Non-Muslim Religious Celebrations and Ruling on participating
The
conflict between truth and falsehood is ongoing and will last as long as this
world remains. The fact that some groups among the Ummah of Muhammad 
(peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) are following the people of falsehood such
as the Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, idol-worshippers and others, whilst a
group is remaining steadfast to the truth despite the pressures, is all part of
the decreed system of the universe. But this does not mean that we should give
in and follow the ways of those who are astray, because the one who told us
that this would inevitably happen also warned us against following this path,
and he commanded us to adhere firmly to Islam no matter how many people deviate
from it and no matter how strong they become. He told us that the blessed one
is the one who adheres steadfastly to the truth no matter what the
distractions, at a time when the one who does righteous deeds will earn the
reward of fifty men whose deeds are like those of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be
pleased with them) – as was reported in the hadeeth of Abu Tha’labah
al-Khushani (may Allaah be pleased with him).
Among
the Ummah of Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) there will be people who deviated from the
truth and went towards falsehood, changing and altering things. Their
punishment will be that they will be kept away from the Hawd (Cistern)
whilst those who adhered to the Straight Path will come and drink from it. The
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“I
will precede you to the Cistern, and men from among you will be brought to me,
and when I stretch forth my hand to them, they will be pulled away. I will say,
‘O Lord! My followers!’ and it will be said: ‘You do
not know what they innovated after you were gone.’”
According
to another report: “I will say: ‘May he be doomed, the one who changed (the
religion) after I was gone.’”
One of
the most obvious manifestations of this altering of Islam and disdainfully
treating the religion of Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the way in which people follow the
enemies of Allaah – may He be exalted – in everything, major or minor, in the
name of development, progress and civilization, under the banners of peaceful
coexistence, human brotherhood, new world order, globalization and other
dazzling but deceitful slogans. The caring Muslim can spot this dangerous
problem among the majority of Muslims, except for those on whom Allaah has
mercy, to such an extent that they even follow them in their religious rituals
and in their most unique traditions and customs, such as the festivals which
are part of their belief systems. Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings):
“and follow not their vain desires, diverging away from the
truth that has come to you. To each among you, We have
prescribed a law and a clear way” [al-Maa’idah
“For
every nation We have ordained religious ceremonies which
they must follow” [al-Hajj 22:67] – which
means, a festival which is for them alone.
Many
Muslims have been led astray by the dazzling attractions of the enemies of
Allaah, especially the Christians with their major festivals such as the
celebration of the birth of the Messiah (peace be upon him) – i.e., Christmas –
and the Christian New Year. They attend Christian parties on these occasions in
their (Christians’) countries, and some of them have brought these things back
to Muslim countries – we seek refuge with Allaah. A great disaster is the huge
preparations which are being made on an international scale and at the level of
the major Christian countries to celebrate the end of the second millenium and
the beginning of the third millenium since the birth of the Messiah, son of
Maryam (peace be upon him). If the world is teeming with Christian celebrations
during a regular New Year, how will it be at the end of a Christian century
(the twentieth century) and the end of a millenium (the second millenium)? It
is a major event for which the Christians are preparing in a manner appropriate
to its huge significance.
This
Christian event will not be like a usual New Year’s Eve celebration taking only
in the Christian countries and in their focal point, the (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him). So how about one who actually joins in
with them in the rituals of their religion?! This obliges us to discuss the
rulings on the festivals of the kuffaar, how the Muslim should deal with them
and how they should differ from them – which is one of
the basic principles of this pure religion of ours. Moreover, we need to know
some details about their festivals and rituals so that we can avoid them and
warn others about them.
Why do
we need to know about the festivals of the kuffaar?
One of
the things that the scholars agreed on is that the Muslim does not need to
concern himself with the ways of the kuffaar, or their rituals and customs
(unless he wants to call them to Islam), except when their customs and rituals
are becoming widespread ignorant Muslims, whether deliberately or
unintentionally. In such cases Muslims need to know about them so that they can
avoid them. In recent times this has become more of an issue for the following
reasons:
1. More mixing with the kuffaar, because
Muslims go to their countries to study, take vacations, do
business or for other reasons. Those who go there witness some of their rituals
and they may like them, so they follow them. This is especially the case with
those who are suffering from an inferiority complex and who look at the kuffaar
with strong admiration which robs them of the power to resist, corrupts their
hearts and weakens their commitment to religion. In addition to this, many
westernized, educated people regard the kuffaar as advanced, progressive and
civilized even in their most mundane customs and habits. Or else this comes
about through the open celebration of these festivals in Muslim countries by
some groups and non-Muslim minorities, so some ignorant Muslims are influenced
by this.
2. The matter is made more serious by the
media which can transmit everything with sound and living pictures from the
farthest corners of the earth. No doubt the media of the kuffar is stronger and
more capable of transmitting their rituals to the Muslims than the other way
round. Many satellite channels broadcast the rituals of other religions’
festivals – especially Christian festivals. The matter becomes more serious
when the secular systems in some Muslim countries have adopted the celebrations
of the kaafirs and some of the people of bid’ah and the Arabic satellite
channels broadcast this to the world, so some Muslims are deceived by the fact
that this is coming from a Muslim country.
3. Throughout their history, the Muslims
have suffered from the problem of being influenced by the rituals of others
through mixing with them. This prompted the imaams (scholars) of Islam to warn
the Muslim masses against imitating others in their festivals and rituals.
Among these scholars are Shaykh al-Islam ibn Taymiyah,
his student al-‘Allaamah Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Haafiz al-Dhahabi and al-Haafiz ibn
Katheer. They lived at the same time, when there was a lot of mixing between
Muslims and others, especially Christians, and ignorant Muslims were influenced
by their (Christians’) religious rituals, especially their festivals. So these
scholars spoke a great deal about these things throughout their books, and some
of them devoted books to the particular topic, such as Ibn Taymiyah (Iqtidaa’
al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem li Mukhaalafat Ashaab al-Jaheem) and al-Dhahabi (Tashbeeh
al-Khasees bi Ahl al-Khamees), and others.
