Ruling on Christmas and New Year Celebration by Muslims
Questions and answers.
C̶̶h̶̶r̶̶i̶̶s̶̶t̶̶m̶̶a̶̶s̶ ( No)
-I'm muslim ! (Yes)
CAN SHE ATTEND CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS IN ORDER TO GREET HER RELATIVES?
PRAISE BE TO ALLAAH.
She says: I want to become Muslim, but my family gather to celebrate Christmas, and I want to go and greet them. This is not with the intention of celebrating or joining in, but simply to make the most of the opportunity of my relatives getting together. Is this allowed?
We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen,who answered as follows:
No, it is not permitted. If Allaah blesses her with Islam, then the first thing she must do is to distance herself from her former religion and its festivals..
THEY WERE OFFERED FOOD AT CHRISTMAS – WHAT SHOULD THEY DO?|
What should one do if one's neighbour serve one with chrismas food on the 25th of December. Should we pour away the food or should we reject it even if rejecting it can cause misunderstanding with them.
Praise be to Allaah.
It is permissible for a Muslim to accept gifts from the kuffaar or to give them gifts, especially if they are relatives. The evidence for that is as follows:
(a)
It was narrated that Abu Humayd al-Saa’idi said: We went on campaign with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to Tabook, and the king of Aelia gave the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) a white mule and a cloak, and he (the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) approved of him as the ruler of his land. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (2990).
(b) It was narrated that Katheer ibn ‘Abbaas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib said: ‘Abbaas said: I was present with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on the day of Hunayn. Abu Sufyaan ibn al-Haarith ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib and I stayed close to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and did not leave him. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was riding a white mule of his, that had been given to him by Farwah ibn Nufaathah al-Judhaami. Narrated by Muslim (1775).
It was proven that the Sahaabah also (accepted gifts from the kuffaar) with the permission of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) during his lifetime. The mother of Asma’ bint Abi Bakr – who was a mushrikah – visited her daughter and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave permission to Asma’ (may Allaah be pleased with her) to uphold ties of kinship with her. And it is proven that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab gave a suit to his brother who was a mushrik. Both hadeeth are narrated in al-Saheehayn.
To sum up: it is permissible for a Muslim to give gifts to a kaafir and to accept gifts from him.
Secondly:
With regard to gifts given on their festivals, it is not permissible to give or accept them, because that is venerating their festivals and expressing approval of them and helping them in their kufr.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
If someone gives a gift to the Muslims on these festivals and that is contrary to his habit at all other times apart from this festival, then his gift is not to be accepted, especially if the gift is something that is used to imitate them, such as giving candles and the like at Christmas, or giving eggs, milk and lambs on Maundy Thursday, which comes at the end of their fast (Lent).
Similarly, no gift should be given to any of the Muslims on these festivals because of the festival, especially if it is something that is used to imitate them, as we have stated above.
The Muslim should not sell the things that Muslims could use to imitate them on that festival, such as food, clothing and the like, because that is helping them in doing evil.
Iqtida’ Siraat al-Mustaqeem, p. 227.
And he (may Allaah have mercy on him) also said:
As for the Muslim selling them things that they use for their festivals, such as food, clothing, herbs and the like, or giving those things to them, that is a kind of helping them to celebrate their haraam festival. This is based on the principle that it is not permissible to sell to the kaafirs grapes or juice that they can use for wine, and it is not permissible to sell them weapons with which they can fight the Muslims.
Iqtida’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem, p. 229
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said concerning the festivals of the People of the Book:
Just as it is not permissible for them to celebrate them openly, it is not permissible for the Muslims to help them in that or attend with them, according to the consensus of the scholars. This was stated clearly by the fuqaha’ who follow the four imams, in their books.
Then he (may Allaah have mercy on him) quoted the words of the imams of the madhhabs and the prominent scholars.
Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah (3/1245-1250).
Thirdly:
It is not permissible for the Muslim to take religious matters lightly. He must practise his religion openly. They practise their religion openly and display its symbols during these festivals; we should also openly reject their gifts and refuse to join them and help them in that. This is one of the teachings of our religion.
We ask Allaah to help us to understand the rulings of our religion and to help us to act upon it and adhere to it.
OFFERING GIFTS TO SOME WOMEN ON CHRISTMAS
There is a common practice here in the west, that at christmas time some non-muslims, young and old, get together and gather all of their names, put them in a hat and have all of the names mixed up, then each person choses the name of another person who they will give a gift to on christmas day.
This is called chris kringle.
This basic idea was taken on by a group of sisters last year and now they want to take this practise on this year also for the end of eid. All that the practice consists of, is each sister randomly assigned another sister for whom she must buy a gift of a set value ($20 )
Some of the sisters invloved beleive that this practsie is tashabu of the kufar, is this correct?
Praise be to Allaah.
What some sisters have said to you, that this action is something that is not permitted, is correct, because it involves imitating the kuffaar in two ways.
Firstly it involves celebrating this festival, which is something that is haraam according to sharee’ah, including offering gifts on this festival.
Secondly, it involves imitating the kaafirs in these customs on the day of their celebration of that innovated festival.
In Islam we have only Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adhaa. Any other festivals that have been innovated besides these two amount to nothing, especially if they are the religious festivals of other religions or groups that are beyond the pale of Islam. This matter opens the door to bid’ah, and it comes under the general meaning of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours that is not part of it will have it rejected.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, al-Sulh 2499; Muslim, 1718).
THE RULING ON
CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR
ينميثعلا لحاص نب دممحو ةيميتلا نب ملاسلإا خيش
PRAISE BE TO ALLAAH.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said1 the following in his commentary on the aayah (interpreta-tion of the meaning),
“And those who do not witness falsehood [al-zoor]…” [al-Furqaan 25:72]
As regards the festivals of the mushrikeen: they combine confu-sion, physical desires and falsehood, there is nothing in them that is of any religious benefit, and the instant gratification involved in them only ends up in pain. Thus they are falsehood, and witness-ing them means attending them.
This aaayah itself praises and commends (those who do not wit-ness falsehood), which has the meaning of urging people to avoid taking part in their festivals and other kinds of falsehood. We un-derstand that it is bad to attend their festivals because they are called al-zoor (falsehood).
It indicates that it is haraam to do this for many reasons, because Allaah has called it al-zoor. Allaah condemns the one who speaks falsehood [al-zoor] even if no-one else is harmed by it, as in the aayah forbidding dhihaar [a form of divorce in which the man says to his wife “You are to me like the back of my mother”], where He says (interpretation of the meaning):
1 Iqtidaa’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem Mukhaalifat Ashaab al-Jaheem by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, p. 183.
“… And verily, they utter an ill word and a lie [zooran]…” [al-Mujaadilah 58:2].
And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“… So shun the abomination of idols, and shun lying speech (false statements) [al-zoor].” [al-Hajj 22:30].
So the one who does al-zoor is condemned in this fashion.
In the Sunnah: Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
“The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came [to Madeenah] and they had two days in which they would (relax and) play. He said, “What are these two days?” They said, “We used to play (on these two days) during the Jaahiliyyah.” The Mes-senger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has given you something better in-stead of them: Yawm al-Duhaa [Eid al-Adha] and Yawm al-Fitr [Eid al-Fitr].” (Reported by Abu Dawood).
This indicates clearly that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Al-laah be upon him) definitely forbade his ummah to celebrate the festivals of the kuffaar, and he strove to wipe them out by all possible means. The fact that the religion of the People of the Book is tolerated does not mean that their festivals are approved of or should be preserved by the ummah, just as the rest of their kufr and sins are not approved of. Indeed, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went to great lengths to command his ummah to be different from them in many issues that are mubaah (permitted) and in many ways of worship, lest that lead them to be like them in other matters too. This being
different was to be a barrier in all aspects, because the more dif-ferent you are from the people of Hell, the less likely you are to do the acts of the people of Hell.
The first of them is: The hadeeth “Every people has its festi-val, and this is our festival” implies exclusivity, that every peo-ple has its own festival, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“For every [nation] there is a direction to which they face (in their prayers)…” [al-Baqarah 2:148]
…and
“…To each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way…” [al-Maa’idah 5:48].
This implies that each nation has its own ways. The laam in li-kulli [“for every”, “to each”] implies exclusivity. So if the Jews have a festival and the Christians have a festival, it is just for them, and we should not have any part in it, just as we do not share their qiblah (direction of prayer) or their laws.
The second of them is: one of the conditions set out by ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) and agreed upon by the Sahaabah and by all the Fuqahaa’ after them is: that those of the People of the Book who have agreed to live under Islamic rule (ahl al-dhimmah) should not celebrate their festivals openly in Daar al-Islam (lands under Islamic rule). If the Muslims have agreed to prevent them from celebrating openly, how could it be right for the Muslims to celebrate them? If a Muslim cele-brates them, is that not worse than if a kaafir does so openly?
The only reason that we forbade them to celebrate their festivals openly is because of the corruption involved in them, because of the sin or symbols of sin. In either case, the Muslim is forbidden from sin or the symbols of sin. Even if there was no evil involved apart from the kaafir feeling encouraged to celebrate openly be-cause of the Muslim’s actions, how can a Muslim do that? The evil involved (in their festivals) will be explained below, in shaa Allaah.
Al-Bayhaqi reported with a saheeh isnaad in Baab Karaahiyat al-Dukhool ‘ala Ahl al-Dhimmah fi Kanaa’isihim wa’l-Tashabbuh Bihim Yawmi Nawroozihim wa Maharjaanihim (Chapter on the Abhorrence of Entering the Churches of Ahl al-Dhimmah on the Occasion of their New Year and Other Celebrations): From Su-fyaan al-Thawri from Thawr ibn Yazeed from ‘Ata’ ibn Deenaar who said: ‘Umar said: “Do not learn the language of the non-Arabs, do not enter upon the mushrikeen in their churches on their feast-days, for the wrath (of Allaah) is descending upon them.”
‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab said: “Avoid the enemies of Allaah on their festivals.”
It was reported with a saheeh isnaad from Abu Usaamah: ‘Awn told us from Abu’l-Mugheerah from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr: “Whoever lives in the land of the non-Arabs and celebrates their New Year and their festivals, and imitates them until he dies in that state, will be gathered with them on the Day of Resurrection.”
‘Umar forbade learning their languages, and even entering their churches on the day of their festival, so how about doing some of
The things they do on those days, or doing things that are a part of their religion? Is not going along with their actions worse than learning their language? Is not doing some of the things they do on their festival worse than just entering upon them? If divine wrath is descending upon them on the day of their festival be-cause of what they do, then is not the one who does what they do, or a part of it, also exposed to the same punishment? Do not the words “Avoid the enemies of Allaah on their festivals” mean that we should not meet them or join them on those days? So how about the one who actually celebrates their festivals?
‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr clearly stated: “Whoever lives in the land of the non-Arabs and celebrates their New Year and their festivals, and imitates them until he dies in that state, will be gathered with them on the Day of Resurrection.”
This implies that the one who joins in with them in all of these matters is a kaafir, or that doing this is one of the major sins (ka-baa’ir) that will doom one to Hell; the former meaning is what is apparent from the wording.
He mentioned – and Allaah knows best – the one who lives in their land, because at the time of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr and the other Sahaabah, they used to forbid open celebration of kaafir festivals in the Muslim lands, and none of the Muslims imitated them in their festivals; that was possible only when living in the lands of the kaafirs.
‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) refused to even acknowl-edge the name of their festivals which were exclusively theirs, so how about actually celebrating them?
Ahmad mentioned the meaning of the reports narrated from ‘Umar and ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with them) on this topic, and his companions discussed the matter of festivals.
Imaam Abu’l-Hasan al-Aamidi said: the one who is known as Ibn al-Baghdaadi said in his book ‘Umdat al-Haadir wa Kifaayat al-Musaafir: “It is not permitted to attend the festivals of the Christians and Jews. Ahmad stated this in the report of Mu-hannaa, and his evidence for that is the aayah (interpreta-tion of the meaning):
‘And those who do not witness falsehood [al-zoor]…’ [al-Furqaan 25:72].
He said: (This is) al-Sha’aaneen and their festivals. He said: The Muslims are to be prevented from entering upon them in their synagogues and churches.”
Ibn Uthaymeen said the following2 about this issue:
Greeting the kuffaar on Christmas and other religious holidays of theirs is haraam, by consensus, as Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy on him, said in Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah: “Con-gratulating the kuffaar on the rituals that belong only to them is haraam by consensus, as is congratulating them on their festivals and fasts by saying ‘A happy festival to you’ or ‘May you enjoy your festival,’ and so on. Even if the one who says this has been saved from kufr, it is still forbidden. It is like congratulating someone for prostrating to the cross, or even worse than that. It is as great a sin as congratulating someone for drinking wine, or murdering someone, or having illicit sexual relations, and so on. Many of those who have no respect for their religion fall into this error; they do not realize the offensiveness of their actions. Who-ever congratulates a person for his disobedience or bid’ah or kufr exposes himself to the wrath and anger of Allaah.”
