Celebrating a Non-Muslim Holiday?
By Abd Al-Baasit Khan. Published on November 12, 2009.
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED ABOUT THE ISSUE OF
celebrating or partaking in Non-Muslim holidays, festivals
and celebrations? What is the Islamic ruling regarding this?
Is it permissible, is it disliked, is it impermissible? Is there a
difference of opinion on this matter? Insha’Allah, in this
short article, I hope that all of these (and related) questions
will be clearly answered.
1. Greeting the Kuffaar on Christmas and other similar
holidays of theirs is Haraam by Ittifaaq (consensus of the
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scholars), as Shaykh-ul-Islaam Ibn al-Qayyim said
in Ahkaam Ahl adh-Dhimmah:
Congratulating the Kuffaar on the rituals thatbelong to them is prohibited by consensus, as iscongratulating them on their festivals by saying‘A happy festival to you’ or ‘May you enjoy yourfestival,’ and so on…”
2. It is prohibited for a Muslim to accept invitations on such
occasions, because this is worse than congratulating them,
as it implies taking part in their celebrations.
3. Similarly, Muslims are forbidden to imitate the Kuffaar by
having parties on such occasions, or exchanging gifts, or
giving out sweets or food, or taking time off work, etc.
because the Prophet Muhammad said:
من تشبه بقوم فهو منهم“Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”
This hadeeth was authenticated by a great deal of scholars
including Abu Dawood, Ibn Hibbaan, Ibn Hajar, Az-
Zarqaani, Adh-Dhahabi, Al-Haythami, Al-‘Iraaqi, As-
Sakhaawi, As-San’aani, Muhammad Jaarullaah As-Sa’di,
Ahmad Shaakir, Ibn Baaz, Al-Albaani, Ibn `Uthaymeen, and
others.
Ibn Taymiyyah, in his beautiful and monumental book
Iqtidaa’ as-Siraat al-Mustaqeem Mukhaalafatu Ashaab’il-
Jaheem (In Pursuit of the Straight Path by Contradicting the
People of the Hellfire), said:
“Imitating them in some of their festivals impliesthat one is pleased with their false beliefs andpractices, and gives them the hope that they mayhave the opportunity to mislead the weak.”
Therefore, whoever does anything of this sort is a sinner,
even if he does it out of politeness, friendliness, shyness, or
for whatever other reason, because this is hypocrisy in Islam
and it makes the Kuffaar feel proud of their ways and
festivals.
Please also take note of the following:
1. Remember the hadith of ‘Aa’ishah in Sahih al-Bukhari and
Muslim where she narrated that on the Day of Eid , two
young girls were doing a special performance for her
(singing some songs). When Abu Bakr came to visit the
Prophet and found these girls with ‘Aa’ishah, he rebuked
them harshly. So the Prophet (who had been facing the
wall), said:
يا أبا بكر, إن لكل قوم عيدا, وهذا عيدنا
Abu Bakr, (know that) every group of peoplehas its Eid (festival). And this is our Eid.”
Eid عيد is the name given to something which returns
(Ya’ood), and is used to describe gatherings which happens
repeatedly on a regular basis. Therefore, the Prophet clearly
stated that the Eid of the people of Islam is the Eid
(celebration) after Ramadaan and Eid at the end of the Hajj
season. In addition to this, Friday is also considered a Eid for
the Muslims, because it is a weekly gathering and is the best
day of the week.
