christmas or in veneration of Christmas is absolutely forbidden and is extremely detrimental to one’s iman (faith). The Jurists have expressly mentioned that venerating a day that the disbelievers venerate takes one out of the fold of Islam.

If, however, one accepts the food without agreeing to the Christians’ celebration of Christmas and without having any veneration of Christmas, then the food will not be deemed to be haraam and it will be permissible for him to eat the food. This is, of course, if the food itself is not haraam.

However, it is better to not accept Christmas food. Therefore, one should kindly and amicably refuse the food prepared by Christians on Christmas day. 

في التاترخانية: وما يأتي به المجوس في نيروزهم من الأطعمة إلى الأكابر والسادات من كانت بينهم وبينهم معرفة ذهاب ومجيء فقد قيل: إن من أخذ ذلك على وجه الموافقة لفرحهم يضر ذلك بدينه، وإن أخذه لا على ذلك الوجه لا بأس به، والاحتراز عنه أولى

( الفتاوى التاترخانية: 5/355 ، دار إحياء التراث العربي )

والدر المختار: ( والإعطاء باسم النيروز والمهرجان لا يجوز ) أي الهدايا باسم هذين اليومين حرام ( وإن قصد تعظيمه ) كما يعظمه المشركون ( يكفر ) قال أبو حفص الكبير : لو أن رجلا عبد الله خمسين سنة ثم أهدى لمشرك يوم النيروز بيضة يريد تعظيم اليوم فقد كفر وحبط عمله ا هـ ولو أهدى لمسلم ولم يرد تعظيم اليوم بل جرى على عادة الناس لا يكفر وينبغي أن يفعله قبله أو بعده نفيا للشبهة ولو شرى فيه ما لم يشتره قبل إن أراد تعظيمه كفر وإن أراد الأكل كالشرب والتنعيم لا يكفر. زيلعي

وفي الشامية: ( قوله والإعطاء باسم النيروز والمهرجان ) بأن يقال هدية هذا اليوم ومثل القول النية فيما يظهر ط والنيروز أول الربيع والمهرجان أول الخريف وهما يومان يعظمهما بعض الكفرة ويتهادون فيهما

( رد المحتار: 10/520 ، دار المعرفة )

( و كذا في فتاوى محمودية في مسألة قبول أطعمة أعياد الهندوس: 18/33 ، ديوبند )

And Allāh knows best.

Ml. Faizal Riza

Melbourne, Australia

Concurred by:

Muftī Abrar Mirza

Chicago, IL (USA)

Under the Supervision of Muftī Ebrahim Desai (South Africa)

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Christmas cards to non Muslims

Q: assalam,can you please give me the fatwa about giving christmas cards to non muslims just to keep good relations with neighbors, with the dalaail and hawaalah.

jazakallah and may Allah accept your efforts.

A: In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful.

Allah has stated in the Holy Quran “worship Allah and join none with Him in worship, and do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, the poor who beg, the neighbour who is near of kin, the neighbour who is a stranger, the companion by your side, the wayfarer, and those (slaves) whom your right hands posses. Verily, Allah does not like such as proud and boastful.” (Surah An-Nisa, V36)

The Prophet  said: The best friend in the sight of Allah is he who is the well-wisher of his companions, and the best neighbour is one who behaves best towards his neighbours. (Tirmidhi. 120)

The status of the neighbour and the importance of having a good relationship is apparent from the above. However it is not permissible for a Muslim to participate in a non-Muslim event e.g. giving Christmas cards, attending Christmas parties and plays etc. The reason behind this is that, by taking part in their religious functions and activities, one will be indirectly approving their beliefs and/or religion. The Prophet  forbade Muslims to even offer salah at the time of sunrise, midday and sunset, for there was an element of resembling the sun worshippers.

The Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever imitates a nation will be amongst them.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, no. 4031). Therefore, Muslims should abstain from imitating and resembling the non-Muslims and therefore, to give Christmas cards to non-Muslims will not be permissible.