Congratulating the kuffaar on their religious festivals is haraam to the extent described by Ibn al-Qayyim because it implies that one accepts or approves of their rituals of kufr, even if one would not accept those things for oneself. But the Muslim should not accept the rituals of kufr or congratulate anyone else for them, because Allaah does not accept any of that at all, as He says (interpreta-tion of the meaning):
“If you disbelieve, then verily, Allaah is not in need of you, He likes not disbelief for His slaves. And if you are
2 Majmoo’ah Fataawa wa Rasaa’il al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 3/369
grateful (by being believers), He is pleased therewith for you. . .” [al-Zumar 39:7]
“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, com-pleted My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Is-laam as your religion.” [al-Maa’idah 5:3]
So congratulating them is forbidden, whether they are one’s col-leagues at work or otherwise.
If they greet us on the occasion of their festivals, we should not respond, because these are not our festivals, and because they are not festivals which are acceptable to Allaah. These festivals are innovations in their religions, and even those which may have been prescribed formerly have been abrogated by the religion of Islaam, with which Allaah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to the whole of mankind. Allaah says (in-terpretation of the meaning”:
“Whoever seeks a religion other than Islaam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.” [Aali ‘Imraan 3:85]
It is haraam for a Muslim to accept invitations on such occasions, because this is worse than congratulating them as it implies taking part in their celebrations.
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 (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”
Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyah said in his book Iqtidaa’ al-siraat al-mustaqeem mukhaalifat ashaab al-jaheem:
“Imitating them in some of their festivals implies that one is pleased with their false beliefs and practices, and gives them the hope that they may have the opportunity to hu-miliate and mislead the weak.”
Whoever does anything of this sort is a sinner, whether he does it out of politeness or to be friendly, or because he is too shy to re-fuse, or for whatever other reason, because this is hypocrisy in Islaam, and because it makes the kuffaar feel proud of their relig-ion.
Allaah is the One Whom we ask to make the Muslims feel proud of their religion, to help them adhere steadfastly to it, and to make them victorious over their enemies, for He is the Strong and Omnipotent.
________
NON-MUSLIM RELIGIOUS CELEBRATIONS AND RULING ON
PARTICIPATAING
The conflict between truth and falsehood is ongoing and will last as
long as this world remains. The fact that some groups among the
Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
are following the people of falsehood such as the Jews, Christians,
Zoroastrians, idol-worshippers and others, whilst a group is remaining
steadfast to the truth despite the pressures, is all part of the decreed
system of the universe. But this does not mean that we should give in
and follow the ways of those who are astray, because the one who
told us that this would inevitably happen also warned us against following this path, and he commanded us to adhere firmly to Islam
no matter how many people deviate from it and no matter how strong they become. He told us that the blessed one is the one who adheres
steadfastly to the truth no matter what the distractions, at a time when
the one who does righteous deeds will earn the reward of fifty men
whose deeds are like those of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased
with them) – as was reported in the hadeeth of Abu Tha’labah al-
Khushani (may Allaah be pleased with him).
Among the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) there will be people who deviated from the truth and went
towards falsehood, changing and altering things. Their punishment
will be that they will be kept away from the Hawd (Cistern) whilst
those who adhered to the Straight Path will come and drink from it.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“I will precede you to the Cistern, and men from among you will be
brought to me, and when I stretch forth my hand to them, they will be
pulled away. I will say, ‘O Lord! My followers!’ and it will be said:
‘You do not know what they innovated after you were gone.’”
According to another report: “I will say: ‘May he be doomed, the one
who changed (the religion) after I was gone.’”
One of the most obvious manifestations of this altering of Islam and
disdainfully treating the religion of Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) is the way in which people follow the enemies of Allaah – may He be exalted – in everything, major or
minor, in the name of development, progress and civilization, under
the banners of peaceful coexistence, human brotherhood, new world order, globalization and other dazzling but deceitful slogans. The
caring Muslim can spot this dangerous problem among the majority of Muslims, except for those on whom Allaah has mercy, to such an
extent that they even follow them in their religious rituals and in their
most unique traditions and customs, such as the festivals which are
part of their belief systems. Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings):
“and follow not their vain desires, diverging away from the truth that
has come to you. To each among you, We have prescribed a law and
a clear way” [al-Maa’idah 5:48]
“For every nation We have ordained religious ceremonies which they
must follow” [al-Hajj 22:67] – which means, a festival which is for
them alone.
Many Muslims have been led astray by the dazzling attractions of the
enemies of Allaah, especially the Christians with their major festivals
such as the celebration of the birth of the Messiah (peace be upon
him) – i.e., Christmas – and the Christian New Year. They attend
Christian parties on these occasions in their (Christians’) countries,
and some of them have brought these things back to Muslim countries
– we seek refuge with Allaah. A great disaster is the huge
preparations which are being made on an international scale and at
the level of the major Christian countries to celebrate the end of the
second millenium and the beginning of the third millenium since the
birth of the Messiah, son of Maryam (peace be upon him). If the
world is teeming with Christian celebrations during a regular New
Year, how will it be at the end of a Christian century (the twentieth
century) and the end of a millenium (the second millenium)? It is a
major event for which the Christians are preparing in a manner
appropriate to its huge significance.
This Christian event will not be like a usual New Year’s Eve
celebration taking only in the Christian countries and in their focal
point, the Vatican. Preparations are afoot to make the focal point of
the celebrations in Bethlehem, the place where the Messiah – peace
be upon him – was born. The political and religious leaders of the
Christians will go there – evangelicals and moderates alike, and even
the secularists, to celebrate this millenium of which the world press is
talking more and more as it approaches day by day. It is expected that
more than three million people will be present in Bethlehem, led by
the Pope John Paul II. Some of the neighbouring Muslim countries are also taking part in this global event, on the grounds that some of the symbols or major events of the Christian festival took place in their land – namely the baptism of the Messiah (peace be upon him), when he was baptized by John the Baptist (Yahyaa, peace be upon him) in the River Jordan. Indeed, many Muslims will also take part in these celebrations on the basis that they are an international event which concerns all the inhabitants of the earth. These people do not
know that celebrating this millenium is a celebration of a Christian religious festival (the birth of the Messiah, i.e. Christmas, and the Christian New Year), and that taking part in it involves taking part in the rituals of their religion, and that rejoicing in it means rejoicing in
the symbols of Kufr when they are made manifest and they prevail. This poses a great danger to the ‘aqeedah (belief) of the Muslim,
because “Whoever imitates a people is one of them” as was reported in a saheeh hadeeth from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). So how about one who actually joins in with them in the rituals of their religion?! This obliges us to
discuss the rulings on the festivals of the kuffaar, how the Muslim should deal with them and how they should differ from them – which is one of the basic principles of this pure religion of ours. Moreover, we need to know some details about their festivals and rituals so that
we can avoid them and warn others about them.
Why do we need to know about the festivals of the kuffaar? One of the things that the scholars agreed on is that the Muslim does not need to concern himself with the ways of the kuffaar, or their
rituals and customs (unless he wants to call them to Islam), except
when their customs and rituals are becoming widespread ignorant
Muslims, whether deliberately or unintentionally. In such cases
Muslims need to know about them so that they can avoid them. In
recent times this has become more of an issue for the following
reasons:
1. More mixing with the kuffaar, because Muslims go to their
countries to study, take vacations, do business or for other
reasons. Those who go there witness some of their rituals and
they may like them, so they follow them. This is especially the
case with those who are suffering from an inferiority complex
and who look at the kuffaar with strong admiration which robs
them of the power to resist, corrupts their hearts and weakens
their commitment to religion. In addition to this, many
westernized, educated people regard the kuffaar as advanced,
progressive and civilized even in their most mundane customs
and habits. Or else this comes about through the open
celebration of these festivals in Muslim countries by some
groups and non-Muslim minorities, so some ignorant Muslims
are influenced by this.
2. The matter is made more serious by the media which can transmit everything with sound and living pictures from the farthest corners of the earth. No doubt the media of the kuffar is stronger and more capable of transmitting their rituals to the Muslims than the other way round. Many satellite channels broadcast the rituals of other religions’ festivals – especially Christian festivals. The matter becomes more serious when the
secular systems in some Muslim countries have adopted the celebrations of the kaafirs and some of the people of bid’ah and the Arabic satellite channels broadcast this to the world, so some Muslims are deceived by the fact that this is coming from a Muslim country.
3. Throughout their history, the Muslims have suffered from the problem of being influenced by the rituals of others through mixing with them. This prompted the imaams (scholars) of Islam to warn the Muslim masses against imitating others in their festivals and rituals. Among these scholars are Shaykh al-
Islam ibn Taymiyah, his student al-‘Allaamah Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Haafiz al-Dhahabi and al-Haafiz ibn Katheer. They lived at the same time, when there was a lot of mixing between Muslims
and others, especially Christians, and ignorant Muslims were influenced by their (Christians’) religious rituals, especially
their festivals. So these scholars spoke a great deal about these
things throughout their books, and some of them devoted books
to the particular topic, such as Ibn Taymiyah ( Iqtidaa’ al-Siraat
al-Mustaqeem li Mukhaalafat Ashaab al-Jaheem) and al-
Dhahabi (Tashbeeh al-Khasees bi Ahl al-Khamees), and others.
Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) spoke at length about
their festivals and what they do on those occasions, and he described
the extent to which the ignorant Muslims were influenced by this. He
described their various festivals and the rituals and customs that were
involved - which Muslims do not ordinarily need to know about, but
now it is necessary because many Muslims are following the People
of the Book in those rituals.
Shaykh al-Islam described their festivals and discussed them in the
context of warning against them. After speaking in detail about them,
he said: “Our aims are not limited just to knowing the details of their
falsehood, but it is sufficient for us to know what is munkar (evil) in
such a way that we can distinguish between it and that which is
mubaah (permissible), ma’roof (good), mustahabb (encouraged) and
waajib (obligatory), so that by means of this knowledge we will be
able to protect ourselves and avoid it, just as we know (and avoid)
other things that are haraam, as we are obliged to do. Whoever does
not know about what is munkar, either in general terms or in details,
will not be able to avoid it. A general knowledge is sufficient, unlike
with waajibaat (duties) [where it is essential to know details –
translator].”
He also said:
“I have counted so many things that are munkar in their religion when
I noted that some groups of Muslims are influenced by some of them,
and many of them do not know that this comes from the Christian
religion which is cursed, it and its followers. I do not know all the
things that they do, but I have mentioned what I have seen Muslims
doing, which is taken from them.”
4. Some of their festivals nowadays revolve around large gatherings,
and still bear some of the features of their ancient festivals. Many
Muslims take part in these events without realizing that. This is the
case with the Olympic Games, whose roots lie in a festival that was
celebrated by the Greeks, then the Romans, then the Christians; and
with the “Mahrajaans” (“festivals”) which are organized to promote
trade, culture etc., even though the Mahrajaan was originally a
Persian festival. Most of those who organize these gatherings and call
them “Mahrajaan” are unaware of this.
5. Knowing evil is a means of avoiding it and keeping away from
it. Hudhayfah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The
people used to ask the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) about good things, but I used to ask him
about bad things, fearing that I may fall into them.” It is a great
problem that Muslims fall into observing some of the rituals of
the disbelievers without realizing that this is part of their rituals
and unique customs, which we have been commanded to avoid
because it is an abomination and misguidance.
6. There are so many calls made by the strong voices of hypocrisy
who want to cut the Ummah off from its roots, destroy its
identity and assimilate it into the methodology of the kuffaar,
and want people to follow them step by step, under the banners
of humanity, globalization, universalism, openness towards
others and receptiveness towards other cultures. This makes it
essential for us to know about the others’ (the kaafirs’)
misguidance and deviation so that we can expose it and point
out the faults that lie beneath the attractive exterior that covers
these abhorrent ideas,
“so that those who were to be destroyed (for their
rejecting the Faith) might be destroyed after a clear
evidence, and those who were to live (i.e. believers) might
live after a clear evidence” [al-An’aam 8:42 –
interpretation of the meaning] – and so that proof may be
demonstrated to the followers of Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), so that they will not be
cheated or deceived.
Festivals of the Pharaohs
Among the Pharaonic festivals is the festival of Shimm al-
Naseem (lit. “smelling the breeze”), which involves
venerating some days as a good omen or drawing nigh to
the gods who were worshipped instead of Allaah – may He
be exalted. Shaykh Mahfooz – during his own time –
mentioned some of the shameful and immoral practices
that would make one's hair stand on end, whereby farms
and open spaces were filled with groups of immoral people
of bad conduct, and groups of young and old, men and
women, went to the orchards and rivers to commit zinaa
(fornication, adultery) and to drink intoxicating
substances, thinking that on that day all evil actions were
permissible for them.
Among the superstitions connected to this festival was the placing of onions beneath the head of a sleeping person, or hanging them in doorways, claiming that this would take away laziness and sloth. This event is counted as one of the Pharaonic festivals, and it was said that it was invented by the Copts; there is nothing to suggest that it did not belong to both of them, and that it was not passed down from the Pharaohs to the Copts. Many Egyptians –especially the Copts – still celebrate this festival, and
many Muslims join in with them. In recent years a number
of secular writers have called for it to be made an official
holiday, in order to revive the Pharaonic legacy, at the
time when they describe the rituals of Islam as being
backward, reactionary and uncivilized!