2. The Prophet also explicitly expressed his desire to
contradict the ways, celebrations, and festivities of the non-
Muslims. In this hadith that has a good chain of narration,
as stated by Abu Bakr Al-Athram, Umm Salamah Hind Bint
Abi Umayyah said that,
أن النبي صلى هللا عليه وسلم كان يصوم السبت واألحد ٬ ويقول : هما عيدان للمشركين فأنا أحب أن أخالفهماThe Prophet used to fast on Saturdays and onSundays, and he would say: “These are two daysof Eid for the Mushrikoon. So I love to opposethem (contradict them, differ from them) inthese two.” (For more info on the issue offasting on Saturdays, see:http://www.islamway.com/?iw_s=Article&iw_a=view&article_id=2325 )
So, for the pagans, Saturday and Sunday was a special
holiday for them, a Eid. On these days they would party,
celebrate, relax, enjoy, dance, sing. And in and of itself,
MUSLIM YOUTH MUSINGS
there’s nothing wrong with relaxing on Saturday our
Sunday, but the mere fact that the Pagans used to do this,
was enough reason for our beloved Prophet to differ from
their practice and not imitate them and fast on these days
(to show his indifference and his disregard for their Eid).
So, just to differ from them, to show that we’re different, to
indicate that he, in no way, is taking part in their Eid, he
would fast on Saturdays and Sundays. It is as if to send a
clear message: “I’m not partaking in the Eid of Non-
Muslims. I want to differ from them. I love to differ from
their practice (of relaxing, enjoying, partying) on these two
days.” So, even though it’s permissible to relax on Saturdays
and Sundays, he decided to exert himself and fast on these
two days just for this particular purpose. Therefore, one can
just imagine what our Prophet would’ve said if he were alive
today and were asked about Christmas or Thanksgiving!
What would he say upon seeing Muslims greeting and
warmly congratulating the Kuffaar on their Eids?
What if he saw his Ummah actually having Christmas trees
and lights, imitating the Kuffaar and making these Eids of
the disbelievers a part of their lives?
Fully indulging, forget contradicting and trying to differ
from them, the Muslims are not even shunning their
practices, but are rather completely participating in their
traditions! “Followers” of Muhammad as they claim, but yet
we see them exchanging Christmas cards and presents with
the Kuffaar and making Thanksgiving turkeys. On top of all
of this, they are even allowing their children to go and
partake with the Kuffaar in trick-or-treating and Halloween-
related events.
من تشبه بقوم فهو منهم“Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”
So the above Prophetic words do not apply, as some
ignorant people misunderstand, to normal common things,
like wearing a T-shirt, or tie, or sneakers, or driving a BMW
or Mercedes-Benz SLR. Rather, it refers to things that are
specific for Non-Muslims and are well-known to be widely
practiced by Kuffaar. For ‘Eids’ like Halloween, Christmas,
Thanksgiving, Easter, there is no doubt whatsoever that
such Eids fall into this meaning.
3. Ibn al-Qayyim said in his book, Ahkaam Ahl adh-
Dhimmah, “It is not permissible for the Muslims to attend
the festivals of the disbelievers, according to the consensus
of the scholars whose words carry weight.
The Fuqahaa’ who follow the four schools of thought have
stated this clearly in their books. Al-Bayhaqi narrated with
an authentic isnaad from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab that he said:
“Do not enter upon the disbelievers on the day oftheir festival, for divine wrath is descending upon
them.”
And ‘Umar also said:
“Avoid the enemies of Allah on their festivals.”
Al-Bayhaqi narrated with an acceptable isnaad from
‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr that he said: “Whoever settles in the
land of the non-Arabs and celebrates their new year and
festival and imitates them until he dies in that state, will be
gathered with them on the Day of Resurrection.”
So yes, most definitely, as the Prophet told us, as reported in
Saheeh Al-Bukhari:
المرء مع من أحب“A person will be with the one whom he loved(on the Day of Resurrection).”
You will be with the one whom you loved. “Love” is not just
saying, ‘I love Allah, I love Islaam, I love Prophet
Muhammad.’ Love is not talk. Talk is cheap! Love is
striving to imitate, to be like, and to follow the practices of
someone or something.
Now, ask yourselves this: Are you imitating the Prophet
more in your life, or are you abandoning his Sunnah?
Forget about whether it’s obligatory or recommended. This
isn’t a Fiqh issue. It’s an issue of: Do you really love the
Prophet Muhammad such that you will strive to imitate him
in every aspect of your life? Or are you imitating the
Kuffaar more in your life? Do you imitate their traditions
more than the traditions of your Prophet? Who do you wish
to be resurrected amongst? You will be with those whom
you love.
