Is Celebrating or Congratulating Christmas Permissible in Islam?
It is more serious that some
Muslims celebrate the Gregorian New Year, magnify it, and venerate it. It is
connected to a religious occasion for the Christians; the birth of Christ,
Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon him).
Why the Gregorian New Year Is a
Religious Celebration
Thus, celebrating the Gregorian New Year together
with the occasion of the birth of Christ involves rejoicing in religious
rituals. Rejoicing in the rituals of disbelief—if the one who rejoices in them
is spared from disbelief itself—then it is, as Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have
mercy on him) said in his book Ahkam Ahl Adh-Dhimmah: “worse than
rejoicing in drinking wine and worshipping the cross.”
The Ruling on Muslims Celebrating
or Congratulating Christmas
The matter is serious, O brothers. It
is forbidden for a person to celebrate Christmas if he is a Muslim. It is
forbidden for him to congratulate them on this holiday if he is a Muslim. It is
forbidden for him to return their congratulations if congratulated, if he is a
Muslim.
Glory be to Allah! Do we
congratulate them on a holiday they consider among their religious rituals?!
And is this anything but approval of disbelief?
Congratulating on Religious
Holidays: Courtesy or Compromise?
However, most of those who
congratulate them do not intend to glorify their religion or their rituals;
rather, what they intend is courtesy. And this is wrong.
If someone says: I am being
courteous to them because they are courteous to me and congratulate me on Eid Al-Fitr
and Eid Al-Adha.
Why Muslim Festivals Are Not
Comparable to Christmas
We say: Praise be to Allah—if they congratulate us on Eid Al-Adha and Eid Al-Fitr,
then they have congratulated us on a legitimate festival that Allah has Ordained
for His servants. In fact, it would have been obligatory upon them that Eid Al-Adha and Eid Al-Fitr be festivals for
them as well, as they are required to accept Islam.
But if we congratulate them
on Christmas, we are congratulating them on a festival that Allah did not Make
a festival.
Does Christmas Have Any Valid
Religious Basis?
This Gregorian festival has
no basis in history and no basis in the Shari`ah. Jesus son of Mary did not
command them to establish this festival. So it is either something they
introduced into the law of Christ as an innovation and misguidance, or it was
legislated and prescribed in the law of Jesus, peace be upon him, but was
abrogated by the Islamic Shari`ah.
Therefore, it has no basis
under any consideration. Because if we say it is among the innovations of the
Christians and not part of their original law, then it is misguidance. And if
we say it was part of their law, then it is abrogated. And worshipping Allah
with an abrogated religion is misguidance. So it is misguidance in every case.
Why a Muslim Cannot Congratulate
Religious Misguidance
If it is misguidance, how is
it fitting for me, as a Muslim, to congratulate them on it? And I have already
answered the claim that they congratulate us on our festivals while we do not
congratulate them on theirs: our festival is legitimate by the command of Allah
SWT. Their festival is not legitimate, because it is either fabricated within
their law or abrogated by our law. Thus, it has no valid basis under any
consideration.
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- Islamic Culture: Its Importance and Historical Role
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Taken from alathar.net