Ibn
Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) spoke at length about their festivals
and what they do on those occasions, and he described the extent to which the
ignorant Muslims were influenced by this. He described their various festivals
and the rituals and customs that were involved - which Muslims do not
ordinarily need to know about, but now it is necessary because many Muslims are
following the People of the Book in those rituals.
Shaykh
al-Islam described their festivals and discussed them in the context of warning
against them. After speaking in detail about them, he said: “Our aims are not
limited just to knowing the details of their falsehood, but it is sufficient
for us to know what is munkar (evil) in such a way that we can distinguish
between it and that which is mubaah (permissible), ma’roof (good), mustahabb
(encouraged) and waajib (obligatory), so that by means of this knowledge we
will be able to protect ourselves and avoid it, just as we know (and avoid)
other things that are haraam, as we are obliged to do. Whoever does not know
about what is munkar, either in general terms or in
details, will not be able to avoid it. A general knowledge is sufficient,
unlike with waajibaat (duties) [where it is essential to know details –
translator].”
He
also said:
“I
have counted so many things that are munkar in their religion when I noted that
some groups of Muslims are influenced by some of them, and many of them do not
know that this comes from the Christian religion which is cursed, it and its
followers. I do not know all the things that they do, but I have mentioned what
I have seen Muslims doing, which is taken from them.”
4.
Some of their festivals nowadays revolve around large gatherings, and still
bear some of the features of their ancient festivals. Many Muslims take part in
these events without realizing that. This is the case with the Olympic Games,
whose roots lie in a festival that was celebrated by the Greeks, then the
Romans, then the Christians; and with the “Mahrajaans” (“festivals”) which are
organized to promote trade, culture etc., even though the Mahrajaan was
originally a Persian festival. Most of those who organize these gatherings and
call them “Mahrajaan” are unaware of this.
5. Knowing evil is a means of avoiding it
and keeping away from it. Hudhayfah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The
people used to ask the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about good things, but I used to ask him
about bad things, fearing that I may fall into them.” It is a great problem
that Muslims fall into observing some of the rituals of the disbelievers
without realizing that this is part of their rituals and unique customs, which
we have been commanded to avoid because it is an abomination and misguidance.
6. There are so many calls made by the
strong voices of hypocrisy who want to cut the Ummah off from its roots,
destroy its identity and assimilate it into the methodology of the kuffaar,
and want people to follow them step by step, under the banners of humanity,
globalization, universalism, openness towards others and receptiveness towards
other cultures. This makes it essential for us to know about the others’ (the
kaafirs’) misguidance and deviation so that we can expose it and point out the
faults that lie beneath the attractive exterior that covers these abhorrent
ideas,
“so
that those who were to be destroyed (for their rejecting the Faith) might be
destroyed after a clear evidence, and those who were to live (i.e. believers)
might live after a clear evidence” [al-An’aam 8:42 – interpretation of the
meaning] – and so that proof may be
demonstrated to the followers of Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so that they will not be cheated or
deceived.
Festivals
of the Pharaohs
Among
the Pharaonic festivals is the festival of Shimm al-Naseem (lit. “smelling the breeze”), which involves venerating some days
as a good omen or drawing nigh to the gods who were worshipped instead of
Allaah – may He be exalted. Shaykh Mahfooz – during his own time – mentioned
some of the shameful and immoral practices that would make one's hair stand on
end, whereby farms and open spaces were filled with groups of immoral people of
bad conduct, and groups of young and old, men and women, went to the orchards
and rivers to commit zinaa (fornication, adultery) and to drink intoxicating
substances, thinking that on that day all evil actions were permissible for
them.
Among
the superstitions connected to this festival was the placing of onions beneath
the head of a sleeping person, or hanging them in doorways, claiming that this
would take away laziness and sloth. This event is counted as one of the Pharaonic
festivals, and it was said that it was invented by the Copts; there is nothing
to suggest that it did not belong to both of them, and that it was not passed
down from the Pharaohs to the Copts. Many Egyptians – especially the Copts –
still celebrate this festival, and many Muslims join in with them. In recent
years a number of secular writers have called for it to be made an official
holiday, in order to revive the Pharaonic legacy, at the time when they
describe the rituals of Islam as being backward, reactionary and uncivilized!
The
festivals of the Greeks
The
months of the Greek year were many, and were named after the festivals. The
costs of these festivals were financed by the rich among them. Most of their
festivals were connected to the rituals of their pagan religion which was based
on polytheism. They had so many festivals which were aimed at reducing the
tedium of daily life, and it reached the extent that no month was free of one
or more festivals, except for one month which was called Mamkitrion.
Their
festivals were characterized by obscenity, promiscuity, drunkenness and giving
free rein to their animalistic desires, so that they did whatever they wanted,
as is reflected in many of their misguided myths, such as their claim that they
summoned the souls of the dead, then they sent them
back or expelled them again after the festival was over. The most important of
their festivals included the following:
The festival of the Olympiad, or the Olympic feast. This was held in
These
games are still held and supported by the Christian nations under the same
ancient name and with the inherited rituals such as lighting the Olympic flame
in
The
Greeks also had other major festivals such as the festivals of the Hellenic
league, the Ionic league and others.
The
festivals of the Romans
One of
the nations which had the most festivals was the Romans. They had more than one
hundred holy days in the year, days which they regarded as festivals, including
the first day of each month. Some festivals were devoted to the sanctification
of the dead and the souls of the underworld, and on
many of their festivals celebrations were held to placate the dead and appease
their anger – or so they claimed.