Comments ADD YOURS
Sami on November 24, 2009 at 3:43am
Salam Br. AbdelBasit,
JAK for the informative article.
Many legitimate scholars argue that holidays
that don’t have a religious origin are not
included under the above daleel (i.e. they
would differentiate between
Thanksgiving,Mothersday, etc. and
Christmas,Easter,Valentines Day and so
forth).
Also, I don’t personally celebrate these
holidays as I believe its best to stay away
from doubtful matters. However, I just
wanted to make aware that there are
difference in this regard.
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Food for thought:
http://www.suhaibwebb.com/islam-
studies/american-customs-what-is-
permissible/
Sami
Abd Al-Baasit on November 24, 2009 at 12:22pm
Of course, there will always be difference of
opinion on every issue.
But the issue here is not, (quote on quote)
religious holidays vs. “Non-religious”
holidays.
It’s أعياد (`Eids) of the non-Muslims vs. the
`Eids that Allah has given us – people of
Islaam.
In the Saheeh, the Prophet tells Abu Bakr:
.Every people have their `Eid“ إن لكل قوم عيدا
”.And THIS is our `Eid وهذا عيدنا
He said, the Day of `Arafah (this coming
Thursday), the Day of Nahr (Friday) and
the Days of Tashreeq (following 3 days)
are the `Eids (annual days عيدنا أهل اإلسالم
of celebration) for us, People of Islaam.
…. So the point, is – we want to try & differ
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from the traditions, the practices, the annual
celebrations of the non-Muslims, in sha
Allah. * Not whether it is permissible or
impermissible, or religious or non-religious.
* As the Prophet said about those 2 days the
Kuffaar took as days of relaxation & party –
I want to differ from them, in أريد أن أخالفهما
this practice of theirs. * It wasn’t a
religious/non-religious issue. It was about,
being different.
+ Finally, I want to leave you with this
hadeeth to think about (in my next
comment). :)
Abd Al-Baasit on November 24, 2009 at 12:42pm
The hadeeth was authenticated by Abu
Daawood (in his Sunan), An-Nawawi (in
Al-Khalaasah), Ibn Taymiyyah (in the book
which I referenced to him in the above
article, towards the beginning), Al-Baghawi
(in Sharh as-Sunnah), Ibn Al-`Arabi (in
Abdul-Haqq Al-Ishbeeli (in` ,(عارضة األحوذي
Al-Ahkaam As-Sughraa), Ibn Al-Mulqin (in
his Sharh of Bukhaari), Ibn Hajar (in
Buloogh al-Maraam, etc), Al-`Ayni (in
‘Umdah al-Qaari), and Al-Albaani (in
Saheeh al-Jaami`, Saheeh Abi Daawood,
Saheeh an-Nasaa’i, Takhreej Mishkaat al-
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Masaabeeh, Salaat al-`Eedayn).
Narrator: Anas Ibn Maalik. * When the
Prophet came to Madeenah, ولهم يومان
the People of Madeenah had 2 يلعبون فيهما
days in which they used to enjoy themselves
& play and have fun. * {So, Br. Sami, it’s
nothing religious.} The hadeeth says,
كان لهم يومان في كل سنة يلعبون فيهما , فلما
قدم النبي _ صلى هللا عليه وسلم _ المدينة قال :
كان لكم يومان تلعبون فيهما وقد أبدلكما هللا بهما
خيرا منهما , يوم الفطر ويوم األضحى
They used to have 2 days (imagine,
Thanksgiving/Christmas) in every single
year (i.e. annual), in which they used to play
and party. When the Prophet arrived to
Madeenah, he asked them: ما هذان اليومان؟
“What are these 2 days of yours?” What did
they say? They said: كنا نلعب فيهما في
We used to play on these 2 days“ الجاهلية
every year, in the time of Jaahiliyyah.”