Allah knows best

S Rahman
Darul Ifta Birmingham


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Ruling on the Muslims celebrating at the time of Christmas and decorating their homes with balloons

Q: What do you say to Muslims in the United Kingdom who celebrate at Christmas time by holding dinner parties in their houses on Christmas or afterwards, for their Muslim families, such as preparing roast turkey and the other dishes of the traditional Christmas dinner, and they adorn their houses with balloons and paper chains, and they do the “secret Santa” tradition, whereby each relative brings a gift for one of the people present and these gifts are brought to the party to be given to the one for whom he bought it, without the recipient knowing who he is. [“Secret Santa” is a new, growing custom among non-Muslims who celebrate Christmas, and is in accordance with their belief in the myth of Santa Claus].
Is this action regarded as halaal or haraam, if no one is attending this party except Muslims (relatives and family members)?.

A: Praise be to Allaah.

There is no doubt that what is mentioned of celebrations is haraam, because it is an imitation of the kuffaar. It is well known that the Muslims do not have any festival apart from Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, and the weekly “Eid” which is Friday (Yawm al-Jumu‘ah). Celebrating any other festival is not allowed and is either of two things: either it is an innovation (bid‘ah), if it is celebrated as a means of drawing close to Allah, such as celebrating the Prophet’s Birthday (Mawlid); or it is an imitation of the kuffaar, if it is celebrated as a tradition and not as an act of worship, because introducing innovated festivals is the action of the people of the Book who we are commanded to differ from. So how about if it is a celebration of one of their actual festivals? 

Decorating the house with balloons at this time is obviously joining in with the kuffaar and celebrating their festival. 

What the Muslim is required to do is not to single out these days for any kind of celebration, decorating or adornment, or special foods, otherwise he will be joining the kuffaar in their festivals, which is something that is undoubtedly haraam. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Similarly it is forbidden for the Muslims to imitate the kuffaar by holding parties on these occasions, or exchanging gifts, or distributing sweets or other foods, or taking time off work and so on, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in his book Iqtida’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem Mukhaalifat Ashaab al-Jaheem: Imitating them on some of their festivals implies that one is happy with the falsehood they are following, and that could make them (the non-Muslims) take this opportunity to mislead those who are weak in faith. End quote. 

Those who do any of these things are sinning, whether they do it to go along with them, or to be friendly towards them, or because they feel too shy (to refuse to join in) or any other reason, because it is a kind of compromising the religion of Allah to please others, and it is a means of lifting the spirits of the kuffaar and making them proud of their religion, 

End quote from Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 3/44 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about a Muslim who makes the food of the Christians on Nawrooz (Persian New Year) and on all their occasions such as Epiphany and other feast days, and who sells them things to help them celebrate their festivals. Is it permissible for the Muslims to do any of these things or not? 

He replied: Praise be to Allah. It is not permissible for the Muslims to imitate them in any way that is unique to their festivals, whether it be food, clothes, bathing, lighting fires or refraining from usual work or worship, and so on. And it is not permissible to give a feast or to exchange gifts or to sell things that help them to celebrate their festivals, or to let children and others play the games that are played on their festivals, or to adorn oneself or put up decorations. In general, (Muslims) are not allowed to single out the festivals of the kuffaar for any of these rituals or customs. Rather the day of their festivals is just an ordinary day for the Muslims, and they should not single it out for any activity that is part of what the kuffaar do on these days.

End quote from al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 2/487; Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 25/329 

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A

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Are Muslims allowed to visit their Hindu friends for Diwali and have sweets at their house?

Q: Are Muslims allowed to visit their hindu friends for diwali and have sweets at they house?

