By Asma Bint Shameem
QUESTION
Can I wish my non-Muslim colleagues “Merry Christmas”?
Can I give them gifts at this time or attend ‘Christmas parties?
ANSWER
It’s not allowed for us Muslims to participate in ANY sort of non-Muslim practice that’s ‘religious’.
Why not?
1. It’s condoning and acknowledging their Shirk!
By congratulating the
non-Muslims in their religious festivals, we are actually saying “Congratulations on your belief that Allaah has a son”!
By participating in anything to do with Christmas, be it a “gift exchange”, a Christmas party, or simply wishing someone “Merry Christmas”, we’re actually condoning and acknowledging their shirk and its celebration.
Allaah specifically tells us:
“....do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is Severe in punishment.”
(Surah al-Maa’idah:2)
Ibn al-Qayyim said:
“And it is on the same level as congratulating them for *prostrating* to the CROSS. Rather it is a GREATER SIN with Allaah.
And it is a more severe abomination than to congratulate them for drinking alcohol and killing someone, committing illegal sexual intercourse and things of this nature. And many of the people who don’t have any deen (or respect for the deen) fall into this.
And he doesn’t know the ugliness (evil) of what he has done.
So whoever congratulates a person for committing sins, or innovations, or disbelief, then he has EXPOSED himself to the HATE and WRATH of Allaah.”
(Ahkaam Ahlul Dhimmah)
Subhaan Allaah!
If just wishing someone Merry Christmas is like participating in a Shirki festival, and exposing oneself to the Hate and Wrath of Allaah, then what about those of us who actually bring a Christmas tree in the house and decorate it, set presents under it and celebrate it with their families?!
Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said:
“The Christians’ celebrating the birth of ‘Eesaa Alaiyhis-Salaam is for them. However, it is not permissible for the Muslim to participate in their holidays. They are *not* to give them gifts at the time of their holidays nor is it permissible to sell them anything which will aid them in the celebration of their holidays; all of this is incorrect.
This is because it entails being pleased with that which they are upon if the person were to do so. And being pleased with Kufr and the holidays of the disbelievers is prohibited for the Muslims.
Thus the affair is very dangerous O brothers.
It is not permissible for the person to celebrate Christmas; if he is a Muslim. And it is not permissible for him to congratulate them for this holiday; if he is a Muslim.
And it is not permissible for him to respond to this greeting if they congratulate him for this holiday; if he is a Muslim.
Subhaan Allaah!
Shall we congratulate them for a holiday which is considered as a religious practice?
And is this anything other than being pleased with disbelief?”
(Fataawaa al-Haam al-Makki no. 1 Side B)
2. Allaah is NOT pleased with it!
Since it’s is cooperating in shirk and disbelief, it is NOT pleasing to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala.
He says:
“If you disbelieve, then verily, Allaah is not in need of you, He likes not disbelief for His slaves. And if you are grateful (by being believers), He is pleased therewith for you.”
(Surah az-Zumar: 7)
3. Allaah’s Wrath descends on this day!*
Umar radhi Allaahu anhu said:
“Do not enter upon the mushrikeen in their churches on the day of their festival, for Divine Wrath is descending upon them.”
Al-Zayla’i said:
“Giving gifts on the occasion of Nayrooz and Mahrjaan [two non-Islamic Persian festivals] is not permissible, i.e., giving gifts on these two days is haraam, and is in fact kufr.”
Abu Hafs and Kabeer said:
“If a man were to worship Allaah for fifty years, then on the day of Nayrooz he were to give an egg as a gift to one of the mushrikeen, intending thereby to venerate that day, he would have committed kufr and his good deeds would be cancelled out.”
But aren’t they just celebrating the birth of our Prophet Eesa Alaiyhis-Salaatu was-Salaam*
Celebrating Christmas is celebration of the birth of Eesa Alaiyhis-Salaam, whom they think is the son of God.
They celebrate the day the ‘son’ of God was born.
That’s why this day is important to them.
They’re not celebrating the birth of a prophet.