The festivals of the Greeks
The months of the Greek year were many, and were named
after the festivals. The costs of these festivals were
financed by the rich among them. Most of their festivals
were connected to the rituals of their pagan religion which
was based on polytheism. They had so many festivals
which were aimed at reducing the tedium of daily life, and
it reached the extent that no month was free of one or more
festivals, except for one month which was called
Mamkitrion.
Their festivals were characterized by obscenity,
promiscuity, drunkenness and giving free rein to their
animalistic desires, so that they did whatever they wanted,
as is reflected in many of their misguided myths, such as
their claim that they summoned the souls of the dead, then
they sent them back or expelled them again after the
festival was over. The most important of their festivals
included the following:
The festival of the Olympiad, or the Olympic feast. This
was held in Elis every four years. It was first officially
recognized in 776 BCE. The Olympiad was one of their
most important festivals and seasonal gatherings. From
that far-off date, these games were historically called the Olympiad. It has nationalistic features and aims, so much so that it was said that the Greeks used to boast about their Olympic victories more than their conquests on the battlefield. This was the greatest festival of the Greeks at that time. These games are still held and supported by the Christian nations under the same ancient name and with the
inherited rituals such as lighting the Olympic flame in
Athens and bringing it to the country where the Games are being held, and so on. Unfortunately many Muslim
countries also take part in these games and boast about
doing so. Many of them do not know that their origin lies
in the festivals of the kuffaar and the sacred days of their pagan religion. We seek refuge with Allaah from
deviation, misguidance and blind following.
The Greeks also had other major festivals such as the
festivals of the Hellenic league, the Ionic league and
others.
The festivals of the Romans
One of the nations which had the most festivals was the
Romans. They had more than one hundred holy days in the
year, days which they regarded as festivals, including the
first day of each month. Some festivals were devoted to
the sanctification of the dead and the souls of the
underworld, and on many of their festivals celebrations
were held to placate the dead and appease their anger – or so they claimed. As it is known, the Roman Empire prevailed after the Greeks, so they inherited many of the Greek rituals, customs and festivals. Among the most famous Roman festivals:
The festival of love, which they celebrated on February 14each year, as an expression of what they believed, in their pagan religion, to be divine love. This festival was
invented more than 1700 years ago, at the time when
paganism was still prevalent among the Romans. Whilst
their state was still idolatrous, they executed Saint
Valentine, who had converted to Christianity after having
been a pagan. When the Romans converted to Christianity,
they made the day of his execution an occasion to
celebrate the martyrs of love. This festival is still
celebrated in America and Europe, to declare feelings of
friendship and to renew the covenant of love between
spouses and lovers. This festival now has great social and
economic significance.
It seems that another practice stemmed from the concept of
this feast, which is the anniversary celebrated by spouses
or friends who love one another, where the couple
celebrate the anniversary of their marriage each year, to
confirm the love between them. This custom has passed to
the Muslims because of their mixing (with the non-
Muslims), so that couples celebrate the night of their
marriage in a special way in many Muslim countries,
imitating the kuffaar. Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illaa
Billaa il-‘Aliy il-‘Azeem (there is no strength and no power
except with Allaah, the Exalted and Almighty).
The festivals of the Jews
1. The (Jewish) New Year, which is called the festival of Heesha
[Rosh Hashanah]. This is the first day of Tishreen al-Awwal.
They claim that it is the day on which the sacrifice Ishaaq
(peace be upon him) was ransomed. This is according to their
mistaken belief – in fact the one who was to be sacrificed was
Ismaa’eel, not Ishaaq. This festival has a similar status to that of
‘Eid al-Adhaa for Muslims.
2. The festival of Sumaria or Yom Kippur, which for them is a day
of forgiveness.
3. The feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) on the fifteenth of Tishreen.
On this day they stay in the shade of the branches of trees. It is
also called the Festival of the Fast of the Virgin Mary.
4. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is the Passover, on the
fifteenth of Nisan. This commemorates the flight of the Children
of Israel from slavery in Egypt in the thirteenth century BCE.
This story is told in the twelfth chapter of the Book of Exodus.
The festival lasts for eight days in occupied Palestine, and the
Reform Jews celebrate it in their own countries for seven days.
During this festival they have a celebration called the Seder,
where they read the story of the flight of the Children of Israel
in a book called the Haggadah and they eat unleavened bread, as
a reminder that when the Children of Israel fled, they ate this
kind of bread, because they did not have time to make leavened
bread. The Jews still eat unleavened bread during this festival to
this day.
5. The Feast of Weeks or Pentecost (Shavuot). They claim that this
is the day on which Allaah – may He be exalted – spoke to
Moosa (peace be upon him).
6. The Day of Atonement, in the tenth month of the Jewish year,
when a person goes into seclusion for nine days to worship and
fast, This is called the days of repentance.
7. The new moon. They used to celebrate the birth of each new
moon, when they used to blow trumpets in Jerusalem and light
fires in celebration.
8. The Jubilee, which is described in the Book of Leviticus.
They also have other festivals, among which the most well known
are: the festival of victory, or Purim, and the festival of Hanukkah,
which is also known as the festival of blessing.
The festivals of the Christians
The festival of the resurrection, which is called Easter. This is the
most important annual Christian festival, which is preceded by the
long fast (Lent) which lasts for forty days before Easter Sunday. This
festival commemorates the return of the Messiah (peace be upon him)
or his resurrection after his crucifixion, two days after his death –
according to their claims. It marks the end of many different kinds of
rituals, which include:
1. The onset of the long fast of Lent, which lasts for forty days
before Easter Sunday. They start fasting on a Wednesday known
as Ash Wednesday, where ash is placed on the foreheads of
those present and they repeat the words, “From dust we came
and to dust we shall return.”
2. Fifty days after Easter Sunday, they end with the Feast of
Pentecost or Whitsuntide.
3. The Week of Sorrows (or Holy Week), which is the last week of
the fasting period of Lent, which refers to the events that led up
to the death and resurrection of Jesus (peace be upon him) – as
they claim.
4. Palm Sunday, which is the Sunday before Easter. This is a
commemoration of the triumphal entry of the Messiah into
Jerusalem.
5. Maundy Thursday, which is a commemoration of the Last
Supper of the Messiah, and his arrest and imprisonment.
6. Good Friday (“the Friday of Grief”), which is the Friday before
Easter, which refers to the death of Jesus on the cross – or so
they claim.
7. Easter Saturday (the “Saturday of Light”), which comes before
Easter and refers to the death of the Messiah. It is a day of
watching and waiting for the resurrection of the Messiah on
Easter Sunday. The Easter festivities conclude with the
Thursday of Ascension, when the story of the Messiah’s
ascension into heaven is recited in all the churches. They have
different kinds of celebrations and festivals, according to the
different denominations in different Christian countries. The
Thursday and Friday before Easter are known as the Great
Thursday and the Great Friday, as was mentioned by Shaykh al-
Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him). This is
the Thursday (al-Khamees) referred to in the book of al-Haafiz
al-Dhahabi (may Allaah have mercy on him): Tashbeeh al-
Khasees bi Ahl al-Khamees. This Thursday is the last day of
their fast, and is also known as the Thursday of the Table or the
Feast of the Table. It is mentioned in Soorat al-Maa’idah where
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“‘Eesaa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), said: “O Allaah,
our Lord! Send us from the heaven a table spread (with
food) that there may be for us — for the first and the last
of us — a festival and a sign from You…” [al-Maa’idah
5:114]
They also do many strange things during these festivals, as was
mentioned by many historians, such as gathering the leaves of trees,
soaking them, then washing with the water, or putting kohl on their
eyes. The Copts of Egypt used to bathe in the Nile on certain days,
claiming that this was healing. Easter is the day when they break their
long fast. They claim that on this day, the Messiah (peace be upon
him) was resurrected three days after the crucifixion, and Adam was
saved from Hell, and other myths. Shams al-Deen al-Dimashqi al-
Dhahabi mentioned that the people of Hama would stop working for
six days on this occasion, and they would dye eggs and make ka’k [a
kind of biscuit], and other kinds of corrupt deeds and mixing that they
engaged in at that time. He said that the Muslims used to join in that
as well, and that they outnumbered the Christians. We seek refuge
with Allaah.
Ibn al-Haaj mentioned that they openly committed immoral actions
and engaged in gambling, but no one denounced them for doing so.
This is probably what prompted Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may
Allaah have mercy on him) to denounce what he saw of Muslims
imitating Christians in their festivals and rituals, for he mentioned a
great deal of this in his excellent book al-Iqtidaa’ . Al-Dhahabi also
wrote a book on this topic, as mentioned above.
Until the present, all the Christians celebrate Easter on the first
Sunday after the moon become full in spring, in the period between
March 22 and April 25. The Eastern Orthodox Christians observe it
later than the other Christians. Its rituals, fasts and days occupy an
entire season in the Christian year.
2. The festival of the birth of the Messiah (may peace be upon him).
The Europeans call this Christmas, and it is on December 25 for the
majority of Christians. For the Copts it is the day which corresponds
to the twenty-ninth of Keehak (the fourth month of the Coptic year).
This celebration is ancient and was mentioned in the books of the
historians. Al-Maqreezi said: The time of Christmas came whilst we
were in Cairo, and it is a major event in all the regions of Egypt,
when they sell candles in the shape of flowers, which they call
lanterns.
For Christians, this festival is an annual reminder of the birth of the
Messiah (peace be upon him). They have many rituals and acts of
worship at this time, when they go to the church and hold special
prayers and services. The story of the birth of the Messiah is
mentioned in their Gospels – Luke and Matthew. It was first
celebrated in 336 CE. The festival is influenced by pagan rituals,
when the Romans used to celebrate the god of light and the god of the
harvest. When Christianity became the official religion of the
Romans, Christmas became the most important festival in Europe.
Saint Nicholas became a symbol of gift-giving at this festival in the
European countries, then Father Christmas (Santa Claus) took the
place of Saint Nicholas as a symbol of the giving of gifts, especially
to children (1). Many Muslims in different countries have been
influenced by these rituals and customs, and the giving of gifts by
Santa Claus has become well known in many Muslim-owned stores
and shops. How many houses have these gifts entered, and how many
Muslim children know about Santa Claus and his gifts! Laa hawla wa
laa quwwata illaa Billaa il-‘Aliy il-‘Azeem (there is no strength and
no power except with Allaah, the Exalted and Almighty).
The Christians have many rituals on this day. The Christians of
Palestine and neighbouring regions gather on the night of this festival
in Bethlehem, the city where the Messiah (peace be upon him) was
born, to attend Midnight Mass. Among their other rituals, they
celebrate the nearest Sunday to the date of November 30, which is the
feast day of Saint Andrew. This is the first day of Advent – the advent
of the Messiah (peace be upon him). The festival reaches its peak
when they stay up for Midnight Mass, when the churches are
decorated and the people sing Christmas carols. The Christmas season
ends on January 6. Some of them burn part of the trunk of the
Christmas tree, then they keep the part that is not burned, believing
that this burning will bring them good luck. This belief is widespread
in Britain, France and the Scandinavian countries.
3. The feast of the Epiphany (ghattaas), which is on January 19.
For the Copts it is on the eleventh of Toobah. The origin of this
festival, according to them, is that Yahyaa ibn Zakariya (peace
be upon them both), whom they know as John the Baptist,
baptized the Messiah son of Maryam (peace be upon him) in the
River Jordan, and when he was washed, the Holy Spirit came
upon him. Because of this, the Christians dip their children in
water on this day, and all of them immerse themselves in the
water. Al-Mas’oodi mentioned that this day – during his time –
was a major event in Egypt, attended by thousands of Christians
and Muslims, who would bathe in the Nile, believing that this
offered protection from sickness and was a healing. This is what
is celebrated by the Orthodox churches, but the Catholic and
Protestant churches have a different concept of this festival,
whereby they commemorate the “adoration of the Magi”, where
the three men who came from the east venerated the infant
Jesus.
The origin of the word ghattaas (baptism) is Greek,
meaning “emerging.” It is a religious term, referring to the
emergence of an invisible being. It was mentioned in the
Tawraat that Allaah – may He be exalted – appeared to
Moosa (peace be upon him) in the form of a burning bush
– exalted be Allaah far above what they say.
0. The Christian New Year celebration: this has become a major
celebration in these times, which is celebrated by Christian
countries and by some Muslim countries. TV broadcasts of
these celebrations are transmitted live to all parts of the world,
they appear on the front pages of newspapers and magazines,
and they occupy a large part of the news broadcasts on satellite
channels. It is noticeable that many Muslims in whose countries
these Christian celebrations are not held travel to Christian
countries to attend them and enjoy the forbidden things that are
involved in them, unaware of the sin committed by indulging in
the rituals of those who disbelieve.
