Someone sent this question: ” During the Christmas season, Christians all over the country illuminate their houses with lights, put up Christmas trees, and exchange gifts. TV is full of jingle bells and all the stores are decorated for Christmas. All this is very tempting to small children; children love putting up lights and decorating for holidays. Some Muslim families also put up Christmas trees and lights to keep their children happy. They argue that Christmas is, after all, Prophet Jesus’ birthday and there is no harm in celebrating Christmas as long as children are happy. I explained to them that we are Muslims and we don’t celebrate Christmas; we celebrate `Eids. To keep our children happy and to get them excited about `Eid, we started putting up lights (green and white) around the house and decorating inside the house during Ramadan until after `Eidul-Fitr and during `Eidul-Adha. We exchange gifts with our Muslims friends on both `Eids. Alhamdulillah, our children now wait for `Eid, not for Christmas. What is the Islamic position on these issues? Can we celebrate Christmas?”
ANSWER
1- Islam is a complete way of life, and it suffices Muslims. At the same time, we should be interactive and proactive. We should not forget our role in society in a way that we still stick to our religion.
2– Muslims have their own identity. To keep this identity, Muslim scholars said that Muslims must not celebrate Christmas or holidays of non-Muslims.
3– By participation in Christmas, it is possible that slowly one may lose his or her consciousness of this basic point of difference between Islam and Christianity.
4– Muslims must be very careful in this matter. The greatest danger is for our next generation, who may slowly lose their Islamic faith in tawhid and may start believing in Jesus as “more than a prophet and servant of Allah”.
5– We should tell our children that we are Muslims and this is not our holiday. This is the holiday of our Christian neighbours
6– We should teach our children to love Prophet Jesus as he is the Prophet of God, but not the son of Allah, nor is he a God.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Every people have their `Eid…” Some celebrations are of a religious nature, and some others are social and cultural.
Some celebrations are based on beliefs and practices that are contrary to Islamic teachings, and some celebrations are not of that nature.
Some people claim that Christmas is now a secular holiday, and it is very much an American national holiday rather than a religious occasion.
But it is wrong to assume that because this occasion is national, it has ceased to be Christian. This day is indeed very popular, and it is extremely commercialised; nevertheless, it is basically a religious occasion. Its very name and all its symbolism are Christian through and through.
Christians celebrate at Christmas what they believe to be the “day of the birth of God’s Son” or what they call “God Incarnate“. Thus, it is not only a celebration of another religion, but it is also a celebration that is based on a belief that is totally against the teachings of Islam.
From the Islamic point of view, the belief in the “Son of God” or “God in the flesh” is a blasphemy and kufr (denial of God’s Oneness).
By participation in Christmas, it is possible that slowly one may lose his or her consciousness of this basic point of difference. Muslims must be very careful in this matter. The greatest danger is for our next generation, who may slowly lose their Islamic faith in tawhid and may start believing in Jesus as “more than a prophet and servant of Allah”.
The argument that “Christmas is, after all, Prophet Jesus’ birthday and so there is no harm in celebrating Christmas” is neither logical nor Islamic. Why should Muslims celebrate Jesus’ birthday? Why not the birthdays of the other 24 prophets and messengers who are mentioned in the Qur’an by name?
For us, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the final Prophet and Messenger of Allah, not Jesus.
Christians believe that Jesus was the last one and they say in their book: “after God spoke through many prophets … in these last days he spoke to us through his son whom he made to inherit everything” (New Testament, Hebrews 1:1).
Thus, they celebrate his coming, but for us Muslims, Prophet Muhammad was the last Prophet, and Allah appointed him for all people and for all times to come.
I do agree that our little children are deeply affected by the festivities and glitter of this holiday. We should try to take them to some Islamic camps and conferences at this time and give them some other alternate programs and activities.
But Muslim families should not have Christmas trees in their homes, nor should they put up lights inside or outside their homes at this time.
We are pleased to know that you celebrate Ramadan and `Eids with lights and decorations in your home and exchange gifts with your children. This is very thoughtful, indeed. It is good to decorate our homes and masjids during Ramadan and for `Eids. It is mentioned in one of the Hadiths that even heaven is especially decorated during the month of Ramadan. Allah Almighty closes the gates of Hell and opens the gates of Paradise during the month of Ramadan.
We Muslims should give special attention to our own Islamic holidays. In this way, our children will be attracted to our own celebrations rather than looking at others.
Unfortunately, there are some Muslims who do not pay any attention to Ramadan and Eid. Some of them do not even come to `Eid prayers, and even if they come, they do not take their day off from work. Thus, their children have no idea about Islamic holidays, or they think that Islam is a religion without any festivals and celebrations.
Christmas was a pagan custom that was adopted into Christianity; it has nothing to do with the reverence and love of Jesus, the mighty Messenger of Allah that we Muslims hold in the highest regard and respect. If we are celebrating the great teachings of Jesus or other prophets, we must do so every day. To do so means to practice love, mercy, justice and compassion and to be actively engaged in doing the will of God.
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