As it is
known, the
Among
the most famous Roman festivals:
The festival of love, which they celebrated on
February 14 each year, as an expression of what they believed, in their pagan
religion, to be divine love. This
festival was invented more than 1700 years ago, at the time when paganism was
still prevalent among the Romans. Whilst their state was still idolatrous, they
executed Saint Valentine, who had converted to Christianity after having been a
pagan. When the Romans converted to Christianity, they made the day of his
execution an occasion to celebrate the martyrs of love. This festival is still
celebrated in
It
seems that another practice stemmed from the concept of this feast, which is
the anniversary celebrated by spouses or friends who love one another, where
the couple celebrate the anniversary of their marriage each year, to confirm
the love between them. This custom has passed to the Muslims because of their
mixing (with the non-Muslims), so that couples celebrate the night of their
marriage in a special way in many Muslim countries, imitating the kuffaar. Laa
hawla wa laa quwwata illaa Billaa
The
festivals of the Jews
1. The (Jewish) New Year, which is called
the festival of Heesha [Rosh Hashanah]. This is the
first day of Tishreen al-Awwal. They claim that it is the day on which
the sacrifice Ishaaq (peace be upon him) was ransomed.
This is according to their mistaken belief – in fact the one who was to be
sacrificed was Ismaa’eel, not Ishaaq. This festival has a similar status to
that of ‘Eid al-Adhaa for Muslims.
2. The festival of Sumaria or Yom Kippur,
which for them is a day of forgiveness.
3. The feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) on the
fifteenth of Tishreen. On this day they stay in the shade of the branches of
trees. It is also called the Festival of the Fast of
the Virgin Mary.
4. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is
the Passover, on the fifteenth of Nisan. This commemorates the flight of the
Children of Israel from slavery in
5.
The
Feast of Weeks or Pentecost (Shavuot). They claim that this is the day on which
Allaah – may He be exalted – spoke to Moosa (peace be
upon him).
6. The Day of Atonement, in the
tenth month of the Jewish year,
when a person goes into seclusion for nine days to worship and fast, This is called the days of repentance.
7. The new moon. They used to celebrate the
birth of each new moon, when they used to blow trumpets in
8. The Jubilee, which is described in the
Book of Leviticus.
They
also have other festivals, among which the most well known are: the festival of
victory, or Purim, and the festival of Hanukkah, which is also known as the
festival of blessing.
The
festivals of the Christians
The festival of the resurrection, which is called
Easter. This is the most important
annual Christian festival, which is preceded by the long fast (Lent) which
lasts for forty days before Easter Sunday. This festival commemorates the
return of the Messiah (peace be upon him) or his resurrection after his
crucifixion, two days after his death – according to their claims. It marks the
end of many different kinds of rituals, which include:
1. The onset of the long fast of Lent,
which lasts for forty days before Easter Sunday. They start fasting on a
Wednesday known as Ash Wednesday, where ash is placed on the foreheads of those
present and they repeat the words, “From dust we came and to dust we shall
return.”
2. Fifty days after Easter Sunday, they end
with the Feast of Pentecost or Whitsuntide.
3. The Week of Sorrows (or Holy Week),
which is the last week of the fasting period of Lent, which refers to the
events that led up to the death and resurrection of Jesus (peace be upon him) –
as they claim.
4. Palm Sunday, which is the Sunday before
Easter. This is a commemoration of the triumphal entry of the Messiah into
5. Maundy Thursday, which is a
commemoration of the Last Supper of the Messiah, and his arrest and
imprisonment.
6. Good Friday (“the Friday of Grief”),
which is the Friday before Easter, which refers to the death of Jesus on the
cross – or so they claim.
7. Easter Saturday (the “Saturday of
Light”), which comes before Easter and refers to the death of the Messiah. It
is a day of watching and waiting for the resurrection of the Messiah on Easter
Sunday. The Easter festivities conclude with the Thursday of Ascension, when
the story of the Messiah’s ascension into heaven is recited in all the
churches. They have different kinds of celebrations and festivals, according to
the different denominations in different Christian countries. The Thursday and
Friday before Easter are known as the Great Thursday and the Great Friday, as
was mentioned by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him).
This is the Thursday (al-Khamees) referred to in the book of al-Haafiz
al-Dhahabi (may Allaah have mercy on him): Tashbeeh al-Khasees bi Ahl
al-Khamees. This Thursday is the last day of their fast, and is also known
as the Thursday of the Table or the Feast of the Table. It is mentioned in Soorat
al-Maa’idah where Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“‘Eesaa
(Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), said: “O Allaah, our Lord! Send us from the
heaven a table spread (with food) that there may be for us — for the first and
the last of us — a festival and a sign from You…” [al-Maa’idah
5:114]
They
also do many strange things during these festivals, as was mentioned by many
historians, such as gathering the leaves of trees, soaking them, then washing
with the water, or putting kohl on their eyes. The Copts of Egypt used to bathe
in the
Ibn
al-Haaj mentioned that they openly committed immoral actions and engaged in
gambling, but no one denounced them for doing so. This is probably what prompted
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) to denounce what he
saw of Muslims imitating Christians in their festivals and rituals, for he
mentioned a great deal of this in his excellent book al-Iqtidaa’ .
Al-Dhahabi also wrote a book on this topic, as mentioned above.
Until
the present, all the Christians celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the
moon become full in spring, in the period between March 22 and April 25. The
Eastern Orthodox Christians observe it later than the other Christians. Its
rituals, fasts and days occupy an entire season in the Christian year.