+ They didn’t say, we sacrifice for the gods.
Or this is the day of Jesus Christ’s birth, or
the day of Hubal and Laat. Or any relgious-
related issue… no! They simply said, we
used to play on these 2 days, every single
year, in the pre-Islamic period.
The Prophet says to them: إن هللا قد أبدلكم
,Surely“ بهما خيرا منهما, يوم الفطر ويوم األضحى
Allah has indeed replaced these 2 days for
you, with 2 days that are Better than them!
The Day of Fitr, and the Day of Adhaa.”
So – my dear brother – this is the issue.
Not religious or otherwise, or halaal or
haraam. * It’s just that, Allah has given us in
exchange for these man-made holidays,
Holidays that are Better! So instead of
celebrating thanksgiving, we have the Day
of Adha —- a Day of Shukr and
thanksgiving to Allah. :) Give gifts &
‘turkeys’ to the non-Muslims on This day,
on Our god-given day of celebration, no on
theirs. What better way of Da’wah? Tell
them that this is Our annual day of
celeberation. Party on your day of `Eid, not
on their day.
Catch my drift?
zuhwra on December 13, 2009 at 1:42pm
Asalamm aleikum
My daughter is 6 yrs old, and was told to
dress up as a doll for the xmas school play (
it was santas xmas presents) was this haram
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for her?
Jaza kallakheir.
AbdulBasit on December 14, 2009 at 5:03pm
Hey everybody – I just found out that the
book I referred to in the article (by Shaykh-
ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah), اقتضاء الصراط
In Pursuit of) المستقيم مخالفة أصحاب الجحيم
the Straight Path by Contradicting the
People of the Hell re) … this book is
available in English under the title “The
Right Way”, published by Darussalam,
Riyadh.
AbdulBasit on December 14, 2009 at 5:23pm
Allah knows best. This is from the هللا أعلم
issues that relate to attending public schools
& the requirements of that.
It is well-known that if you attend public
schools, you will end up participating in
Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving projects and
activities, Halloween-related activities, and
the same goes for Christmas, etc.
So it’s not about, this particular Christmas
play (and whether she dresses up like a doll
or like Santa). It goes deeper into the issue
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of attending public schools vs. Muslim
schools.
* But there’re not a lot of fulltime Muslim
schools, sadly. So many times Muslim
children end up having to attend public
schools.
As a parent, one must try his/her best to
educate the child about Islaam, to counter
the non-Islamic teachings they’re getting
throughout the week. Not just putting them
in a Sunday school or… but really teaching
them the meaning of Islaam, what it means
to be a Muslim, who is Allah, etc.
Conclusion: Some things are requirements
in public school, some are not. You have to
make the judgment إن شاء هللا. I don’t want
to say whether dressing up like a doll (as a
present of Santa) for a Christmas school
play is HALAAL or HARAAM… just realize
that whatever children are brought up upon,
whatever children are shown, taught, and
made accustomed to – especially during
their young years (until around 13) – it will
have an effect on them.
Allah knows best
– AbdulBasit Khan
AbdulBasit on December 16, 2009 at 1:25am
But as for a direct answer from myself, I
would say: I don’t think that this is a very
serious matter (the case you mentioned).
However, you must make sure that you are
teaching her about Islam, and as she grows
older, how we must differ from the non-
Muslim practices and traditions.
Shahin136 on July 2, 2010 at 11:28pm
@Abd al-Baasit Khan-thank you so much
for writing this! I’ve been looking
everywhere for an explanation of that
hadeeth about imitating people and I was
also one of those who thought it referred to
wearing T-shirts and jeans and stuff and i
was also looking to find which non-muslim
holidays we could or could not celebrate
and this answered all my questions.
@Arif Kabir-I’ve heard many sheikhs say the
word “Salaf” and my friend told me she’s
Salafi. What does that mean? i’ve researched
on this but I can’t seem to find any
authentic website that answers my question.
