543. Is It Okay For Muslims To Celebrate Thanksgiving?

By Asma bint Shameem 

The vast majority of the scholars consider thanksgiving a ‘religious’ celebration, and thus say that it’s NOT allowed for us to celebrate it or participate in it. 

The scholars of the Standing Committee said:

“It is not permissible to take part with the disbelievers in their holidays and religious celebrations, due to the description Allaah has given to the servants of the Most-Merciful:

وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَشْهَدُونَ *الزُّورَ* وَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِاللَّغْوِ مَرُّوا كِرَامًا

“Those who do not witness “zoor”, and if they pass by falsehood, they pass by it with dignity.” 

(Surah al-Furqaan :72)

“al-Zoor” is explained to be: 

“the celebrations of the disbelievers and witnessing them, attending them, or taking part in them.”

[The Permanent Council’s second series of Fatwas (1/452-453)]

We Muslims don’t thank Allaah only “one” day of the year; rather thankfulness is every single day, every single moment of our life. 

In fact, even if we spend our entire LIFETIME thanking Allaah, it still wouldn’t be enough. 

How can we even begin to thank Him for all that He’s blessed us with?

And although, there are some ulama who don’t consider it to be a religious holiday, it still would be an imitation of the non Muslims. 

 The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:

 ‘Whoever imitates a people is one of them.’

(Abu Dawood, 3512; hasan Saheeh by Al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood 3401). 

And even if an occasion is celebrated as a “worldly” matter and not as something “religious”, it still would not be right to celebrate it unless it meets certain conditions.

Suhayl Hasan said:

“Imitating or resembling the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) and others with regard to worldly matters is permissible only when the following conditions are met: 

1 – That should not be any of their traditions or rituals by which they are distinguished.

2 – That should not be part of their religion. A matter can be proven to be part of their religion though a trustworthy source, such as an aayah of the Qur’aan or a hadeeth of His Messenger, or via well-established reports, such as the prostration of greeting which was permitted to the previous nations.

3 – That should not be anything in Islam which refers specifically to that matter. If there is a specific reference in Islam, either approving or disapproving of it, then we must follow what our religion says about it.

4 – This resemblance should not lead to going against any of the commands of sharee’ah.

5 – That should not involve celebrating any of their festivals.

6 – The resemblance should be only according to what is needed, and no more. 

(al-Sunan wa’l-Athaar fi’l-Nahy ‘an al-Tashabbuh bi’l-Kuffaar p. 58-59)

Thus the SAFER opinion is to simply stay away from  such things. 

Here’s what shaikh Salah 

as- Sawy says about thanksgiving and gathering to hold dinners on that day.

He said:

“The best of what has been said on the matter is that, whoever calls people to gather on this day, serves the same food and participates in the same rites, has entered the door of imitating non-Muslims more than any other. 

Before all else, the hadeeth  [prohibiting imitation of non-Muslims] applies to him. 

He must repent to Allaah Mighty & Majestic and quit doing this, for it has been reported that the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:

"Whoever imitates a people is from them," and this implies the prohibition of imitating them completely. 

Then there is also the saying of the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam:

"Oppose the polytheists," and their holidays are one type of their deeds, which comprise their religion or are a symbol of their false religion.

Whoever calls for people to gather for food, but he opposes the people [non-Muslims] in the food he serves, for instance, or in some other way, arguing that it is just a vacation day, we say to him: 

this deed of yours is not devoid of some share of imitation, for the vacation lasts several days and it would be possible for you to move this gathering to another day. 

Allaah has not restricted you, so choose another day during the break in order to be farther from imitation, lest confusion befall the common people, most of whom do not distinguish between one intention and the other and who may move gradually from the lawful to the prohibited. 

(It would be allowed to gather and eat on Thanksgiving Day) If only this day were simply chosen due to the circumstances of travelers or the circumstances of friends and relatives. 

If only it would not be possible to move the gathering to another day for that reason. 

And if only the intention of imitation would be completely and totally negated. 

As for those who take advantage of the Thanksgiving break to do some religious or non-religious activities which bear no resemblance to this occasion and which are totally unrelated except for the fact that one makes use of the vacation time to do them, there would be no blame in that, in shaa Allaah.”

Someone also asked Shaikh Salah as-Sawy if it’s permissible to hold lectures and youth programs in the masjid, have family gatherings at home, take vacation, or do other activities during  Thanksgiving holidays. 

Would that be counted as  ‘celebrating’ it? 

He said:

“It is not part of the non-Muslims' rites for the Thanksgiving holiday that people gather in their churches to present a series of theological lectures over the course of the week-end vacation in which this holiday takes place. 

Were that the case, there would be a sound basis for your fears. 

On the contrary, what they do is invite one another to eat turkey and give thanks to God for ending their wars with the Native Americans and for starting a new stage of life and peace, as they say. 

So, if any of the Muslims call for something like this to be done on these days, (meaning, eat turkey and give thanks to God on this specific day, in the specific manner as stated above), he has guided people away from the Straight Path. 

But if the aim is to take advantage of this vacation to finish some work that has gotten backed-up, to visit relatives, to hold conventions, Islamic conferences or the like – activities which our normal schedules or regular commitments keep us from doing without vacations like this, I hope there would be no blame in that, in shaa'Allah.

 (The Permanent Committee for issuing Fataawa- AMJA)

And Allaah knows best