2. The
festival of the birth of the Messiah (may peace be
upon him). The Europeans call this Christmas, and it is on December 25 for the
majority of Christians. For the Copts it is the day which corresponds to the
twenty-ninth of Keehak (the fourth month of the Coptic year). This celebration
is ancient and was mentioned in the books of the historians. Al-Maqreezi said:
The time of Christmas came whilst we were in
For
Christians, this festival is an annual reminder of the birth of the Messiah
(peace be upon him). They have many rituals and acts
of worship at this time, when they go to the church and hold special prayers
and services. The story of the birth of the Messiah is mentioned in their
Gospels – Luke and Matthew. It was first celebrated in 336 CE. The festival is
influenced by pagan rituals, when the Romans used to celebrate the god of light
and the god of the harvest. When Christianity became the official religion of
the Romans, Christmas became the most important festival in
The
Christians have many rituals on this day. The Christians of Palestine and
neighbouring regions gather on the night of this festival in
3. The feast of the Epiphany (ghattaas),
which is on January 19. For the Copts it is on the eleventh of Toobah. The
origin of this festival, according to them, is that Yahyaa ibn Zakariya (peace be upon them both), whom they know as John the Baptist,
baptized the Messiah son of Maryam (peace be upon him) in the River Jordan, and
when he was washed, the Holy Spirit came upon him. Because of this, the
Christians dip their children in water on this day, and all of them immerse
themselves in the water. Al-Mas’oodi mentioned that this day – during his time
– was a major event in
The
origin of the word ghattaas (baptism) is Greek, meaning “emerging.” It
is a religious term, referring to the emergence of an invisible being. It was
mentioned in the Tawraat that Allaah – may He be exalted – appeared to Moosa
(peace be upon him) in the form of a burning bush –
exalted be Allaah far above what they say.
1. The Christian New Year celebration: this
has become a major celebration in these times, which is celebrated by Christian
countries and by some Muslim countries. TV broadcasts of these celebrations are
transmitted live to all parts of the world, they appear on the front pages of
newspapers and magazines, and they occupy a large part of the news broadcasts
on satellite channels. It is noticeable that many Muslims in whose countries
these Christian celebrations are not held travel to Christian countries to
attend them and enjoy the forbidden things that are involved in them, unaware
of the sin committed by indulging in the rituals of those who disbelieve.
The
Christians have many false beliefs and myths about New Year’s Eve (December
31), as is the case with all their festivals. We hear of these beliefs from the
makers of modern civilization and those who are described as civilized, those
whom the hypocrites among our people want to follow in even the smallest
detail, even in their myths, so that we can be assured of a position in the
ranks of those who are advanced and civilized and earn the approval of those
who have blond hair and blue eyes!
Among
their beliefs (with regard to New Year’s Eve) is that the one who drinks the
last glass of wine from the bottle after midnight will have good luck, and if
he is single, he will be the first one among his friends who are present to get
married. It is regarded as bad luck for a person to enter the house at New Year
without bringing a gift; sweeping out the dirt at New Year means that one is
also sweeping away good luck; washing clothes and dishes on this day will bring
bad luck; they try to keep the fire burning all night on New Year’s Eve so that
it will bring good luck… and other such myths and superstitions.
They
also have other festivals, some of which are ancient and others have been
invented recently. Some of them were taken from the Greeks and Romans who came
before them, and others were part their religion but have now vanished. Some of
these festivals are of major significance to them, and others are of limited
importance, being confined to a few churches or denominations.
Each
denomination and church has festivals which are unique to them, and are not
celebrated by other denominations. The Protestants do not believe in the
festivals of the other churches, but they do agree on the major festivals such
as Easter, Christmas, New Year and the Epiphany, even though they differ as to
the rituals and practices involved, or some of the reasons and details, or the
time and place.
Festivals
of the Persians
1. The
festival of Nawrooz. The word ‘Nawrooz’ means new. The festival lasts for six
days, when at the time of Chosroes they used to fulfil the needs of other
people in the first five days, and the sixth day was devoted to themselves and
the people to whom they were closest. This day was called the great Nawrooz,
and was the most important of their festivals. The book Ashaab al-Awaa’il
mentioned that the first one to celebrate Nawrooz was Jamsheed the king, in
whose time Hood (peace be upon him) was sent, after
the religion had been changed. When the king Jamsheed renewed the religion and
established justice, the day on which he had ascended the throne was named
Nawrooz. When he reached the age of seven hundred years, and he had never
gotten ill or suffered a headache, he became an oppressive tyrant. He made an
image of himself and sent it to the provinces for it to be venerated, and the
masses worshipped it and made idols in its image. Al-Dahhaak
al-‘Alwaani, one of the Amaaliqah (Amalekites) attacked him in the
Nawrooz
is also celebrated by the Baha’is, coming at the end of their fast which lasts
for 19 days, on March 21. (3). Nawrooz is also the first day of the year for
the Copts, who call it Shimm al-Naseem. For them it lasts for six days,
starting on the sixth of June. We have already discussed Shimm al-Naseem
under the heading of Pharaonic festivals above. It is possible that the Copts
took it from the Pharaonic legacy, since they were all in
2. The
festival of Mahrajaan. The word Mahrajaan is composed of two words: mahar,
meaning loyalty, and jaan meaning authority or power. So the word means, the authority of loyalty. The origin of this festival
was the celebration of the victory of Afridoon over al-Dahhaak al-‘Alwaani, who
killed Jamsheed, the king who has started Nawrooz. It was also said that it was
a celebration of the onset of cooler weather in the fall. It is possible that
it originally started for the reason mentioned above, but as that coincided
with the onset of cooler weather in the fall, so they continued to celebrate
that. It is celebrated on the twenty-sixth of the Syriac month of Tishreen
al-Awwal. Like Nawrooz, it lasts for six days, the sixth of which is the Great
Mahrajaan. On this occasion and on Nawrooz they used to exchange gifts of musk,
amber, Indian ‘ood [a kind of perfume or incense], saffron and camphor. (5).