Abd al-Baasit Khan on July 3, 2010 at 4:35am
As for your question – Shahih136 – about
the Arabic word سلف (salaf), literally this
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word means, “that which came before, that
which preceded”. As it occurs in the Qur’an
(8:38): “Tell the disbelievers (O
Muhammad), if they desist and cease
( ghting/attacking the Muslims), يغفر لهم ما
’then ‘everything that has preceded قد سلف
will be forgiven for them.”
So this is the origin of the term, linguistically
speaking. * As for its meaning in Islam, and
when it’s used by speakers, it is a reference
to: “The Pious Predecessors” (as you nd it
translated in some places), or “The
Righteous Forefathers”. i.e. those pious
great Muslims who came before us. And
sometimes you’ll hear some Islamic speaker
use the phrase, لف الصالح -As-Salaf As“ الس
Saalih”, which basically has the same
meaning as just mentioned.
Specially, and in most cases, when we use
this term (Salaf), it is particularly referring
to the 1st 3 generations of Muslims [i.e. the
Prophet & his Companions (صحابة), then the
following generation (called the تابعون
[Taabi’oon], or the Successors), and then
the generations after them]. * Why are these
three considered special? Due to a
statement of the Prophet, wherein he stated:
“The best of all generations humanity has
ever seen is my generation (i.e. of his
Companions), then the generation that will
follow them, and then the generation that
will follow them.” — And he stopped. 300
years. {And FYI, all of the 4 famous Imams
of the Muslims, Abu Haneefah, Maalik,
Shaa ’ee, Ahmad lived in this time period,
these three hundred years.}
+ Last note: As for a very recent
phenomenon that has emerged (and truth
be told, it was some of our very recent
Scholars, and Hadeeth specialists of this era,
who coined this term with the best of
intentions), of calling oneself a “Sala ”
which btw, as u can probably… سلفي
guess now, means someone who is
following the “Salaf”, the way and
methodology of our Pious Predecessors … I
personally have seen some
dangers/problems arise from this kind of
labeling, such as harsh exclusiveness, and
many extreme groups calling themselves
“Sala s” emerging, who malign and attack
many of our Scholars here in the West, and
are always busy in refuting and “warning”
against individuals, etc.
In general, there’s basically nothing wrong
with saying you’re a “Salafi”, IF and only if
you clarify along with mentioning this
‘label’, what its intended meaning is – so
that no one thinks that this is some kind of
“new sect”, or cult or whatever…
Shahin136 on July 5, 2010 at 9:03am
Jazakallah khair brother for the detailed
explanation and I hope you keep writing for
MYM in the future to benefit a lot of
people.
Abd Al-Baasit on July 3, 2010 at 7:10am
BTW, u may also wanna listen to this
important 3 min. clip – from a lecture by
Dr. Bilal Philips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=wbGlzlS3O9g ;)
Arif on September 28, 2010 at 5:57pm
There’s actually a novel in Bangladesh about
Umar (radhiAllahu anhu) visiting current-
day Bangladesh and aghast at all the Fitan
everywhere. Now, I don’t know if that is
correct Islamically, but it sure gave another
perspective to imagine that Umar or any of
the Salaf saw us doing what we do today.
May Allah protect us…
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valentine day and islam on February 27, 2011 at 4:46pm
The Festival of Love was one of the festivals
of the pagan Romans, when paganism was
the prevalent religion of the Romans more
than seventeen centuries ago. In the pagan
Roman concept, it was an expression of
“spiritual love”. There were myths
associated with this pagan festival of the
Romans, which persisted with their
Christian heirs. Among the most famous of
these myths was the Roman belief that
Romulus, the founder of Rome, was suckled
one day by a she-wolf, which gave him
strength and wisdom. The Romans used to
celebrate this event in mid-February each
year with a big festival. One of the rituals of
this festival was the sacrifice of a dog and a
goat. Two strong and muscular youths
would daub the blood of the dog and goat
onto their bodies, then they would wash the
blood away with milk. After that there
would be a great parade, with these two
youths at its head, which would go about
the streets. The two youths would have
pieces of leather with which they would hit
everyone who crossed their path. The
Roman women would welcome these
blows, because they believed that they could
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prevent or cure infertility.