A: In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Diwali is a religious celebration of the Hindus in which the return of Lord Rama is commemorated, along with Sita and Lakshmana , from his 14-year-long exile and vanquishing the demon-king Ravana. In joyous celebration of the return of their king, the people of Ayodhya, the capital of Rama, illuminated the kingdom by bursting firecrackers.

As Muslims, we are sensitive to our faith (aqeedah) and values. We do not compromise in our aqeedah and do not show complacency to anything contrary to our aqeedah. We are different from the Hindus in our aqeedah and in our values.

During Diwali time, if a Hindu friend invites a Muslim to his home and offers him sweets, it is obvious that it is to share the Diwali celebration with his Muslim friends. A Muslim participating in any Diwali celebration demonstrates respect (ta’zeem) for the occasion, and in view of the polytheist’s practices, it also exemplifies complacency with Shirk thus compromising with ones tawheed.  It is therefore Haram for a Muslim to take part in any part of Diwali including just the meals or sweets. We tolerate different religions practices but do not respect (ta’zeem) them.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Abdul Hannan Nizami,
Student Darul Iftaa
Chicago, USA

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.


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Saying Merry Christmas, Happy Diwali, Happy New Year

Q: Can Muslims wish "Happy Diwali" or "Merry Christmas  or "Happy new year" to their non-Muslim friends?

A: In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

No, it is strictly not permissible to say such things. Saying "Happy Diwali" or "Merry Christmas" etc is the practice of the non-Muslims; and the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) has said, "Whoever imitates a particular nation is from them." (Abu Dawud). The jurists have written that it is extremely detrimental to one's iman (faith) to venerate a day that the non-Muslims venerate.

Also see this answer:
http://www.mufti-online.net/eating-christmas-food.html

And Allah knows best.

Mufti Faizal Riza
20/11/2012
Darul Ifta Australia
www.mufti-online.net

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Prohibition on celebrating the festivals of the kuffaar

Q: Is it permissible for Muslims to take part in their festivals, such as Christmas?

A: Praise be to Allaah.  

It is not permissible for the Muslim to join the kuffaar in their festivals and to express joy and happiness on these occasions, or to take the day off work, whether the occasion is religious or secular, because this is a kind of imitating the enemies of Allaah, which is forbidden, and a kind of co-operating with them in falsehood. It was proven that the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Help you one another in Al‑Birr and At‑Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is Severe in punishment”[al-Maa'idah 5:2] 

We advise you to refer to the book Iqtidaa’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him), for it is very useful on this topic. [Translator’s note: This book is available in English under the title “The Right Way,” published by Darussalam, Riyadh].

And Allaah is the source of strength. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions, and grant them peace. 

Standing Committee on Academic Research and Issuing Fatwas, Fatwa no. 2540

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Regarding Christmas/Diwali

Q: Assalamualaikum i would like to know whether there is a ruling regarding wishing Christians well over christmas and Hindus well over diwali? i have read some where that this is forbidden as you are confirming their faith. So can we wish them well..or is it haraam?

A: It is not permissible to wish non-Muslims during their festivals. 

The non-Muslims display acts of Kufr during their festivals. To wish them in 
their festivals is a sign of complacency to Kufr. 

and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best 

Mufti Ebrahim Desai 
FATWA DEPT. 

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Wishing Merry Christmas

Q: Is it permissible to wish others "Merry Christmas" or "Happy New Year"?

A: Your query refers. It is not permissible to wish non-Muslims Merry Christmas, because such a greeting is a religious greeting and we Muslims are not allowed to adopt any custom or style of their religion. The hadith also prohibits greeting in a non-Muslim way.

Saying 'happy new year' is makrooh, not totally haraam because this is not a religious term. But it is better to avoid even this. In place of both types of greetings, we can merely say to them: "we wish you well over the festive season" or "greetings for the festive season" and when saying this have this intention in the heart that you are making dua of guidance for them. Wishing them well is actually wishing that Allah guide them to Islam.

And Allah Ta'ala knows best

Mufti Siraj Desai

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