The first person to make this exchange of gifts official in Islamic times was
al-Hajjaaj ibn Yoosuf al-Thaqafi, and this continued until it was abolished by
the rightly-guided Khaleefah ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez (may Allaah have mercy on
him).
One of
the greatest problems that the Muslims are suffering from is the use of the
word Mahrajaan (festival) to describe many social, cultural and economic
gatherings, celebrations and events. The word is even used to describe da’wah
events. So people speak of mahrahjaan al-thaqaafah (cultural festival),
Mahrajaan al-tasawwuq (marketing festival), Mahrajaan al-kutub (book
festival), mahrahjaan al-da’wah (da’wah
festival) and so on, as we see in advertisements and hear in many phrases which
use this idolatrous term. Mahrajaan is the name of the festival of the fire
worshippers.
Hence using this idolatrous Persian term to describe Muslim gatherings is clearly one of the things that are prohibited. We must avoid doing this and tell others not to use this word. There are sufficient permissible expressions that we do not need to use this word, for the Arabic language is the richest of all languages in words and meanings.
Definition of imitation.
Imitation
(tashabbuh in Arabic) means resembling. If we say that someone imitates someone
else, we means that he looks like him and acts like him. Likening a things to
something else (tashbeeh) means saying that it is like it. The word tashabbuh
has many counterparts in Arabic which carry meanings such as being like,
imitating, looking like, following, agreeing with, taking as an example,
copying, etc. They all have shades of meaning of their own, but they also
overlap with the meaning of tashabbuh. In terms of the terminology of Fiqh,
al-Ghuzzi al-Shaafa’i defined tashabbuh as describing a person’s attempt to be
like the one whom he is imitating, in appearance, characteristics, wqualities
and attributes. It implies making an effort to achieve this and deliberately
taking action for that purpose.
The
ruling on imitating the kuffaar
One of
the most important basic principles of our religion is that of al-walaa’
wa’l-baraa’, loyalty (walaa’) to Islam and its people, and diavowal (baraa’) of
kufr and its people. One of the essential features of this disavowal of kufr
and it’s people is that the Muslim should be distinct from the people of kufr,
and he should feel proud of his religion and of being a Muslim, no matter how
strong and advanced and civilized the kuffaar may be, and no matter how weak
and backward and divided the Muslims may be. It is not permissible under any
circumstances to take the strength of the kuffaar and the weakness of the
Muslims as an excuse for imitating and resembling them, as some hypocrites and
defeatist Muslims claim. The texts which forbid imitating the kuffaar do not
make any distinction between whether Muslims are strong or weak, because the
Muslim can be distinct in his religion and be proud of being Muslim even when
he is in a weak position.
Allaah
calls us to be proud of Islam, and considers this to be the best of speech and
the best kind of pride, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And
who is better in speech than he who [says: “My Lord is Allah (believes in His
Oneness),” and then stands firm (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to
Allah’s (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: “I am one of
the Muslims.” [Fussilat 41:33]
Because
it is so important for the Muslim to be distinguished from the kaafir, the
Muslim is commanded to pray to Allaah at least seventeen times each day to help
him to avoid the path of the kaafireen and to guide him to the Straight Path:
“Guide
us to the
There
are very many texts in the Qur’aan and Sunnah which forbid us to imitate them,
and which clearly state that they are misguided; whoever imitates them,
imitates them in their misguidance. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meanings);
“Then We have put you (O Muhammad Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã) on a (plain) way of (Our) commandment [like the one
which We commanded Our Messengers before you (i.e. legal ways and laws of the
Islâmic Monotheism)]. So follow you that (Islâmic Monotheism and its laws), and
follow not the desires of those who know not.” [al-Jaathiyah
46:18]
“Were
you (O Muhammad Õáì
Çááå Úáíå æÓáã) to follow their (vain)
desires after the knowledge which has come to you, then you will not have any Walî
(protector) or Wâq (defender) against Allâh” [al-Ra’d 13:37]
“And
be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the clear
proofs had come to them” [Aal- ‘Imraan 3:105]
Allaah
calls the believers to remember Him with humility and to recite His Verses, then He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“lest they become as those who received the Scripture [the
Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] before (i.e. Jews and Christians), and
the term was prolonged for them and so their hearts were hardened? And many of
them were Fâsiqûn (the rebellious, the disobedient to Allâh)” [al-Hadeed
57:16]
No
doubt imitating them is one of the grestes indications that a person has
befriended them and loves them, and this contradicts the idea of diavowal
[baraa’] of the kufr and its people. Allaah has forbidden the believers to take
them as friends, and He has stated that taking them as friends causes a person
to become one of them – Allaah forbid. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as Auliyâ’ (friends,
protectors, helpers), they are but Auliyâ’ of each other. And if any
amongst you takes them (as Auliyâ’), then surely, he is one of
them” [al-Maa’idah
“You
(O Muhammad )
will not find any people who believe in Allâh and the Last Day, making
friendship with those who oppose Allâh and His Messenger (Muhammad ),
even though they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their
kindred (people)” [al-Mujaadilah 58:22]
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Imitation generates friendship and love, and regarding them as allies in the inside, just as loving them on the inside generates imitating them on the outside.”
And he also said, commenting on the aayah from Soorat al-Mujaadilah: “Allaah tells us that there is no (true) believer who takes a kaafir as a friend, for whoever takes a kaafir as friend is not a believer. Imitation on the outside implies that a person loves (the one whom he imitates), and so it is forbidden.”
It was reported that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of
them.”