They’re celebrating the birth of the son of God, the ‘savior’ who died at the cross.
Astaghfirullaah.
But I’m just being ‘polite’ because they congratulate us on our festivals too and I don’t want to seem rude
We can NOT congratulate them even if they congratulate us:
Why?
Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen explained this and said:
“If someone says; I am courteous to them because they are courteous to me and they congratulate me for Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha.
We say: Alhamdulillah. If they congratulate you with Eid Al-Adha and Eid Al-Fitr, then they have congratulated you for legislated holiday, which Allaah has made for His slaves. And it is mandatory for Eid Al-Adha and Eid Al-Fitr to be their holidays, because it is obligatory upon them to accept Islam. But if you congratulate them for Christmas then you are congratulating them for a holiday which Allaah has not designated as a holiday. Thus Christmas has no basis in ‘history’ and it has no basis in the religious ‘legislation’. Eesa ibn Maryam did not command them to establish this holiday. Thus it is either that, which was entered into the religion of the Messiah as ‘innovation’ and ‘misguidance’, or it was ‘prescribed’ in the legislation of Eesa ibn Maryam but it has been ‘abrogated’ by the legislation of Islaam. Therefore it has no basis by any estimation.
And because it is misguidance, how is it befitting for me—while I am a Muslim—to congratulate them for it?!”
(Fatawaa al-Haram al-Makki no. 1 Side B)
So What to Do?
We should explain politely that it’s against the principles of our religious beliefs to celebrate Christmas because Islaam teaches us that God is One Who cannot have a partner or son.
And though we believe in the “*prophethood*” of Jesus, and we love and honor him, but to believe that he is the son of God is considered blasphemy.
Shaikh Ibn ul-Uthaymeen said:
“If they congratulate us on their festivals, then verily we do not respond to them upon that.
They are not festivals for us.
They are verily festivals Allaah is not pleased with because they innovated in their religion”
[Majmoo’ Fatawa wa Rasaail question. 404 (3/29)]
So it’s best not to say “same to you” or “thank you” etc. when they wish us.
Rather, it’s good if your are able to explain the issue, “why” we don’t celebrate such festivals as Muslims, then this is better and a way of giving Da’wah.
Also tell them that you will not be participating in any of the religious activities or parties including ‘gift exchange’.
Similarly it’s NOT RIGHT for us to give them gifts at THIS particular time because “we want to fit in”
Or we give them gifts just because we feel “pressured” to do so since everyone around is giving gifts.
INSTEAD, bring them gifts at the time of the two Eids and in Ramadhaan and *throughout the year*, just for no reason at all.
Tell them it’s PART of your DEEN to give gifts for no specific reason.
Also it’s of VITAL importance, especially for those of us who’re in the working field, to EDUCATE our colleagues and neighbors about Islaam, and what we believe in, not just around Christmas time, but THROUGHOUT the year.
This way you can ‘ESTABLISH’ yourself and your Faith at the workplace.
TALK about your Deen. Talk about what ‘shirk’ means and WHY it’s wrong, what our beliefs and principles and ethics are, how we behave, why we wear hijaab, etc., LONG BEFORE Christmas time.
This subtle ‘education’ about our beliefs should be done throughout the year so that when the time for their religious festivals comes, they know EXACTLY what we do and what we don’t; what to expect of us and what not to expect.
This way we’re not ‘scrambling’ at the last minute looking for excuses not to attend their religious festivities and feeling awkward for not participating.
And they also won’t feel you’re being a ‘spoilt sport’ or ‘unreasonable’ or ‘extreme’;
rather your refusal to participate in their religious holidays is due to your beliefs and principles and not some personal prejudice or laziness.
Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said:
“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 non Muslims by having parties on such occasions, or exchanging gifts, or giving out sweets or food, or taking time off work, etc., because the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said: "Whoever imitates a people is one of them."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 refuse, or for whatever other reason, because this is hypocrisy in Islaam, and because it makes the non Muslims feel proud of their religion.”
(Majmoo’ah Fataawa wa Rasaa’il 3/369)
And Allaah knows best
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