The Christians have many false beliefs and myths about New Year’s
Eve (December 31), as is the case with all their festivals. We hear of
these beliefs from the makers of modern civilization and those who
are described as civilized, those whom the hypocrites among our
people want to follow in even the smallest detail, even in their myths,
so that we can be assured of a position in the ranks of those who are
advanced and civilized and earn the approval of those who have
blond hair and blue eyes!
Among their beliefs (with regard to New Year’s Eve) is that the one
who drinks the last glass of wine from the bottle after midnight will
have good luck, and if he is single, he will be the first one among his
friends who are present to get married. It is regarded as bad luck for a
person to enter the house at New Year without bringing a gift;
sweeping out the dirt at New Year means that one is also sweeping
away good luck; washing clothes and dishes on this day will bring
bad luck; they try to keep the fire burning all night on New Year’s
Eve so that it will bring good luck… and other such myths and
superstitions.
They also have other festivals, some of which are ancient and others
have been invented recently. Some of them were taken from the
Greeks and Romans who came before them, and others were part
their religion but have now vanished. Some of these festivals are of
major significance to them, and others are of limited importance,
being confined to a few churches or denominations.
Each denomination and church has festivals which are unique to
them, and are not celebrated by other denominations. The Protestants
do not believe in the festivals of the other churches, but they do agree
on the major festivals such as Easter, Christmas, New Year and the
Epiphany, even though they differ as to the rituals and practices
involved, or some of the reasons and details, or the time and place.
Festivals of the Persians
1. The festival of Nawrooz. The word ‘Nawrooz’ means new. The
festival lasts for six days, when at the time of Chosroes they used to
fulfil the needs of other people in the first five days, and the sixth day
was devoted to themselves and the people to whom they were closest.
This day was called the great Nawrooz, and was the most important
of their festivals. The book Ashaab al-Awaa’il mentioned that the
first one to celebrate Nawrooz was Jamsheed the king, in whose time
Hood (peace be upon him) was sent, after the religion had been
changed. When the king Jamsheed renewed the religion and
established justice, the day on which he had ascended the throne was
named Nawrooz. When he reached the age of seven hundred years,
and he had never gotten ill or suffered a headache, he became an
oppressive tyrant. He made an image of himself and sent it to the
provinces for it to be venerated, and the masses worshipped it and
made idols in its image. Al-Dahhaak al-‘Alwaani, one of the
Amaaliqah (Amalekites) attacked him in the Yemen and killed him,
as is stated in the books of history. Some of the Persians claim that
Nawrooz is the day when Allaah created light. Nawrooz is considered
to be the festival marking the Persian solar New Year. It coincides
with the twenty first of March in the Gregorian calendar. The masses
used to light fires on this night and sprinkle water in the morning.
Nawrooz is also celebrated by the Baha’is, coming at the end of their
fast which lasts for 19 days, on March 21. (3). Nawrooz is also the
first day of the year for the Copts, who call it Shimm al-Naseem. For
them it lasts for six days, starting on the sixth of June. We have
already discussed Shimm al-Naseem under the heading of Pharaonic
festivals above. It is possible that the Copts took it from the Pharaonic
legacy, since they were all in Egypt.
2. The festival of Mahrajaan. The word Mahrajaan is composed of
two words: mahar, meaning loyalty, and jaan meaning authority or
power. So the word means, the authority of loyalty. The origin of this
festival was the celebration of the victory of Afridoon over al-
Dahhaak al-‘Alwaani, who killed Jamsheed, the king who has started
Nawrooz. It was also said that it was a celebration of the onset of
cooler weather in the fall. It is possible that it originally started for the
reason mentioned above, but as that coincided with the onset of
cooler weather in the fall, so they continued to celebrate that. It is
celebrated on the twenty-sixth of the Syriac month of Tishreen al-
Awwal. Like Nawrooz, it lasts for six days, the sixth of which is the
Great Mahrajaan. On this occasion and on Nawrooz they used to
exchange gifts of musk, amber, Indian ‘ood [a kind of perfume or
incense], saffron and camphor. (5). The first person to make this
exchange of gifts official in Islamic times was al-Hajjaaj ibn Yoosuf
al-Thaqafi, and this continued until it was abolished by the rightlyguided
Khaleefah ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez (may Allaah have mercy
on him).
One of the greatest problems that the Muslims are suffering from is
the use of the word Mahrajaan (festival) to describe many social,
cultural and economic gatherings, celebrations and events. The word
is even used to describe da’wah events. So people speak of
mahrahjaan al-thaqaafah (cultural festival), Mahrajaan al-tasawwuq
(marketing festival), Mahrajaan al-kutub (book festival), mahrahjaan
al-da’wah (da’wah festival) and so on, as we see in advertisements
and hear in many phrases which use this idolatrous term. Mahrajaan
is the name of the festival of the fire worshippers.
Hence using this idolatrous Persian term to describe Muslim
gatherings is clearly one of the things that are prohibited. We must
avoid doing this and tell others not to use this word. There are
sufficient permissible expressions that we do not need to use this
word, for the Arabic language is the richest of all languages in words
and meanings.
Definition of imitation.
Imitation (tashabbuh in Arabic) means resembling. If we say that
someone imitates someone else, we means that he looks like him and
acts like him. Likening a things to something else (tashbeeh) means
saying that it is like it. The word tashabbuh has many counterparts in
Arabic which carry meanings such as being like, imitating, looking
like, following, agreeing with, taking as an example, copying, etc.
They all have shades of meaning of their own, but they also overlap
with the meaning of tashabbuh. In terms of the terminology of Fiqh,
al-Ghuzzi al-Shaafa’i defined tashabbuh as describing a person’s
attempt to be like the one whom he is imitating, in appearance,
characteristics, wqualities and attributes. It implies making an effort
to achieve this and deliberately taking action for that purpose.
The ruling on imitating the kuffaar
One of the most important basic principles of our religion is that of
al-walaa’ wa’l-baraa’, loyalty (walaa’) to Islam and its people, and
diavowal (baraa’) of kufr and its people. One of the essential features
of this disavowal of kufr and it’s people is that the Muslim should be
distinct from the people of kufr, and he should feel proud of his
religion and of being a Muslim, no matter how strong and advanced
and civilized the kuffaar may be, and no matter how weak and
backward and divided the Muslims may be. It is not permissible
under any circumstances to take the strength of the kuffaar and the
weakness of the Muslims as an excuse for imitating and resembling
them, as some hypocrites and defeatist Muslims claim. The texts
which forbid imitating the kuffaar do not make any distinction
between whether Muslims are strong or weak, because the Muslim
can be distinct in his religion and be proud of being Muslim even
when he is in a weak position.
Allaah calls us to be proud of Islam, and considers this to be the best
of speech and the best kind of pride, as He says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“And who is better in speech than he who [says: “My Lord is Allah
(believes in His Oneness),” and then stands firm (acts upon His
Order), and] invites (men) to Allah’s (Islamic Monotheism), and does
righteous deeds, and says: “I am one of the Muslims.” [Fussilat
41:33]
Because it is so important for the Muslim to be distinguished from the
kaafir, the Muslim is commanded to pray to Allaah at least seventeen
times each day to help him to avoid the path of the kaafireen and to
guide him to the Straight Path:
“Guide us to the Straight Way. The way of those on whom You have
bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your
Anger, nor of those who went astray” [al-Faatihah 1:6-7 –
interpretation of the meaning].
There are very many texts in the Qur’aan and Sunnah which forbid us
to imitate them, and which clearly state that they are misguided;
whoever imitates them, imitates them in their misguidance. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meanings);
“Then We have put you (O Muhammad Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã) on a (plain) way
of (Our) commandment [like the one which We commanded Our
Messengers before you (i.e. legal ways and laws of the Islâmic
Monotheism)]. So follow you that (Islâmic Monotheism and its laws),
and follow not the desires of those who know not.” [al-Jaathiyah
46:18]
“Were you (O Muhammad Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã) to follow their (vain) desires
after the knowledge which has come to you, then you will not have
any Walî (protector) or Wâq (defender) against Allâh” [al-Ra’d
13:37]
“And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves
after the clear proofs had come to them” [Aal- ‘Imraan 3:105]
Allaah calls the believers to remember Him with humility and to
recite His Verses, then He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“lest they become as those who received the Scripture [the Taurât
(Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] before (i.e. Jews and Christians), and
the term was prolonged for them and so their hearts were hardened?
And many of them were Fâsiqûn (the rebellious, the disobedient to
Allâh)” [al-Hadeed 57:16]
No doubt imitating them is one of the grestes indications that a person
has befriended them and loves them, and this contradicts the idea of
diavowal [baraa’] of the kufr and its people. Allaah has forbidden the
believers to take them as friends, and He has stated that taking them
as friends causes a person to become one of them – Allaah forbid.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as
Auliyâ’ (friends, protectors, helpers), they are but Auliyâ’ of each
other. And if any amongst you takes them (as Auliyâ’), then surely, he
is one of them” [al-Maa’idah 5:51]
“You (O Muhammad ) will not find any people who believe in Allâh and
the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allâh and His
Messenger (Muhammad ), even though they were their fathers or their sons or
their brothers or their kindred (people)” [al-Mujaadilah 58:22]
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“Imitation generates friendship and love, and regarding them as allies in the
inside, just as loving them on the inside generates imitating them on the
outside.”
And he also said, commenting on the aayah from Soorat al-Mujaadilah:
“Allaah tells us that there is no (true) believer who takes a kaafir as a friend,
for whoever takes a kaafir as friend is not a believer. Imitation on the outside
implies that a person loves (the one whom he imitates), and so it is forbidden.”
It was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”
(Narrated by Abu Dawood, al -Libaas, 1204; Ahmad, 2/05. Shaykh al-Islam
classed its isnaad as jayyid in al-Iqtidaa’, 1/042. See also al-Fataawaa, 25/133.
Al-Haafiz provided corroborating evidence in al-Fath, with a mursal report
whose isnaad is hasan (6/89). Al-Suyooti classed it as hasan, and al-Albaani
classed it as saheeh in Jamee’ al-Saheeh, 5206).
Shaykh al-Islam said: “This hadeeth at the very least implies that it is
haraam to imitate them, even if it is only in external appearance, and
it implies that the one who imitatest hem is a kaafir, as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): ‘And if any amongst you takes them
(as Auliyâ’), then surely, he is one of them’ [al-Maa’idah 5:51].” (al-
Iqtidaa’, 1/732).
Al-San’aani said: “If a person imitates the kaafir in his dress, and
believes that by doing so he will be like him, then he is a kaafir. If he
does not belive this, then there is a difference of opinion among the
fuqahaa’ in this case. Some of them say that he is a kaafir, which is
the apparent meaning of the hadeeth; others say that he is not a kaafir,
but he should be disciplined.” (Subul al-Salaam, 8/842).
Shaykh al-Islam said: “The reason why the religion of Allaah and its
rituals is vanishing, and kufr and sin are prevailing, is because of
imitation of the kaafireen, just as the means of preserving all good is
by following the ways and laws of the Prophets. “ (al-Iqtidaa’, 1/413).
There is much that could be said about imitation of the kuffaar, but
what we have said above is sufficient.
The forms of imitating the kuffaar in their festivals
The various sects and groups of the kuffaar have many kinds of
festivals, some of them have a religious basis whilst others have been
newly invented. Some of their festivals are like customs and events
for which they have invented festivals, such as national holidays and
the like. Their festivals may be grouped into different categories as
follows:
Firstly:
religious festivals by means of which they seek to draw nearer to
Allaah, such as the Epiphany, Easter, Passover, Christmas, etc. They
ways in which the Muslims imitate them in these festivals are two:
1. Joining in with them in these festivals, such as when some non-
Islamic groups or minorities in Muslim countries celebrate their
festivals, and some Muslims join in with them. This happened at
the time of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah and al-Haafiz al-
Dhahabi, and it is what is happening now in many of the
Muslim countries. What is even worse than that is what some
Muslims do by travelling to the kaafir countries for the express
purpose of attending these festivals and joining in the
celebrations, whether the motive is to fulfil their physical
desires or in response to the invitation of some of the kuffaar –
as some Muslims do who live in kaafir countries and are invited
to join the celebrations, or some other who have capital to invest
or are owners of large companies, so they accept these
invitations for the sake of being friendly to the person who
invited them, or for a worldly interest such as winning a
contract, and so on. All of this is haraam, and there is the fear
that it may lead to kufr, because of the hadeeth, “Whoever
imitates a people is one of them.” And the one who does this is
aiming to join in some of the rituals of their religion.
2. Beinging the celebration to the Muslim countries. Those who
attend the festivals of the kuffaar in their countries and who like
them because they are ignorant and have weak faith and little
knowledge, may be prompted to bring some of those festivals
and rituals to the Muslim countries, as is happening now in
many Muslim countries, where the Gregorian New year is
celebrated. This category is worse than the former one for one
reason, which is that the people whodo this are not content
merely to join the kuffaar in their rituals, but they want to bring
them to the Muslim lands as well.
Secondly:
Festivals whose origins lie in the rituals of the kuffaar, and they have
now become international customs and celebrations.