(Narrated by Abu Dawood, al-Libaas, 1204; Ahmad, 2/05. Shaykh al-Islam classed its isnaad as jayyid in al-Iqtidaa’, 1/042. See also al-Fataawaa, 25/133. Al-Haafiz provided corroborating evidence in al-Fath, with a mursal report whose isnaad is hasan (6/89). Al-Suyooti classed it as hasan, and al-Albaani classed it as saheeh in Jamee’ al-Saheeh, 5206).
Shaykh
al-Islam said: “This hadeeth at the very least implies that it is haraam to
imitate them, even if it is only in external appearance, and it implies that
the one who imitatest hem is a kaafir, as Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning): ‘And if any amongst you takes them (as Auliyâ’), then
surely, he is one of them’ [al-Maa’idah 5:51].” (al-Iqtidaa’,
1/732).
Al-San’aani
said: “If a person imitates the kaafir in his dress, and believes that by doing
so he will be like him, then he is a kaafir. If he does not belive this, then
there is a difference of opinion among the fuqahaa’ in this case. Some of them
say that he is a kaafir, which is the apparent meaning of the hadeeth; others
say that he is not a kaafir, but he should be disciplined.” (Subul
al-Salaam, 8/842).
Shaykh
al-Islam said: “The reason why the religion of Allaah and its rituals is
vanishing, and kufr and sin are prevailing, is because of imitation of the
kaafireen, just as the means of preserving all good is by following the ways
and laws of the Prophets. “ (al-Iqtidaa’, 1/413).
There
is much that could be said about imitation of the kuffaar, but what we have
said above is sufficient.
The
forms of imitating the kuffaar in their festivals
The
various sects and groups of the kuffaar have many kinds of festivals,
some of them have a religious basis whilst others have been newly invented.
Some of their festivals are like customs and events for which they have
invented festivals, such as national holidays and the like. Their festivals may
be grouped into different categories as follows:
Firstly:
religious
festivals by means of which they seek to draw nearer to Allaah, such as the
Epiphany, Easter, Passover, Christmas, etc. They ways in which the Muslims
imitate them in these festivals are two:
1. Joining in with them in these festivals,
such as when some non-Islamic groups or minorities in Muslim countries
celebrate their festivals, and some Muslims join in with them. This happened at
the time of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah and al-Haafiz al-Dhahabi, and it is
what is happening now in many of the Muslim countries. What is even worse than
that is what some Muslims do by travelling to the kaafir countries for the
express purpose of attending these festivals and joining in the celebrations,
whether the motive is to fulfil their physical desires or in response to the
invitation of some of the kuffaar – as some Muslims do who live in kaafir
countries and are invited to join the celebrations, or some other who have
capital to invest or are owners of large companies, so they accept these
invitations for the sake of being friendly to the person who invited them, or
for a worldly interest such as winning a contract, and so on. All of this is
haraam, and there is the fear that it may lead to kufr, because of the hadeeth,
“Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” And the one who does this is aiming
to join in some of the rituals of their religion.
2. Beinging the celebration to the Muslim
countries. Those who attend the festivals of the kuffaar in their countries and
who like them because they are ignorant and have weak faith and little knowledge,
may be prompted to bring some of those festivals and rituals to the Muslim
countries, as is happening now in many Muslim countries, where the Gregorian
New year is celebrated. This category is worse than the former one for one
reason, which is that the people whodo this are not content merely to join the
kuffaar in their rituals, but they want to bring them to the Muslim lands as
well.
Secondly:
Festivals
whose origins lie in the rituals of the kuffaar, and they have now become
international customs and celebrations. This is like the Olympic festivals (the
Olympiad) in
1. Taking part in the games with their
rituals in the kaafir countries, as many of the Muslim states do by sending
athletes to participate in the different games.
2. Bringing these festivals to the Muslim
countries, such as some of the Muslim countries asking to host the Olympic
Games in their countries.
In
both cases, taking part or hosting the games in a Muslim country is haraam, for
the following reasons:
1. The origin of these Olympic Games is one
of the pagan festivals of the Greeks, as mentioned above. This was the most
important festival for the Greek nation, then it was inherited
by the Romans and, in turn, the Christians.
2. It bears the same name as it was known
by when it was a Greek festival.
The
fact that it is now no more than a sporting event does not cancel out the fact
that it is a pagan festival, because of its origin and name. The evidence
(daleel) for that is the hadeeth narrated by Thaabit ibn al-Dahhaak (may Allaah
be pleased with him), who said: “At the time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), a man vowed to sacrifice some camels in
Bawwaanah. He came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, ‘I have vowed to sacrifice some
camels in Bawwaanah.’ The Prophet Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Were there any idols there that
were worshipped during the Jaahiliyyah?’ He said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Did they hold any of their festivals there?’ He said, ‘No.’
The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Then fulfil your vow, for there is
no fulfilment of any vow which involves disobeying Allaah, or with regard to
something that the son of Adam does not own.’” (Narrated
by Abu Dawood in al-Aymaan wa’l-Nudhoor, 3133. According to another
report, the one who asked the question was a woman (2133). It was also narrated
by al-tabaraani in al-Kabeer (1431). Shaykh al-Islam said: its isnaad is
according to the conditions of al-Saheehayn. All of its narrators are thiqaat
(trustworthy) and mashhoor (well known), and the chain is intact, with no
‘an’anah (none of the links of the chain are connected with the word ‘an, meaning ‘from’). See al-Iqtidaa’,
1/634. It was classed as saheeh by al-Haafiz in al-Buloogh, 5041).
The
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) paid attention to the origins of things,
and the origin of this sporting event is a (pagan) festival.
Shaykh
al-Islam said: “This implies that the fact that that spot was the place where
their festival was held would have been a reason to forbid him to sacrifice
there, as would also have been the case if had been the place of their idols.