Sumiaya on October 24, 2011 at 4:46am
so that means we can’t celebrate birthdays?
like we can’t even wish people happy
birthday?
Shiney on October 24, 2011 at 11:40am
nope, no birthdays. because the Prophet
(SAW) said we only have 2 Eids (an Eid in
Arabic means a day that is celebrated every
year on the same day) and birthdays fall
under the linguistic meaning of Eid. and for
the most part, wishing someone on their b-
day means acknowledging it, which
shouldn’t have been done. but in the
end, scholars differ as to how strict or
lenient they want to be with this issue or
birthdays.
Sumaiya on November 10, 2011 at 5:43pm
ok JazakAllah!
Shaheer on January 24, 2012 at 2:59am
Shahin, I do remember that the
Prophet(saw) said we only have two eids
but i am failing to find the reference. Can
you please help me with that? jazakAllah
khairan
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Yughni on January 26, 2012 at 12:29pm
He said words to this effect on numerous
occasions, but here’s just one quick example
[transmitted by Abu Dawud & An-Nasaa’i;
authentic]: When the Prophet came to
Madinah, he found the people celebrating 2
holidays or festivals (and as far as we know,
they were not religious fesitvals. They were
just, يومان في كل سنة يلعبون فيهما – as
Anas Ibn Maalik said, “two days every year,
in which the people would party, celebrate,
take the day off”; essentially, 2
holidays/’Eids). So when he came to
Madinah, he asked them: ما هذان اليومان؟
“What are these 2 days?”
They replied, كنا نلعب فيهما في الجاهلية “We
used to play on these days (take the day off
& just celebrate) in the days of Jaahiliyyah
(before Islam).”
So what did the Prophet say? ♦ He said, إن
هللا قد أبدلكم بهما خيرا منهما, يوم الفطر ويوم
Then surely, Allah has already“ األضحى
replaced these 2 days for you, with 2 days
that are better than them: the day of Fitr,
and the day of Adhaa.”
○ See: “Saheeh Sunan An-Nasaa’ee”, #1555.
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And “Saheeh Sunan Abi Daawood”, #1134.
It was authenticated by Abu Daawood
himself (1134), Ibn Taymiyyah in his book
referred to in the article (Iqtidaa’ As-Siraat
Al-Mustaqeem, 1/485 – wherein he said:
“Its isnaad meets the criteria of Imaam
Muslim”), An-Nawawi, Al-Baghawi, Ibn
Al-‘Arabi Al-Maaliki, ‘Abdul-Haqq Al-
Ishbeeli, Ibn Al-Mulqin, As-Suyooti, Ibn
Hajar Al-‘Asqalaani, Al-‘Ayni Al-Hanafi, Al-
Albaani, etc.
So in Islam, we have our own, distinct
celebrations and holidays. Allah has given us
better, as the Prophet said. And we should
be content with what He has given us, and
really make a Big Deal out of our God-
given holidays/festivals instead of
continuously trying to hold on to, and justify
our celebration of the non-Muslim holidays.
– And Allah Knows Best.
Usama891 on December 13, 2011 at 3:01pm
jazakallahukheir
Vandy on January 25, 2012 at 3:34pm
This article is POORLY written, deceptive
and outright incorrect. The texts have been
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misused and cherry picked in order to
propagate a certain view. Ibn Taymiyah did
NOT say that! Fear Allah – he said the
opposite!
Arif Kabir on January 25, 2012 at 10:56pm
Please provide your evidence for such a
claim.
Yughni on January 26, 2012 at 12:13pm
Vandy (may Allah have mercy on you), your
comment carries no weight unless you
provide clear proof for what you’re trying to
say… But in fact, if you have ever read the
book by Shaykh Al-Islam, Imam Ibn Al-
Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him),
-Ahkaam Ahl adh“ [أحكام أهل الذمة]
Dhimmah” – you would not be saying this.