To be will continued....
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Questions and answers.
C̶̶h̶̶r̶̶i̶̶s̶̶t̶̶m̶̶a̶̶s̶ ( No)
-I'm muslim ! (Yes)
CAN SHE ATTEND CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS IN ORDER TO GREET HER RELATIVES?
PRAISE BE TO ALLAAH.
She says: I want to become Muslim, but my family gather to celebrate Christmas, and I want to go and greet them. This is not with the intention of celebrating or joining in, but simply to make the most of the opportunity of my relatives getting together. Is this allowed?
We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen,who answered as follows:
No, it is not permitted. If Allaah blesses her with Islam, then the first thing she must do is to distance herself from her former religion and its festivals..
THEY WERE OFFERED FOOD AT CHRISTMAS – WHAT SHOULD THEY DO?|
What should one do if one's neighbour serve one with chrismas food on the 25th of December. Should we pour away the food or should we reject it even if rejecting it can cause misunderstanding with them.
Praise be to Allaah.
It is permissible for a Muslim to accept gifts from the kuffaar or to give them gifts, especially if they are relatives. The evidence for that is as follows:
(a)
It was narrated that Abu Humayd al-Saa’idi said: We went on campaign with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to Tabook, and the king of Aelia gave the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) a white mule and a cloak, and he (the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) approved of him as the ruler of his land. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (2990).
(b) It was narrated that Katheer ibn ‘Abbaas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib said: ‘Abbaas said: I was present with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on the day of Hunayn. Abu Sufyaan ibn al-Haarith ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib and I stayed close to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and did not leave him. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was riding a white mule of his, that had been given to him by Farwah ibn Nufaathah al-Judhaami. Narrated by Muslim (1775).
It was proven that the Sahaabah also (accepted gifts from the kuffaar) with the permission of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) during his lifetime. The mother of Asma’ bint Abi Bakr – who was a mushrikah – visited her daughter and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave permission to Asma’ (may Allaah be pleased with her) to uphold ties of kinship with her. And it is proven that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab gave a suit to his brother who was a mushrik. Both hadeeth are narrated in al-Saheehayn.
To sum up: it is permissible for a Muslim to give gifts to a kaafir and to accept gifts from him.
Secondly:
With regard to gifts given on their festivals, it is not permissible to give or accept them, because that is venerating their festivals and expressing approval of them and helping them in their kufr.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
If someone gives a gift to the Muslims on these festivals and that is contrary to his habit at all other times apart from this festival, then his gift is not to be accepted, especially if the gift is something that is used to imitate them, such as giving candles and the like at Christmas, or giving eggs, milk and lambs on Maundy Thursday, which comes at the end of their fast (Lent).
Similarly, no gift should be given to any of the Muslims on these festivals because of the festival, especially if it is something that is used to imitate them, as we have stated above.
The Muslim should not sell the things that Muslims could use to imitate them on that festival, such as food, clothing and the like, because that is helping them in doing evil.
Iqtida’ Siraat al-Mustaqeem, p. 227.
And he (may Allaah have mercy on him) also said:
As for the Muslim selling them things that they use for their festivals, such as food, clothing, herbs and the like, or giving those things to them, that is a kind of helping them to celebrate their haraam festival. This is based on the principle that it is not permissible to sell to the kaafirs grapes or juice that they can use for wine, and it is not permissible to sell them weapons with which they can fight the Muslims.
Iqtida’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem, p. 229
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said concerning the festivals of the People of the Book:
Just as it is not permissible for them to celebrate them openly, it is not permissible for the Muslims to help them in that or attend with them, according to the consensus of the scholars. This was stated clearly by the fuqaha’ who follow the four imams, in their books.
Then he (may Allaah have mercy on him) quoted the words of the imams of the madhhabs and the prominent scholars.
Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah (3/1245-1250).
Thirdly:
It is not permissible for the Muslim to take religious matters lightly. He must practise his religion openly. They practise their religion openly and display its symbols during these festivals; we should also openly reject their gifts and refuse to join them and help them in that. This is one of the teachings of our religion.
We ask Allaah to help us to understand the rulings of our religion and to help us to act upon it and adhere to it.
OFFERING GIFTS TO SOME WOMEN ON CHRISTMAS
There is a common practice here in the west, that at christmas time some non-muslims, young and old, get together and gather all of their names, put them in a hat and have all of the names mixed up, then each person choses the name of another person who they will give a gift to on christmas day.
This is called chris kringle.
This basic idea was taken on by a group of sisters last year and now they want to take this practise on this year also for the end of eid. All that the practice consists of, is each sister randomly assigned another sister for whom she must buy a gift of a set value ($20 )
Some of the sisters invloved beleive that this practsie is tashabu of the kufar, is this correct?
Praise be to Allaah.
What some sisters have said to you, that this action is something that is not permitted, is correct, because it involves imitating the kuffaar in two ways.
Firstly it involves celebrating this festival, which is something that is haraam according to sharee’ah, including offering gifts on this festival.
Secondly, it involves imitating the kaafirs in these customs on the day of their celebration of that innovated festival.
In Islam we have only Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adhaa. Any other festivals that have been innovated besides these two amount to nothing, especially if they are the religious festivals of other religions or groups that are beyond the pale of Islam. This matter opens the door to bid’ah, and it comes under the general meaning of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours that is not part of it will have it rejected.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, al-Sulh 2499; Muslim, 1718).
THE RULING ON
CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR
ينميثعلا لحاص نب دممحو ةيميتلا نب ملاسلإا خيش
PRAISE BE TO ALLAAH.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said1 the following in his commentary on the aayah (interpreta-tion of the meaning),
“And those who do not witness falsehood [al-zoor]…” [al-Furqaan 25:72]
As regards the festivals of the mushrikeen: they combine confu-sion, physical desires and falsehood, there is nothing in them that is of any religious benefit, and the instant gratification involved in them only ends up in pain. Thus they are falsehood, and witness-ing them means attending them.
This aaayah itself praises and commends (those who do not wit-ness falsehood), which has the meaning of urging people to avoid taking part in their festivals and other kinds of falsehood. We un-derstand that it is bad to attend their festivals because they are called al-zoor (falsehood).
It indicates that it is haraam to do this for many reasons, because Allaah has called it al-zoor. Allaah condemns the one who speaks falsehood [al-zoor] even if no-one else is harmed by it, as in the aayah forbidding dhihaar [a form of divorce in which the man says to his wife “You are to me like the back of my mother”], where He says (interpretation of the meaning):
1 Iqtidaa’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem Mukhaalifat Ashaab al-Jaheem by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, p. 183.
“… And verily, they utter an ill word and a lie [zooran]…” [al-Mujaadilah 58:2].
And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“… So shun the abomination of idols, and shun lying speech (false statements) [al-zoor].” [al-Hajj 22:30].
So the one who does al-zoor is condemned in this fashion.
In the Sunnah: Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
“The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came [to Madeenah] and they had two days in which they would (relax and) play. He said, “What are these two days?” They said, “We used to play (on these two days) during the Jaahiliyyah.” The Mes-senger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has given you something better in-stead of them: Yawm al-Duhaa [Eid al-Adha] and Yawm al-Fitr [Eid al-Fitr].” (Reported by Abu Dawood).
This indicates clearly that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Al-laah be upon him) definitely forbade his ummah to celebrate the festivals of the kuffaar, and he strove to wipe them out by all possible means. The fact that the religion of the People of the Book is tolerated does not mean that their festivals are approved of or should be preserved by the ummah, just as the rest of their kufr and sins are not approved of. Indeed, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went to great lengths to command his ummah to be different from them in many issues that are mubaah (permitted) and in many ways of worship, lest that lead them to be like them in other matters too. This being
different was to be a barrier in all aspects, because the more dif-ferent you are from the people of Hell, the less likely you are to do the acts of the people of Hell.
The first of them is: The hadeeth “Every people has its festi-val, and this is our festival” implies exclusivity, that every peo-ple has its own festival, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“For every [nation] there is a direction to which they face (in their prayers)…” [al-Baqarah 2:148]
…and
“…To each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way…” [al-Maa’idah 5:48].
This implies that each nation has its own ways. The laam in li-kulli [“for every”, “to each”] implies exclusivity. So if the Jews have a festival and the Christians have a festival, it is just for them, and we should not have any part in it, just as we do not share their qiblah (direction of prayer) or their laws.
The second of them is: one of the conditions set out by ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) and agreed upon by the Sahaabah and by all the Fuqahaa’ after them is: that those of the People of the Book who have agreed to live under Islamic rule (ahl al-dhimmah) should not celebrate their festivals openly in Daar al-Islam (lands under Islamic rule). If the Muslims have agreed to prevent them from celebrating openly, how could it be right for the Muslims to celebrate them? If a Muslim cele-brates them, is that not worse than if a kaafir does so openly?
The only reason that we forbade them to celebrate their festivals openly is because of the corruption involved in them, because of the sin or symbols of sin. In either case, the Muslim is forbidden from sin or the symbols of sin. Even if there was no evil involved apart from the kaafir feeling encouraged to celebrate openly be-cause of the Muslim’s actions, how can a Muslim do that? The evil involved (in their festivals) will be explained below, in shaa Allaah.
Al-Bayhaqi reported with a saheeh isnaad in Baab Karaahiyat al-Dukhool ‘ala Ahl al-Dhimmah fi Kanaa’isihim wa’l-Tashabbuh Bihim Yawmi Nawroozihim wa Maharjaanihim (Chapter on the Abhorrence of Entering the Churches of Ahl al-Dhimmah on the Occasion of their New Year and Other Celebrations): From Su-fyaan al-Thawri from Thawr ibn Yazeed from ‘Ata’ ibn Deenaar who said: ‘Umar said: “Do not learn the language of the non-Arabs, do not enter upon the mushrikeen in their churches on their feast-days, for the wrath (of Allaah) is descending upon them.”
‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab said: “Avoid the enemies of Allaah on their festivals.”
It was reported with a saheeh isnaad from Abu Usaamah: ‘Awn told us from Abu’l-Mugheerah from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr: “Whoever lives in the land of the non-Arabs and celebrates their New Year and their festivals, and imitates them until he dies in that state, will be gathered with them on the Day of Resurrection.”
‘Umar forbade learning their languages, and even entering their churches on the day of their festival, so how about doing some of
The things they do on those days, or doing things that are a part of their religion? Is not going along with their actions worse than learning their language? Is not doing some of the things they do on their festival worse than just entering upon them? If divine wrath is descending upon them on the day of their festival be-cause of what they do, then is not the one who does what they do, or a part of it, also exposed to the same punishment? Do not the words “Avoid the enemies of Allaah on their festivals” mean that we should not meet them or join them on those days? So how about the one who actually celebrates their festivals?
‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr clearly stated: “Whoever lives in the land of the non-Arabs and celebrates their New Year and their festivals, and imitates them until he dies in that state, will be gathered with them on the Day of Resurrection.”
This implies that the one who joins in with them in all of these matters is a kaafir, or that doing this is one of the major sins (ka-baa’ir) that will doom one to Hell; the former meaning is what is apparent from the wording.
He mentioned – and Allaah knows best – the one who lives in their land, because at the time of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr and the other Sahaabah, they used to forbid open celebration of kaafir festivals in the Muslim lands, and none of the Muslims imitated them in their festivals; that was possible only when living in the lands of the kaafirs.
‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) refused to even acknowl-edge the name of their festivals which were exclusively theirs, so how about actually celebrating them?
Ahmad mentioned the meaning of the reports narrated from ‘Umar and ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with them) on this topic, and his companions discussed the matter of festivals.
Imaam Abu’l-Hasan al-Aamidi said: the one who is known as Ibn al-Baghdaadi said in his book ‘Umdat al-Haadir wa Kifaayat al-Musaafir: “It is not permitted to attend the festivals of the Christians and Jews. Ahmad stated this in the report of Mu-hannaa, and his evidence for that is the aayah (interpreta-tion of the meaning):
‘And those who do not witness falsehood [al-zoor]…’ [al-Furqaan 25:72].
He said: (This is) al-Sha’aaneen and their festivals. He said: The Muslims are to be prevented from entering upon them in their synagogues and churches.”
Ibn Uthaymeen said the following2 about this issue:
Greeting the kuffaar on Christmas and other religious holidays of theirs is haraam, by consensus, as Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy on him, said in Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah: “Con-gratulating the kuffaar on the rituals that belong only to them is haraam by consensus, as is congratulating them on their festivals and fasts by saying ‘A happy festival to you’ or ‘May you enjoy your festival,’ and so on. Even if the one who says this has been saved from kufr, it is still forbidden. It is like congratulating someone for prostrating to the cross, or even worse than that. It is as great a sin as congratulating someone for drinking wine, or murdering someone, or having illicit sexual relations, and so on. Many of those who have no respect for their religion fall into this error; they do not realize the offensiveness of their actions. Who-ever congratulates a person for his disobedience or bid’ah or kufr exposes himself to the wrath and anger of Allaah.”