Otherwise, how else can we interpret the hadeeth, of course it would only have
been to venerate the spot which the yvenerated, by holding the festival there
os by joining them in there celebrations there, or reviving the symbols of
their festival and other things that can only be related to that action in that
place or at that time… If merely choosing the place of the
festival is forbidden, then how about the festival itself?” (al-Iqtidaa’, 1/344)
Our
issue concerning the Olympic games does not have to do with the time or the
place, but with the event itself and its original name, and the things that are
done during the event, such as the lighting of the Olympic torch, which is one
of the rituals of the games. There is also the timing of the event, because
among the Greeks the games were held every four years, and nowadays too they
are held every four years. This is a festival with regard to its origins, its
name, the things that are done and the timing, so taking part in these games
means taking part in a festival which was pagan and then Christian, and asking
to hold these games in a Muslim country means bringing this pagan festival into
a Muslim land.
Thirdly:
The
days and weeks that have been invented by the kuffaar.
These may be divided into two types:
1. those which have a religious origin and
have now become customs connected to some worldly purpose, such as the workers’
festival (May Day) which was invented by those who worshipped trees, then it
became a pagan festival of the Romans, then it was adopted by the French who
connected it to the church, until socialism came and propagated it, and it
became an international and official holiday even in many Muslim countries.
Undoubtedly it is haraam to adopt this day as a holiday and let workers take
this day off, for the following reasons:
1. because in its origins and development
it is a pagan festival
2. because it occurs on a fixed day each year, which is May 1.
3. Because it involves imitating the
kuffaar with regard to something that belongs exclusively tot hem.
1. Even if an event does not have a
religious basis, such as World health Day, or days for fighting drugs and
eradicating illiteracy, and other invented days and weeks, one of the two
following things will still apply:
1. either it occurs on a fixed day each year and is repeated on
the same day each year, like Bank Holidays and other fixed days. There are two
things wrong with this:
1. it is a fixed day which recurs on the
same date each year
2. it entails imitating the kuffaar because this is
something that they have invented.
These
international days, such as World Health Day and a day for fighting drugs,
contain some benefit for humanity as a whole, which the Muslims cannot avoid
taking part in because they may miss out on some benefits otherwise; they have
nothing to do with religion and only resemble festivals in that they come every
year and they are events that are celebrated and taken notice of – so can they
be tolerated on these grounds? It seems to me that this matter needs research
and ijtihaad to weigh up the pros and cons, because the Muslims are not consulted
concerning these days and their opinion carries no weight, on the contrary,
these things are forced on the entire world and the Muslins are in a weak and
humilated position as is well known.
1. or it is not a day or week that comes at a fixed time
each year, but is moved according to a particular system or needs. This does
not have the character of a festival which is repeated at a fixed time, but
there remains the problem of imitation, in that it is something that was
invented by the kuffaar and them brought to the
Muslims. Does this count as the kind of imitation that is haraam? Or is it a
kind of imitation that is permissible like other matters having to do with
organization, administration, etc., and like the days of annual leave in
companies, institutions, etc.? This too needs research and investigation,
although initially to seems to me that there is nothing wrong with it, for the
following reasons:
1. It is not fixed on a specific date that
is the same each time, so it does not have that festival-like character.
2. These days are not called festivals, and
they do not have the characteristics of festivals, such as celebrations and the
like.
3. The purpose of these days is to organize
awareness campaigns, to achieve beneficial goals.
4. Those who want to stop them would have
to stop many events and gatherings that happen from time to time, and I do not
think that anyone would advocate this. These events are like family meetings,
da’wah meetings, workplace meetings, and so on.
5. There is nothing in them that would
dictate that they be considered haraam, apart from the fact that they
originated with the kuffaar and were brought to the Muslims, and the problems
they deal with are widespread among the kuffaar and others. So the objection
that they belong only to the kuffaar is cancelled by the fact that these things
are also widespread among the Muslims.
In
conclusion, These festivals are not part of the
religion and beliefs of the kuffaar, and they do not form part of their
exclusive customs and traditions. There is no veneration or celebration
involved, and they are not festivals on set days which are repeated regularly.
They resemble other organizations in that they serve a useful purpose.
Fourthly:
Another
form of imitation of the kuffaar is turning the Eids of the Muslims into
something resembling the festivals of the kuffaar. The Eids of the Muslims are
distinguished by the fact that their rituals point to the expression of
gratitude to Allaah, may He be exalted, and glorifying, praising and worshipping
Him, whilst expressing joy for the blessings of Allaah, and not using these
blessings for sinful purposes. This is in contrast to the festivals of the
kuffaar, which are distinguished by the veneration of their false rituals and
idols which they worship instead of Allaah, whikst indulging in their fobidden
desires. It is most unfortunate that Muslims in many places are imitating the
kuffaar in this way, and they have changed their Eid from an occasion of
worship and thanksgiving into an occasion on sin and ingratitude for the
blessings, by spending the night of Eid listening to musical instruments and
singing, indulging in immoral actions, organizing mixed parties and doing other
things which they think express the celebration of Eid, following the misguided
ways in which the kuffaar spend their festivals engaging in immorality and sin.
Ways
in which we must avoid the festivals of the kuffaar
1. Avoid attending them:
The
scholars have agreed that it is haraam to attend the festivals of the kuffaar
and to imitate them in their festivals. This is the madhhab of the Hanafis,
Maalikis, Shaafa’is and Hanbalis. (See al-Iqtidaa’, 2/425;
Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah by Ibn al-Qayyim, 2/227-527; al-Tashabbuh al-Munhaa ‘anhu
fi’l-Fiqh al-Islaami, 533). There is a great deal of evidence (daleel)
for this, such as:
1. All of the evidence which states that it
is forbidden to imitate them, some of which has been quoted above.
