MUSLIM SERMON - DO NOT CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS
حكم الاحتفال بالكريسمس ورأس السنة الميلادية
Summary
1) Commenting on the verse which means, "And those who do not witness (Az-Zoor) falsehood".
2) One will be with those whom he loves and imitates.
3) The ruling concerning celebrating festivals of the disbelievers
4) The ruling concerning greeting or accepting invitations to the festivals of the disbelievers
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, may Allaah have mercy on him, said in his commentary on the verse which means, “And those who do not witness (Az-Zoor) falsehood" (Al-Furqaan: 72), 'As regards the festivals of the mushrikeen: they combine confusion, 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 witnessing them means attending them'.
This verse itself praises and commends (those who do not witness falsehood), which has the meaning of urging people to avoid taking part in kaafir festivals and other kinds of falsehood. We understand that it is wrong to attend their festivals because they are called Az-zoor (falsehood).
Because Allaah has called it Az-Zoor, this indicates that it is Haraam to do this for many reasons. Allaah condemns the one who speaks falsehood (Az-Zoor) even if no-one else is harmed by it, as in the verse forbidding Thihaar (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 which means: “… And verily, they utter an ill word and a lie (zooran)…” (Al-Mujaadilah: 2). And Allaah says which means: “… So shun the abomination of idols, and shun lying speech (false statements) (Az-Zoor).” (Al-Hajj: 30). So the one who does Az-Zoor is condemned in this fashion.
In the Sunnah: Anas Ibn Maalik, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: “The Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam 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 Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam said: “Allaah has given you something better instead of them: Yawm al-Duhaa (Eid al-Adha) and Yawm al-Fitr (Eid al-Fitr).”(Abu Daawood).
This indicates clearly that the Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam definitely forbade his Muslim nation 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 accepted does not mean that their festivals are also tolerable or should be preserved by the Muslim nation, just as the rest of their Kufr and sins are not approved of. Indeed, the Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam went to great lengths to command his Muslim nation 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 different 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 festival, and this is our festival” implies exclusivity, that every people has its own festival, as Allaah says (which means): “For every nation there is a direction to which they face (in their prayers)…” (Al-Baqarah:148) and “… To each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way…” (Al-Maa’idah: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-Khattaabafter them. This condition is that those of the People
of the Book who have agreed to live under Islaamic rule, (may Allaah be pleased with him, and agreed
upon by the Sahaabah and by all the Fuqahaa’ahl al-dhimmah) should not celebrate their festivals
openly in Daar al-Islaam (lands under Islaamic 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 celebrates them, is that not worse than
if a Kaafir does so openly?
The only reason that they were forbidden to celebrate their festivals openly was because of the corruption and sin, or symbols of sin, involved in them. 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 because of the Muslim’s actions, how can a Muslim do that? The evil involved (in their festivals) will be explained below.
Al-Bayhaqi reported on the occasion of their New Year and other celebrations: from Sufyaan al-Thawri from Thawr Ibn Yazeed from ‘Ata’ Ibn Deenaar who said: ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, 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.'
‘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 because 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?
‘Abdullaah 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 (kabaa’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 ‘Abdullaah 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 acknowledge the name of their festivals which were exclusively theirs, so how about actually celebrating them?
Imaam Abul-'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 Muhannaa, and his
evidence for that is the verse (which means): ‘And those who do not witness falsehood (Az-Zoor)…’
(Al-Furqaan: 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.'
Greeting the Kuffaar on Christmas and other religious holidays of theirs is Haraam, by consensus. Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy on him, said in Ahkaam Ahl ath-Thimmah: 'Congratulating 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. 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. Whoever 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 which
means: "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" (Az-Zumar: 7(.
He also said which means," This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islaam as your religion" (Al-Maa’idah: 3(.
So congratulating them is forbidden,
whether they are one’s colleagues at work or otherwise.
If they greet us
on 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 sallallaahu 'alaihi
wasallam to the
whole of mankind. Allaah says which means: "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"
(Aal ‘Imraan:
85(.
It is Haraam for a Muslim to
accept invitations to 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 sallallaahu 'alaihi
wasallam said:
"Whoever imitates
a people is one of them." Shaykh al-Islaam
Ibn
Taymiyah said,
'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
humiliate and mislead the weak.'
Whoever
does anything of this
sort is a sinner, whether he does it out of politeness or
friendliness, or because
he is too shy to refuse, or for whatever other reason, because this is hypocrisy in
Islaam, and because it makes the Kuffaar feel proud of their
religion.
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.