Congratulating the kuffaar on their religious festivals is haraam to the extent described by Ibn al-Qayyim because it implies that one accepts or approves of their rituals of kufr, even if one would not accept those things for oneself. But the Muslim should not accept the rituals of kufr or congratulate anyone else for them, because Allaah does not accept any of that at all, as He says (interpreta-tion of the meaning):
“If you disbelieve, then verily, Allaah is not in need of you, He likes not disbelief for His slaves. And if you are
2 Majmoo’ah Fataawa wa Rasaa’il al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 3/369
grateful (by being believers), He is pleased therewith for you. . .” [al-Zumar 39:7]
“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, com-pleted My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Is-laam as your religion.” [al-Maa’idah 5:3]
So congratulating them is forbidden, whether they are one’s col-leagues at work or otherwise.
If they greet us on the occasion of their festivals, we should not respond, because these are not our festivals, and because they are not festivals which are acceptable to Allaah. These festivals are innovations in their religions, and even those which may have been prescribed formerly have been abrogated by the religion of Islaam, with which Allaah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to the whole of mankind. Allaah says (in-terpretation of the meaning”:
“Whoever seeks a religion other than Islaam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.” [Aali ‘Imraan 3:85]
It is haraam for a Muslim to accept invitations on such occasions, because this is worse than congratulating them as it implies taking part in their celebrations.
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 (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”
Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyah said in his book Iqtidaa’ al-siraat al-mustaqeem mukhaalifat ashaab al-jaheem:
“Imitating them in some of their festivals implies that one is pleased with their false beliefs and practices, and gives them the hope that they may have the opportunity to hu-miliate and mislead the weak.”
Whoever does anything of this sort is a sinner, whether he does it out of politeness or to be friendly, or because he is too shy to re-fuse, or for whatever other reason, because this is hypocrisy in Islaam, and because it makes the kuffaar feel proud of their relig-ion.
Allaah is the One Whom we ask to make the Muslims feel proud of their religion, to help them adhere steadfastly to it, and to make them victorious over their enemies, for He is the Strong and Omnipotent.
________
NON-MUSLIM RELIGIOUS CELEBRATIONS AND RULING ON
PARTICIPATAING
The conflict between truth and falsehood is ongoing and will last as
long as this world remains. The fact that some groups among the
Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
are following the people of falsehood such as the Jews, Christians,
Zoroastrians, idol-worshippers and others, whilst a group is remaining
steadfast to the truth despite the pressures, is all part of the decreed
system of the universe. But this does not mean that we should give in
and follow the ways of those who are astray, because the one who
told us that this would inevitably happen also warned us against following this path, and he commanded us to adhere firmly to Islam
no matter how many people deviate from it and no matter how strong they become. He told us that the blessed one is the one who adheres
steadfastly to the truth no matter what the distractions, at a time when
the one who does righteous deeds will earn the reward of fifty men
whose deeds are like those of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased
with them) – as was reported in the hadeeth of Abu Tha’labah al-
Khushani (may Allaah be pleased with him).
Among the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) there will be people who deviated from the truth and went
towards falsehood, changing and altering things. Their punishment
will be that they will be kept away from the Hawd (Cistern) whilst
those who adhered to the Straight Path will come and drink from it.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“I will precede you to the Cistern, and men from among you will be
brought to me, and when I stretch forth my hand to them, they will be
pulled away. I will say, ‘O Lord! My followers!’ and it will be said:
‘You do not know what they innovated after you were gone.’”
According to another report: “I will say: ‘May he be doomed, the one
who changed (the religion) after I was gone.’”
One of the most obvious manifestations of this altering of Islam and
disdainfully treating the religion of Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) is the way in which people follow the enemies of Allaah – may He be exalted – in everything, major or
minor, in the name of development, progress and civilization, under
the banners of peaceful coexistence, human brotherhood, new world order, globalization and other dazzling but deceitful slogans. The
caring Muslim can spot this dangerous problem among the majority of Muslims, except for those on whom Allaah has mercy, to such an
extent that they even follow them in their religious rituals and in their
most unique traditions and customs, such as the festivals which are
part of their belief systems. Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings):
“and follow not their vain desires, diverging away from the truth that
has come to you. To each among you, We have prescribed a law and
a clear way” [al-Maa’idah 5:48]
“For every nation We have ordained religious ceremonies which they
must follow” [al-Hajj 22:67] – which means, a festival which is for
them alone.
Many Muslims have been led astray by the dazzling attractions of the
enemies of Allaah, especially the Christians with their major festivals
such as the celebration of the birth of the Messiah (peace be upon
him) – i.e., Christmas – and the Christian New Year. They attend
Christian parties on these occasions in their (Christians’) countries,
and some of them have brought these things back to Muslim countries
– we seek refuge with Allaah. A great disaster is the huge
preparations which are being made on an international scale and at
the level of the major Christian countries to celebrate the end of the
second millenium and the beginning of the third millenium since the
birth of the Messiah, son of Maryam (peace be upon him). If the
world is teeming with Christian celebrations during a regular New
Year, how will it be at the end of a Christian century (the twentieth
century) and the end of a millenium (the second millenium)? It is a
major event for which the Christians are preparing in a manner
appropriate to its huge significance.
This Christian event will not be like a usual New Year’s Eve
celebration taking only in the Christian countries and in their focal
point, the Vatican. Preparations are afoot to make the focal point of
the celebrations in Bethlehem, the place where the Messiah – peace
be upon him – was born. The political and religious leaders of the
Christians will go there – evangelicals and moderates alike, and even
the secularists, to celebrate this millenium of which the world press is
talking more and more as it approaches day by day. It is expected that
more than three million people will be present in Bethlehem, led by
the Pope John Paul II. Some of the neighbouring Muslim countries are also taking part in this global event, on the grounds that some of the symbols or major events of the Christian festival took place in their land – namely the baptism of the Messiah (peace be upon him), when he was baptized by John the Baptist (Yahyaa, peace be upon him) in the River Jordan. Indeed, many Muslims will also take part in these celebrations on the basis that they are an international event which concerns all the inhabitants of the earth. These people do not
know that celebrating this millenium is a celebration of a Christian religious festival (the birth of the Messiah, i.e. Christmas, and the Christian New Year), and that taking part in it involves taking part in the rituals of their religion, and that rejoicing in it means rejoicing in
the symbols of Kufr when they are made manifest and they prevail. This poses a great danger to the ‘aqeedah (belief) of the Muslim,
because “Whoever imitates a people is one of them” as was reported in a saheeh hadeeth from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). So how about one who actually joins in with them in the rituals of their religion?! This obliges us to
discuss the rulings on the festivals of the kuffaar, how the Muslim should deal with them and how they should differ from them – which is one of the basic principles of this pure religion of ours. Moreover, we need to know some details about their festivals and rituals so that
we can avoid them and warn others about them.
Why do we need to know about the festivals of the kuffaar? One of the things that the scholars agreed on is that the Muslim does not need to concern himself with the ways of the kuffaar, or their
rituals and customs (unless he wants to call them to Islam), except
when their customs and rituals are becoming widespread ignorant
Muslims, whether deliberately or unintentionally. In such cases
Muslims need to know about them so that they can avoid them. In
recent times this has become more of an issue for the following
reasons:
1. More mixing with the kuffaar, because Muslims go to their
countries to study, take vacations, do business or for other
reasons. Those who go there witness some of their rituals and
they may like them, so they follow them. This is especially the
case with those who are suffering from an inferiority complex
and who look at the kuffaar with strong admiration which robs
them of the power to resist, corrupts their hearts and weakens
their commitment to religion. In addition to this, many
westernized, educated people regard the kuffaar as advanced,
progressive and civilized even in their most mundane customs
and habits. Or else this comes about through the open
celebration of these festivals in Muslim countries by some
groups and non-Muslim minorities, so some ignorant Muslims
are influenced by this.
2. The matter is made more serious by the media which can transmit everything with sound and living pictures from the farthest corners of the earth. No doubt the media of the kuffar is stronger and more capable of transmitting their rituals to the Muslims than the other way round. Many satellite channels broadcast the rituals of other religions’ festivals – especially Christian festivals. The matter becomes more serious when the
secular systems in some Muslim countries have adopted the celebrations of the kaafirs and some of the people of bid’ah and the Arabic satellite channels broadcast this to the world, so some Muslims are deceived by the fact that this is coming from a Muslim country.
3. Throughout their history, the Muslims have suffered from the problem of being influenced by the rituals of others through mixing with them. This prompted the imaams (scholars) of Islam to warn the Muslim masses against imitating others in their festivals and rituals. Among these scholars are Shaykh al-
Islam ibn Taymiyah, his student al-‘Allaamah Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Haafiz al-Dhahabi and al-Haafiz ibn Katheer. They lived at the same time, when there was a lot of mixing between Muslims
and others, especially Christians, and ignorant Muslims were influenced by their (Christians’) religious rituals, especially
their festivals. So these scholars spoke a great deal about these
things throughout their books, and some of them devoted books
to the particular topic, such as Ibn Taymiyah ( Iqtidaa’ al-Siraat
al-Mustaqeem li Mukhaalafat Ashaab al-Jaheem) and al-
Dhahabi (Tashbeeh al-Khasees bi Ahl al-Khamees), and others.
Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) spoke at length about
their festivals and what they do on those occasions, and he described
the extent to which the ignorant Muslims were influenced by this. He
described their various festivals and the rituals and customs that were
involved - which Muslims do not ordinarily need to know about, but
now it is necessary because many Muslims are following the People
of the Book in those rituals.
Shaykh al-Islam described their festivals and discussed them in the
context of warning against them. After speaking in detail about them,
he said: “Our aims are not limited just to knowing the details of their
falsehood, but it is sufficient for us to know what is munkar (evil) in
such a way that we can distinguish between it and that which is
mubaah (permissible), ma’roof (good), mustahabb (encouraged) and
waajib (obligatory), so that by means of this knowledge we will be
able to protect ourselves and avoid it, just as we know (and avoid)
other things that are haraam, as we are obliged to do. Whoever does
not know about what is munkar, either in general terms or in details,
will not be able to avoid it. A general knowledge is sufficient, unlike
with waajibaat (duties) [where it is essential to know details –
translator].”
He also said:
“I have counted so many things that are munkar in their religion when
I noted that some groups of Muslims are influenced by some of them,
and many of them do not know that this comes from the Christian
religion which is cursed, it and its followers. I do not know all the
things that they do, but I have mentioned what I have seen Muslims
doing, which is taken from them.”
4. Some of their festivals nowadays revolve around large gatherings,
and still bear some of the features of their ancient festivals. Many
Muslims take part in these events without realizing that. This is the
case with the Olympic Games, whose roots lie in a festival that was
celebrated by the Greeks, then the Romans, then the Christians; and
with the “Mahrajaans” (“festivals”) which are organized to promote
trade, culture etc., even though the Mahrajaan was originally a
Persian festival. Most of those who organize these gatherings and call
them “Mahrajaan” are unaware of this.
5. Knowing evil is a means of avoiding it and keeping away from
it. Hudhayfah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The
people used to ask the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) about good things, but I used to ask him
about bad things, fearing that I may fall into them.” It is a great
problem that Muslims fall into observing some of the rituals of
the disbelievers without realizing that this is part of their rituals
and unique customs, which we have been commanded to avoid
because it is an abomination and misguidance.
6. There are so many calls made by the strong voices of hypocrisy
who want to cut the Ummah off from its roots, destroy its
identity and assimilate it into the methodology of the kuffaar,
and want people to follow them step by step, under the banners
of humanity, globalization, universalism, openness towards
others and receptiveness towards other cultures. This makes it
essential for us to know about the others’ (the kaafirs’)
misguidance and deviation so that we can expose it and point
out the faults that lie beneath the attractive exterior that covers
these abhorrent ideas,
“so that those who were to be destroyed (for their
rejecting the Faith) might be destroyed after a clear
evidence, and those who were to live (i.e. believers) might
live after a clear evidence” [al-An’aam 8:42 –
interpretation of the meaning] – and so that proof may be
demonstrated to the followers of Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), so that they will not be
cheated or deceived.
Festivals of the Pharaohs
Among the Pharaonic festivals is the festival of Shimm al-
Naseem (lit. “smelling the breeze”), which involves
venerating some days as a good omen or drawing nigh to
the gods who were worshipped instead of Allaah – may He
be exalted. Shaykh Mahfooz – during his own time –
mentioned some of the shameful and immoral practices
that would make one's hair stand on end, whereby farms
and open spaces were filled with groups of immoral people
of bad conduct, and groups of young and old, men and
women, went to the orchards and rivers to commit zinaa
(fornication, adultery) and to drink intoxicating
substances, thinking that on that day all evil actions were
permissible for them.
Among the superstitions connected to this festival was the placing of onions beneath the head of a sleeping person, or hanging them in doorways, claiming that this would take away laziness and sloth. This event is counted as one of the Pharaonic festivals, and it was said that it was invented by the Copts; there is nothing to suggest that it did not belong to both of them, and that it was not passed down from the Pharaohs to the Copts. Many Egyptians –especially the Copts – still celebrate this festival, and
many Muslims join in with them. In recent years a number
of secular writers have called for it to be made an official
holiday, in order to revive the Pharaonic legacy, at the
time when they describe the rituals of Islam as being
backward, reactionary and uncivilized!