Ibn Al-Qayyim, رحمه هللا, proves therein that
this “certain view” (as you said) is the clear
consensus of the Scholars of the 4 Schools
of Thought. This is exactly what he said, • It
is NOT permissible for the Muslims to
attend the festivals (أعياد) of the disbelievers,
according to the consensus of the scholars
who words carry weight! • On top of this,
we even have explicit reports from the
Prophet’s Companions forbidding this. See
`Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab’s statement cited in
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the article, as well as ‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Amr
s statement about settling in’(رضي هللا عنهما)
the lands of the disbelievers and celebrating
their festivals and imitating them until death
(how such a person will be gathered with
them on the Day of Judgment). ♦ This
article proves, with clear evidence, how this
is something that was known to be
impermissible from the beginning of Islam.
And btw, Ibn Qayyim’s teacher (Ibn
Taymiyyah, يرحمه هللا) said the exact same
thing – if you have ever read his book [and
based on your comment, it’s pretty clear
you haven’t]: اقتضاء الصراط المستقيم مخالفة
-Iqtidaa’ As-Siraat Al] أصحاب الجحيم
Mustaqeem, Mukhaalafatu As’haabi’l-
Jaheem]. • His conclusions are not
ambiguous, rather he undeniably proved the
impermissibility of celebrating the festivals
of the disbelievers, etc.
Do you read Arabic, Vandy? >> These are
*his* words, not mine [and they leave no
room for doubt]:
مشابهتهم في بعض أعيادهم توجب سرور قلوبهم
بما هم عليه من الباطل٬ وربما أطمعهم ذلك في
-Imaam Ibn Al انتهاز الفرص واستذالل الضعفاء
Qayyim (يرحمه هللا) was also explicit on this
issue,
وأما التهنئة بشعائر الكفر المختصة به فحرام
باالتفاق٬ مثل أن يهنئهم بأعيادهم وصومهم٬
فيقول: عيد مبارك عليك٬ أو تهنأ بهذا العيد ونحوه٬
فهذا إن سلم قائله من الكفر فهو من المحرمات
وهو بمنزلة أن يهنئه بسجوده للصليب بل ذلك
أعظم إثما عند هللا٬ وأشد مقتا من التهنئة بشرب
الخمر وقتل النفس٬ وارتكاب الفرج الحرام ونحوه٬
وكثير ممن ال قدر للدين عنده يقع في ذلك٬ وال
يدري قبح ما فعل٬ فمن هنأ عبدا بمعصية أو بدعة٬
أو كفر فقد تعرض لمقت هللا وسخطه
He stated that, ♦ Congratulating the
disbelievers on the rituals that belong only
to them is Haraam (Prohibited) by
CONSENSUS, as is congratulating them on
their ‘Eids (Festivals/Holidays) and fasts by
saying, ‘A happy festival to you’, or ‘May
you enjoy your festival’, and so on. IF the
one who says this has been saved from kufr
(he is not involved in kufr), it is still
prohibited. It is like congratulating someone
for prostrating to the cross, or even worse
than that! It is even greater a sin in Allah’s
sight than congratulating someone for
drinking wine, or murdering someone, or
having illicit sexual relations, and so on. And
MANY of those who have no respect or
appreciation for their Religion fall into this
error, and they do not realize the
offensiveness (“qabh” – lit. hideousness) of
their actions. So whoever congratulates a
person for his disobedience (to God) or
bid’ah (religious innovation) or kufr
(disbelief), exposes himself to the wrath and
anger of Allah! ♦ End quote from his
words, may Allah have mercy on him.○ So
Vandy, please think long & hard before you
speak without knowledge, and please go
back and read the works of these Scholars
of Islam before making false
accusations. – Thank you!
