Celebrating a festival of christians(like new year) or hindus is wrong even if I do not believe in such festivals??i
Mu' meneen Brothers
and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa
Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be
upon all of you)
One of our
brothers/sisters has asked this question:
Dear burhan,
I recently started reading your forum and i must
say its really good.I just want to ask you whether celebrating a festival of
christians(like new year) or hindus is wrong even if I do not believe in such
festivals??i invite my non-muslim friends home for iftaar and eid and i feel i
should also attend their festivals to promote secularism or good
feelings.please tell me whether this is wrong or not .thank you
(There may be some
grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not
change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our
readers for circulation in confidentiality.)
Answer:
Celebrating pagan festivals
In the name of Allah, We praise
Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none
can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright.
We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam,
no dai, nobody!) worthy of
worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His
slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Every people have their own civilization, their culture and days of
celebration. Allah and His Messenger
(saws) have appointed the two Eids for our celebration, and have made every Friday a day of Eid and
celebration for the believers. For a
true believer, every day that dawns is a
Sign from our Merciful Lord, and every
day that Allah gives us life, can be a
day of celebration for us.
There is absolutely no harm if
one celebrates or congratulates one’s non-muslim friends on their personal
accomplishments and happy occasions like the birth of their baby, or their
children’s graduation, or a promotion in their job, etc. But it would not behove a believer who
believes in Allah and the Last Day to celebrate any of their religious
occasions with them like Christmas, Easter, Diwali, Holi, etc.
In light of the guidance of the
Quran and the Sunnah, the jurors in Islam have listed four categories which
would make any celebration or gathering forbidden:
It is absolutely permissible
and in fact encouraged in Islam that the believers invite their non-believing
brethren for iftaar or Eid celebrations; for the perfect deen or way of life
called Al-Islam is the absolute Truth from the Lord and there is absolutely no
restriction in inviting mankind to the Truth.
The pagan religions and thus their
religious festivals are based on absolute falsehoods, and it does not behove
one who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day as Truth to indulge in
celebrations of falsehood.
The religion of Islam
absolutely promotes and allows secularism, for the non-believers are allowed
and permitted to celebrate their pagan festivals, even in a proper Islamic
State. But secularism does not mean that
one who knows and has professed belief in the Truth indulges in or becomes a
witness to their false gods, deities, or commemorations and celebrations in
their names!
There are many other and better
ways where a believer can display his well-wishes towards his non-muslims
friends, neighbors, colleagues, etc. by being kind, just, honest, and always
truthful with them, giving them good advice, and being their sincere
well-wisher at all times. If the
believers strive with their good character and best manners as always befits a
muslim, it would go a long way in promoting good cordial relations with their
non-muslim brethren, rather than simply celebrating their pagan festivals with
them.
Whatever written of Truth and
benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error
is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best
and He is the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