The festivals of the Greeks
The months of the Greek year were many, and were named
after the festivals. The costs of these festivals were
financed by the rich among them. Most of their festivals
were connected to the rituals of their pagan religion which
was based on polytheism. They had so many festivals
which were aimed at reducing the tedium of daily life, and
it reached the extent that no month was free of one or more
festivals, except for one month which was called
Mamkitrion.
Their festivals were characterized by obscenity,
promiscuity, drunkenness and giving free rein to their
animalistic desires, so that they did whatever they wanted,
as is reflected in many of their misguided myths, such as
their claim that they summoned the souls of the dead, then
they sent them back or expelled them again after the
festival was over. The most important of their festivals
included the following:
The festival of the Olympiad, or the Olympic feast. This
was held in Elis every four years. It was first officially
recognized in 776 BCE. The Olympiad was one of their
most important festivals and seasonal gatherings. From
that far-off date, these games were historically called the Olympiad. It has nationalistic features and aims, so much so that it was said that the Greeks used to boast about their Olympic victories more than their conquests on the battlefield. This was the greatest festival of the Greeks at that time. These games are still held and supported by the Christian nations under the same ancient name and with the
inherited rituals such as lighting the Olympic flame in
Athens and bringing it to the country where the Games are being held, and so on. Unfortunately many Muslim
countries also take part in these games and boast about
doing so. Many of them do not know that their origin lies
in the festivals of the kuffaar and the sacred days of their pagan religion. We seek refuge with Allaah from
deviation, misguidance and blind following.
The Greeks also had other major festivals such as the
festivals of the Hellenic league, the Ionic league and
others.
The festivals of the Romans
One of the nations which had the most festivals was the
Romans. They had more than one hundred holy days in the
year, days which they regarded as festivals, including the
first day of each month. Some festivals were devoted to
the sanctification of the dead and the souls of the
underworld, and on many of their festivals celebrations
were held to placate the dead and appease their anger – or so they claimed. As it is known, the Roman Empire prevailed after the Greeks, so they inherited many of the Greek rituals, customs and festivals. Among the most famous Roman festivals:
The festival of love, which they celebrated on February 14each year, as an expression of what they believed, in their pagan religion, to be divine love. This festival was
invented more than 1700 years ago, at the time when
paganism was still prevalent among the Romans. Whilst
their state was still idolatrous, they executed Saint
Valentine, who had converted to Christianity after having
been a pagan. When the Romans converted to Christianity,
they made the day of his execution an occasion to
celebrate the martyrs of love. This festival is still
celebrated in America and Europe, to declare feelings of
friendship and to renew the covenant of love between
spouses and lovers. This festival now has great social and
economic significance.
It seems that another practice stemmed from the concept of
this feast, which is the anniversary celebrated by spouses
or friends who love one another, where the couple
celebrate the anniversary of their marriage each year, to
confirm the love between them. This custom has passed to
the Muslims because of their mixing (with the non-
Muslims), so that couples celebrate the night of their
marriage in a special way in many Muslim countries,
imitating the kuffaar. Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illaa
Billaa il-‘Aliy il-‘Azeem (there is no strength and no power
except with Allaah, the Exalted and Almighty).
The festivals of the Jews
1. The (Jewish) New Year, which is called the festival of Heesha
[Rosh Hashanah]. This is the first day of Tishreen al-Awwal.
They claim that it is the day on which the sacrifice Ishaaq
(peace be upon him) was ransomed. This is according to their
mistaken belief – in fact the one who was to be sacrificed was
Ismaa’eel, not Ishaaq. This festival has a similar status to that of
‘Eid al-Adhaa for Muslims.
2. The festival of Sumaria or Yom Kippur, which for them is a day
of forgiveness.
3. The feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) on the fifteenth of Tishreen.
On this day they stay in the shade of the branches of trees. It is
also called the Festival of the Fast of the Virgin Mary.
4. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is the Passover, on the
fifteenth of Nisan. This commemorates the flight of the Children
of Israel from slavery in Egypt in the thirteenth century BCE.
This story is told in the twelfth chapter of the Book of Exodus.
The festival lasts for eight days in occupied Palestine, and the
Reform Jews celebrate it in their own countries for seven days.
During this festival they have a celebration called the Seder,
where they read the story of the flight of the Children of Israel
in a book called the Haggadah and they eat unleavened bread, as
a reminder that when the Children of Israel fled, they ate this
kind of bread, because they did not have time to make leavened
bread. The Jews still eat unleavened bread during this festival to
this day.
5. The Feast of Weeks or Pentecost (Shavuot). They claim that this
is the day on which Allaah – may He be exalted – spoke to
Moosa (peace be upon him).
6. The Day of Atonement, in the tenth month of the Jewish year,
when a person goes into seclusion for nine days to worship and
fast, This is called the days of repentance.
7. The new moon. They used to celebrate the birth of each new
moon, when they used to blow trumpets in Jerusalem and light
fires in celebration.
8. The Jubilee, which is described in the Book of Leviticus.
They also have other festivals, among which the most well known
are: the festival of victory, or Purim, and the festival of Hanukkah,
which is also known as the festival of blessing.
The festivals of the Christians
The festival of the resurrection, which is called Easter. This is the
most important annual Christian festival, which is preceded by the
long fast (Lent) which lasts for forty days before Easter Sunday. This
festival commemorates the return of the Messiah (peace be upon him)
or his resurrection after his crucifixion, two days after his death –
according to their claims. It marks the end of many different kinds of
rituals, which include:
1. The onset of the long fast of Lent, which lasts for forty days
before Easter Sunday. They start fasting on a Wednesday known
as Ash Wednesday, where ash is placed on the foreheads of
those present and they repeat the words, “From dust we came
and to dust we shall return.”
2. Fifty days after Easter Sunday, they end with the Feast of
Pentecost or Whitsuntide.
3. The Week of Sorrows (or Holy Week), which is the last week of
the fasting period of Lent, which refers to the events that led up
to the death and resurrection of Jesus (peace be upon him) – as
they claim.
4. Palm Sunday, which is the Sunday before Easter. This is a
commemoration of the triumphal entry of the Messiah into
Jerusalem.
5. Maundy Thursday, which is a commemoration of the Last
Supper of the Messiah, and his arrest and imprisonment.
6. Good Friday (“the Friday of Grief”), which is the Friday before
Easter, which refers to the death of Jesus on the cross – or so
they claim.
7. Easter Saturday (the “Saturday of Light”), which comes before
Easter and refers to the death of the Messiah. It is a day of
watching and waiting for the resurrection of the Messiah on
Easter Sunday. The Easter festivities conclude with the
Thursday of Ascension, when the story of the Messiah’s
ascension into heaven is recited in all the churches. They have
different kinds of celebrations and festivals, according to the
different denominations in different Christian countries. The
Thursday and Friday before Easter are known as the Great
Thursday and the Great Friday, as was mentioned by Shaykh al-
Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him). This is
the Thursday (al-Khamees) referred to in the book of al-Haafiz
al-Dhahabi (may Allaah have mercy on him): Tashbeeh al-
Khasees bi Ahl al-Khamees. This Thursday is the last day of
their fast, and is also known as the Thursday of the Table or the
Feast of the Table. It is mentioned in Soorat al-Maa’idah where
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“‘Eesaa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), said: “O Allaah,
our Lord! Send us from the heaven a table spread (with
food) that there may be for us — for the first and the last
of us — a festival and a sign from You…” [al-Maa’idah
5:114]
They also do many strange things during these festivals, as was
mentioned by many historians, such as gathering the leaves of trees,
soaking them, then washing with the water, or putting kohl on their
eyes. The Copts of Egypt used to bathe in the Nile on certain days,
claiming that this was healing. Easter is the day when they break their
long fast. They claim that on this day, the Messiah (peace be upon
him) was resurrected three days after the crucifixion, and Adam was
saved from Hell, and other myths. Shams al-Deen al-Dimashqi al-
Dhahabi mentioned that the people of Hama would stop working for
six days on this occasion, and they would dye eggs and make ka’k [a
kind of biscuit], and other kinds of corrupt deeds and mixing that they
engaged in at that time. He said that the Muslims used to join in that
as well, and that they outnumbered the Christians. We seek refuge
with Allaah.
Ibn al-Haaj mentioned that they openly committed immoral actions
and engaged in gambling, but no one denounced them for doing so.
This is probably what prompted Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may
Allaah have mercy on him) to denounce what he saw of Muslims
imitating Christians in their festivals and rituals, for he mentioned a
great deal of this in his excellent book al-Iqtidaa’ . Al-Dhahabi also
wrote a book on this topic, as mentioned above.
Until the present, all the Christians celebrate Easter on the first
Sunday after the moon become full in spring, in the period between
March 22 and April 25. The Eastern Orthodox Christians observe it
later than the other Christians. Its rituals, fasts and days occupy an
entire season in the Christian year.
2. The festival of the birth of the Messiah (may peace be upon him).
The Europeans call this Christmas, and it is on December 25 for the
majority of Christians. For the Copts it is the day which corresponds
to the twenty-ninth of Keehak (the fourth month of the Coptic year).
This celebration is ancient and was mentioned in the books of the
historians. Al-Maqreezi said: The time of Christmas came whilst we
were in Cairo, and it is a major event in all the regions of Egypt,
when they sell candles in the shape of flowers, which they call
lanterns.
For Christians, this festival is an annual reminder of the birth of the
Messiah (peace be upon him). They have many rituals and acts of
worship at this time, when they go to the church and hold special
prayers and services. The story of the birth of the Messiah is
mentioned in their Gospels – Luke and Matthew. It was first
celebrated in 336 CE. The festival is influenced by pagan rituals,
when the Romans used to celebrate the god of light and the god of the
harvest. When Christianity became the official religion of the
Romans, Christmas became the most important festival in Europe.
Saint Nicholas became a symbol of gift-giving at this festival in the
European countries, then Father Christmas (Santa Claus) took the
place of Saint Nicholas as a symbol of the giving of gifts, especially
to children (1). Many Muslims in different countries have been
influenced by these rituals and customs, and the giving of gifts by
Santa Claus has become well known in many Muslim-owned stores
and shops. How many houses have these gifts entered, and how many
Muslim children know about Santa Claus and his gifts! Laa hawla wa
laa quwwata illaa Billaa il-‘Aliy il-‘Azeem (there is no strength and
no power except with Allaah, the Exalted and Almighty).
The Christians have many rituals on this day. The Christians of
Palestine and neighbouring regions gather on the night of this festival
in Bethlehem, the city where the Messiah (peace be upon him) was
born, to attend Midnight Mass. Among their other rituals, they
celebrate the nearest Sunday to the date of November 30, which is the
feast day of Saint Andrew. This is the first day of Advent – the advent
of the Messiah (peace be upon him). The festival reaches its peak
when they stay up for Midnight Mass, when the churches are
decorated and the people sing Christmas carols. The Christmas season
ends on January 6. Some of them burn part of the trunk of the
Christmas tree, then they keep the part that is not burned, believing
that this burning will bring them good luck. This belief is widespread
in Britain, France and the Scandinavian countries.
3. The feast of the Epiphany (ghattaas), which is on January 19.
For the Copts it is on the eleventh of Toobah. The origin of this
festival, according to them, is that Yahyaa ibn Zakariya (peace
be upon them both), whom they know as John the Baptist,
baptized the Messiah son of Maryam (peace be upon him) in the
River Jordan, and when he was washed, the Holy Spirit came
upon him. Because of this, the Christians dip their children in
water on this day, and all of them immerse themselves in the
water. Al-Mas’oodi mentioned that this day – during his time –
was a major event in Egypt, attended by thousands of Christians
and Muslims, who would bathe in the Nile, believing that this
offered protection from sickness and was a healing. This is what
is celebrated by the Orthodox churches, but the Catholic and
Protestant churches have a different concept of this festival,
whereby they commemorate the “adoration of the Magi”, where
the three men who came from the east venerated the infant
Jesus.
The origin of the word ghattaas (baptism) is Greek,
meaning “emerging.” It is a religious term, referring to the
emergence of an invisible being. It was mentioned in the
Tawraat that Allaah – may He be exalted – appeared to
Moosa (peace be upon him) in the form of a burning bush
– exalted be Allaah far above what they say.
0. The Christian New Year celebration: this has become a major
celebration in these times, which is celebrated by Christian
countries and by some Muslim countries. TV broadcasts of
these celebrations are transmitted live to all parts of the world,
they appear on the front pages of newspapers and magazines,
and they occupy a large part of the news broadcasts on satellite
channels. It is noticeable that many Muslims in whose countries
these Christian celebrations are not held travel to Christian
countries to attend them and enjoy the forbidden things that are
involved in them, unaware of the sin committed by indulging in
the rituals of those who disbelieve.