Abu Abdillah on November 22, 2012 at 7:33pm
As-Salaamu ‘Alaikum,
It’s Muharram. The month in which Allah’s
Final Messenger sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam
fasted the most outside of Ramadhan. It’s a
Thursday. One of the days we are
recommended to fast on a regular basis. I
look forward to feasts on our ‘Eids, the days
in which our Prophet stated substituted for
other eids. I am an American convert of
over 30 years. Our Messenger would fast
differently than others who were also
ordered to fast before us, and to make it a
POINT to differ from those previous
23
communities. My non-Muslim family and
the culture that I grew up in has me in a
position – since I am living in the US –
where their practices already have a greater
impact on my life than I do on theirs.
Holding proudly and tightly onto Islam and
standing out and up for it is getting like
holding onto hot coals. I can invite my
family for eids or other days if I really want
them to come together or be with them or
want my children to know them or want to
give them da’wah on my terms or where I
have a real say and a likelihood to be
listened to. Such an event can be planned
well in advance (years even) so they can
take the day off or travel as can I. I want to
put more effort into OUR ‘Eids than theirs. I
fasted today and I pray it was accepted.
BTW Sorry I am not a ‘youth’. Just sharing.
AND I don’t despise my family (at least not
most of them), I like turkey and football
too, but…
malik on December 22, 2012 at 5:50am
great article! may Allah reward you.24
25
Eman on June 25, 2013 at 12:59pm
So according to this when a Muslim marry a girl
from the people of the book he has to prohibit her
from celebrating her holidays …Islam never said she
had to convert ..and one of the reasons men are
allowed to marry people of the book is because we
do believe in Jesus and Moses (Pbu)..so if we apply
this ruling the girl would have to give up her religion
and convert which Islam never said so…
Arif Kabir on June 30, 2013 at 10:59pm
Where did he say that?
AbdulBasit Khan on December 5, 2013 at 4:53pm
Eman, may Allah increase you in knowledge
and bless you, this is an incorrect
extrapolation. The Prophet’s own wife,
Sa yyah, رضوان هللا عليها وصلى هللا عليه وسلم,
who was of Jewish heritage – when she
embraced Islam, she still would visit her
Jewish family every week on the Sabbath.
So she embraced Islam, yet she did not give
up keeping ties with her family and relatives
*on their religious day*.
So even more so, for a Jewish or Christian
woman married to a Muslim man, she
26
27
practices her religion and keeps to her
traditions and festivals.
You said, “Islam never said she had to
convert” – I concur, Eman. You’re
absolutely right. The above ruling applies
for Muslims only. She, being a non-Muslim,
maintains her religion and what it entails.
This is part of the tolerance of this beautiful
deen.
Kamrun on December 9, 2013 at 8:49am
Assalamualaikum, can you advice me in this
issue that im goin through,my 6yr old
daughter who attends public school or
doing a winter show, her class will be
singin, Santa is coming to Town, Is it
permissible for her to participate in this
show, if i dont allow her to participate,
during rehersals and the day of the show
they will make her sit by the bench by
herself.What advice can you give me, asap
Jazakh Allah Khair
Aziza on December 9, 2013 at 10:56pm
Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa
barakatu Kamrun,
Here is a quote from a longer fatwa located
28
29
at: http://islamqa.info/en/4237
“(Children should) Not (be) attending
parties where there is dancing, music and
singing, or joining in celebrations of
immorality or the festivals of kufr;”
Also there is a comment above by the
author about a similar issue. Based on the
above quote, it may be best for your
daughter not to participate and perhaps
arrangements can be made with the teacher.
InshaAllah you can try to explain it to your
daughter in a way that will make her feel
proud of being different instead of feeling
left out.
I pray that everything will work out by
Allah’s grace.
Abdullah Salim on April 20, 2014 at 3:14am
Assalaam aleikum. Thanks for open us our
eyes on how to protect from them. but if
someone Christian give you a gift, may I
receive it?
Aziza on April 21, 2014 at 6:39pm
Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa
barakatu Abdullah,
30
31
Please see the following links. Hope it helps
you, InshaAllah.
http://islamqa.info/en/11564
http://islamqa.info/en/85108
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