The Christians have many false beliefs and myths about New Year’s
Eve (December 31), as is the case with all their festivals. We hear of
these beliefs from the makers of modern civilization and those who
are described as civilized, those whom the hypocrites among our
people want to follow in even the smallest detail, even in their myths,
so that we can be assured of a position in the ranks of those who are
advanced and civilized and earn the approval of those who have
blond hair and blue eyes!
Among their beliefs (with regard to New Year’s Eve) is that the one
who drinks the last glass of wine from the bottle after midnight will
have good luck, and if he is single, he will be the first one among his
friends who are present to get married. It is regarded as bad luck for a
person to enter the house at New Year without bringing a gift;
sweeping out the dirt at New Year means that one is also sweeping
away good luck; washing clothes and dishes on this day will bring
bad luck; they try to keep the fire burning all night on New Year’s
Eve so that it will bring good luck… and other such myths and
superstitions.
They also have other festivals, some of which are ancient and others
have been invented recently. Some of them were taken from the
Greeks and Romans who came before them, and others were part
their religion but have now vanished. Some of these festivals are of
major significance to them, and others are of limited importance,
being confined to a few churches or denominations.
Each denomination and church has festivals which are unique to
them, and are not celebrated by other denominations. The Protestants
do not believe in the festivals of the other churches, but they do agree
on the major festivals such as Easter, Christmas, New Year and the
Epiphany, even though they differ as to the rituals and practices
involved, or some of the reasons and details, or the time and place.
Festivals of the Persians
1. The festival of Nawrooz. The word ‘Nawrooz’ means new. The
festival lasts for six days, when at the time of Chosroes they used to
fulfil the needs of other people in the first five days, and the sixth day
was devoted to themselves and the people to whom they were closest.
This day was called the great Nawrooz, and was the most important
of their festivals. The book Ashaab al-Awaa’il mentioned that the
first one to celebrate Nawrooz was Jamsheed the king, in whose time
Hood (peace be upon him) was sent, after the religion had been
changed. When the king Jamsheed renewed the religion and
established justice, the day on which he had ascended the throne was
named Nawrooz. When he reached the age of seven hundred years,
and he had never gotten ill or suffered a headache, he became an
oppressive tyrant. He made an image of himself and sent it to the
provinces for it to be venerated, and the masses worshipped it and
made idols in its image. Al-Dahhaak al-‘Alwaani, one of the
Amaaliqah (Amalekites) attacked him in the Yemen and killed him,
as is stated in the books of history. Some of the Persians claim that
Nawrooz is the day when Allaah created light. Nawrooz is considered
to be the festival marking the Persian solar New Year. It coincides
with the twenty first of March in the Gregorian calendar. The masses
used to light fires on this night and sprinkle water in the morning.
Nawrooz is also celebrated by the Baha’is, coming at the end of their
fast which lasts for 19 days, on March 21. (3). Nawrooz is also the
first day of the year for the Copts, who call it Shimm al-Naseem. For
them it lasts for six days, starting on the sixth of June. We have
already discussed Shimm al-Naseem under the heading of Pharaonic
festivals above. It is possible that the Copts took it from the Pharaonic
legacy, since they were all in Egypt.
2. The festival of Mahrajaan. The word Mahrajaan is composed of
two words: mahar, meaning loyalty, and jaan meaning authority or
power. So the word means, the authority of loyalty. The origin of this
festival was the celebration of the victory of Afridoon over al-
Dahhaak al-‘Alwaani, who killed Jamsheed, the king who has started
Nawrooz. It was also said that it was a celebration of the onset of
cooler weather in the fall. It is possible that it originally started for the
reason mentioned above, but as that coincided with the onset of
cooler weather in the fall, so they continued to celebrate that. It is
celebrated on the twenty-sixth of the Syriac month of Tishreen al-
Awwal. Like Nawrooz, it lasts for six days, the sixth of which is the
Great Mahrajaan. On this occasion and on Nawrooz they used to
exchange gifts of musk, amber, Indian ‘ood [a kind of perfume or
incense], saffron and camphor. (5). The first person to make this
exchange of gifts official in Islamic times was al-Hajjaaj ibn Yoosuf
al-Thaqafi, and this continued until it was abolished by the rightlyguided
Khaleefah ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez (may Allaah have mercy
on him).
One of the greatest problems that the Muslims are suffering from is
the use of the word Mahrajaan (festival) to describe many social,
cultural and economic gatherings, celebrations and events. The word
is even used to describe da’wah events. So people speak of
mahrahjaan al-thaqaafah (cultural festival), Mahrajaan al-tasawwuq
(marketing festival), Mahrajaan al-kutub (book festival), mahrahjaan
al-da’wah (da’wah festival) and so on, as we see in advertisements
and hear in many phrases which use this idolatrous term. Mahrajaan
is the name of the festival of the fire worshippers.
Hence using this idolatrous Persian term to describe Muslim
gatherings is clearly one of the things that are prohibited. We must
avoid doing this and tell others not to use this word. There are
sufficient permissible expressions that we do not need to use this
word, for the Arabic language is the richest of all languages in words
and meanings.
Definition of imitation.
Imitation (tashabbuh in Arabic) means resembling. If we say that
someone imitates someone else, we means that he looks like him and
acts like him. Likening a things to something else (tashbeeh) means
saying that it is like it. The word tashabbuh has many counterparts in
Arabic which carry meanings such as being like, imitating, looking
like, following, agreeing with, taking as an example, copying, etc.
They all have shades of meaning of their own, but they also overlap
with the meaning of tashabbuh. In terms of the terminology of Fiqh,
al-Ghuzzi al-Shaafa’i defined tashabbuh as describing a person’s
attempt to be like the one whom he is imitating, in appearance,
characteristics, wqualities and attributes. It implies making an effort
to achieve this and deliberately taking action for that purpose.
The ruling on imitating the kuffaar
One of the most important basic principles of our religion is that of
al-walaa’ wa’l-baraa’, loyalty (walaa’) to Islam and its people, and
diavowal (baraa’) of kufr and its people. One of the essential features
of this disavowal of kufr and it’s people is that the Muslim should be
distinct from the people of kufr, and he should feel proud of his
religion and of being a Muslim, no matter how strong and advanced
and civilized the kuffaar may be, and no matter how weak and
backward and divided the Muslims may be. It is not permissible
under any circumstances to take the strength of the kuffaar and the
weakness of the Muslims as an excuse for imitating and resembling
them, as some hypocrites and defeatist Muslims claim. The texts
which forbid imitating the kuffaar do not make any distinction
between whether Muslims are strong or weak, because the Muslim
can be distinct in his religion and be proud of being Muslim even
when he is in a weak position.
Allaah calls us to be proud of Islam, and considers this to be the best
of speech and the best kind of pride, as He says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“And who is better in speech than he who [says: “My Lord is Allah
(believes in His Oneness),” and then stands firm (acts upon His
Order), and] invites (men) to Allah’s (Islamic Monotheism), and does
righteous deeds, and says: “I am one of the Muslims.” [Fussilat
41:33]
Because it is so important for the Muslim to be distinguished from the
kaafir, the Muslim is commanded to pray to Allaah at least seventeen
times each day to help him to avoid the path of the kaafireen and to
guide him to the Straight Path:
“Guide us to the Straight Way. The way of those on whom You have
bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your
Anger, nor of those who went astray” [al-Faatihah 1:6-7 –
interpretation of the meaning].
There are very many texts in the Qur’aan and Sunnah which forbid us
to imitate them, and which clearly state that they are misguided;
whoever imitates them, imitates them in their misguidance. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meanings);
“Then We have put you (O Muhammad Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã) on a (plain) way
of (Our) commandment [like the one which We commanded Our
Messengers before you (i.e. legal ways and laws of the Islâmic
Monotheism)]. So follow you that (Islâmic Monotheism and its laws),
and follow not the desires of those who know not.” [al-Jaathiyah
46:18]
“Were you (O Muhammad Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã) to follow their (vain) desires
after the knowledge which has come to you, then you will not have
any Walî (protector) or Wâq (defender) against Allâh” [al-Ra’d
13:37]
“And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves
after the clear proofs had come to them” [Aal- ‘Imraan 3:105]
Allaah calls the believers to remember Him with humility and to
recite His Verses, then He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“lest they become as those who received the Scripture [the Taurât
(Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] before (i.e. Jews and Christians), and
the term was prolonged for them and so their hearts were hardened?
And many of them were Fâsiqûn (the rebellious, the disobedient to
Allâh)” [al-Hadeed 57:16]
No doubt imitating them is one of the grestes indications that a person
has befriended them and loves them, and this contradicts the idea of
diavowal [baraa’] of the kufr and its people. Allaah has forbidden the
believers to take them as friends, and He has stated that taking them
as friends causes a person to become one of them – Allaah forbid.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as
Auliyâ’ (friends, protectors, helpers), they are but Auliyâ’ of each
other. And if any amongst you takes them (as Auliyâ’), then surely, he
is one of them” [al-Maa’idah 5:51]
“You (O Muhammad ) will not find any people who believe in Allâh and
the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allâh and His
Messenger (Muhammad ), even though they were their fathers or their sons or
their brothers or their kindred (people)” [al-Mujaadilah 58:22]
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“Imitation generates friendship and love, and regarding them as allies in the
inside, just as loving them on the inside generates imitating them on the
outside.”
And he also said, commenting on the aayah from Soorat al-Mujaadilah:
“Allaah tells us that there is no (true) believer who takes a kaafir as a friend,
for whoever takes a kaafir as friend is not a believer. Imitation on the outside
implies that a person loves (the one whom he imitates), and so it is forbidden.”
It was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”
(Narrated by Abu Dawood, al -Libaas, 1204; Ahmad, 2/05. Shaykh al-Islam
classed its isnaad as jayyid in al-Iqtidaa’, 1/042. See also al-Fataawaa, 25/133.
Al-Haafiz provided corroborating evidence in al-Fath, with a mursal report
whose isnaad is hasan (6/89). Al-Suyooti classed it as hasan, and al-Albaani
classed it as saheeh in Jamee’ al-Saheeh, 5206).
Shaykh al-Islam said: “This hadeeth at the very least implies that it is
haraam to imitate them, even if it is only in external appearance, and
it implies that the one who imitatest hem is a kaafir, as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): ‘And if any amongst you takes them
(as Auliyâ’), then surely, he is one of them’ [al-Maa’idah 5:51].” (al-
Iqtidaa’, 1/732).
Al-San’aani said: “If a person imitates the kaafir in his dress, and
believes that by doing so he will be like him, then he is a kaafir. If he
does not belive this, then there is a difference of opinion among the
fuqahaa’ in this case. Some of them say that he is a kaafir, which is
the apparent meaning of the hadeeth; others say that he is not a kaafir,
but he should be disciplined.” (Subul al-Salaam, 8/842).
Shaykh al-Islam said: “The reason why the religion of Allaah and its
rituals is vanishing, and kufr and sin are prevailing, is because of
imitation of the kaafireen, just as the means of preserving all good is
by following the ways and laws of the Prophets. “ (al-Iqtidaa’, 1/413).
There is much that could be said about imitation of the kuffaar, but
what we have said above is sufficient.
The forms of imitating the kuffaar in their festivals
The various sects and groups of the kuffaar have many kinds of
festivals, some of them have a religious basis whilst others have been
newly invented. Some of their festivals are like customs and events
for which they have invented festivals, such as national holidays and
the like. Their festivals may be grouped into different categories as
follows:
Firstly:
religious festivals by means of which they seek to draw nearer to
Allaah, such as the Epiphany, Easter, Passover, Christmas, etc. They
ways in which the Muslims imitate them in these festivals are two:
1. Joining in with them in these festivals, such as when some non-
Islamic groups or minorities in Muslim countries celebrate their
festivals, and some Muslims join in with them. This happened at
the time of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah and al-Haafiz al-
Dhahabi, and it is what is happening now in many of the
Muslim countries. What is even worse than that is what some
Muslims do by travelling to the kaafir countries for the express
purpose of attending these festivals and joining in the
celebrations, whether the motive is to fulfil their physical
desires or in response to the invitation of some of the kuffaar –
as some Muslims do who live in kaafir countries and are invited
to join the celebrations, or some other who have capital to invest
or are owners of large companies, so they accept these
invitations for the sake of being friendly to the person who
invited them, or for a worldly interest such as winning a
contract, and so on. All of this is haraam, and there is the fear
that it may lead to kufr, because of the hadeeth, “Whoever
imitates a people is one of them.” And the one who does this is
aiming to join in some of the rituals of their religion.
2. Beinging the celebration to the Muslim countries. Those who
attend the festivals of the kuffaar in their countries and who like
them because they are ignorant and have weak faith and little
knowledge, may be prompted to bring some of those festivals
and rituals to the Muslim countries, as is happening now in
many Muslim countries, where the Gregorian New year is
celebrated. This category is worse than the former one for one
reason, which is that the people whodo this are not content
merely to join the kuffaar in their rituals, but they want to bring
them to the Muslim lands as well.
Secondly:
Festivals whose origins lie in the rituals of the kuffaar, and they have
now become international customs and celebrations.
To be will continued....
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