2. The concensus of the Sahaabah and
Taabi’een that Muslims should not attend their festivals, The evidence of this
consensus takes for forms:
1. The Jews, Christians and Magians
(Zoroastrians) who lived in the Muslim lands and paid Jizyah were still
observing their own festivals, so the motive for some Muslims to imitate them
was present. No one among the early generations of Muslims would have refrained
from joining them in any part of that, If there had not been something to stop
them from doing so, such as it being either makrooh (disliked) or prohibited,
many of them would have fallen into that, for if the action and the motive are
present and there is nothing to stop them, people will undoubtedly do the
thing. Al-muqtada? Therefore we understand that there was something stopping
them from doing that, and what was stopping them was the religion of Islam. This
is what was stopping them from going along with the kuffaar and this is the
point that we are trying to make here. (al-Iqtidaa’,
1/454).
2. The conditions set out by ‘Umar (may
Allaah be pleased with him), which the Sahaabah and all the fuqahaa’ after them
agreed upon, that the Ahl al-Dhimmah (Jews and Christians living under the
protection of Islamic rule in return for paying a poll tax) should not
celebrate their festivals openly in the Muslim lands. If the Muslims have
agreed that they should not celebrate their festivals openly, then how can it
be OK for Muslims to celebrate them? Is it not worse for a Muslim to do this at
all than for a kaafir to do it openly? (al-Iqtidaa’,
1/454).
1. ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: “Do not learn the language of the Persians, and do not enter upon the
mushrikeen in their churches on the day of their festival, for the Divine warth
is descending upon them.” (Musannaf ‘Abd al-razzaaq, 9061; al-Sunan al-Kubra by
al-Bayhaqi, 9/432).
2. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr (may Allaah be
pleased with them both) said: “Whoever settles in the land of the non-Arabs and
celebratest heir Nawrooz and their Mahrajaan, and imitates them until he dies
in that state, will be gathered with them on the Day of Resurrection.”
(al-Sunan al-Kubra, 9/432; classed as saheeh by Ibn Taymiyah in al-Iqtidaa’,
1/754).
Shaykh
al-Islam said: Here we see ‘Umar forbidding people to learn their language and
to merely enter their chuch on the festivals, so what about actually doing some
of the things they do, or doing some of the rituals of their religion? Is not
doing the things they do more serious than speaking the same language? Or is
not doing some of the things they do in the festival more serious than merely
entering upon them on the occasion of their festival? If the Divine wrath comes
upon them on the day of their festival because of what they do, then is not the
one who joins them in all or part of that also exposed to the same punishment?
(al-Iqtidaa’, 1/854)
And he
commented on the words of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr – “will be gathered with them”
by saying: This implies that this makes him a kaafir by his joining in what
they do, or else it means that this is one of the major sins that doom a person
to Hell, although the former is more apparent from the wording. (1/954).
1. Avoiding doing the same things that they
do.
Some Muslims may not be able to be present at the
festivals of the kuffaar, but they do the same things as they do. This is also
a part of the imitation which blameworthy and forbidden. Shaykh al-Islam said:
“It is not permissible for the Muslims to imitate them in any part of the
things that are exclusively part of their festivals, whether it be food, dress, bathing, lighting fires or changing their
habits with regard to daily living, acts of worship, etc. It is not permissible
to give a feast or give gifts or sell items that will help them to do that for
that purpose, or to allow children and others to do any of that, whether it is
playing, wearing new clothes etc. in conclusion, they should not make that day
special by adopting any of their rituals; for the Muslims, the day of the
kaafirs’ festival should be like any other day.” Majmoo’
al-Fataawaa, 52/923).
Al-Dhahabi said: “If the Christians or the Jews have a fstival that is exxclusively theirs, the Muslims should
not join them in that, just as they do not join them in their laws or their
direction of prayer.” (tashabbuh al-Khasess bi Ahl
al-Khmaees, in al-Hikmah magazine, issue $, p. 391). Ibn al-Turkmaani al-Hanafi
mentioned some of the things that some Muslims did on the occasion of Christian
festivals, such as spending more than usual and taking the family out, then he
said: “Some of the Hanafi scholars said: whoever does any of the things
mentioned here and does not repent, is a kaafir like them.” One of the
companions of Maalik said: “Whoever cuts up a watermelon on the day of Nawrooz,
it is as if he sacrificed a pig.” (al-Lam’ fi’l-Hawaadith wa’l-Bida’, 1/492)
2. Avoiding using the means of
transportation that they use to go to their festivals
Maalik said: “It is makrooh to travel with them in the
boats which they use to go to their festivals, because the Divine wrath and
curse is descending upon them.” (al-Hawaadith
wa’l-Bida’, 1/492).
Ibn al-Qaasim was asked about travelling in the boats
which the Christians ride in to attend their festivals. He regarded that as
makrooh, fearing the descent of Divine wrath upon them for the
shirk which they agreed upon. (al-Iqtidaa’,
2/625).
3. Not giving them
gifts or helping them to celebrate their festvials by either selling or buying.
Abu Hafs al-Hanafi said: “Whoever gives an egg to a
kaafir out of respect for that day has disbelieved in Allaah, may He be
exalted.” (Fath al-Baari li Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqallaani, 2/315).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: “Ibn al-Qaasim
regarded it as makrooh for a Muslim to give a Christian anything on the
occasion of his festival to congratulate him. He saw that as respecting their
festival and helping them in their kufr. Do you not see that it is not
permissible for the Muslims to sell anything to the Christians that helps them to celebrate their festival? No meat, no food, no
dress. They should not loan their riding-beasts to them or help them in any way
with their festival, because that is like honouring their
shirk and helping them with their kufr. The authorities should prevent
Muslims from doing this. This is the view of Maalik and others, and I do not
know of any dissenting opinion on this point.” (2/625-725)
Ibn al-Turkmaani said: “The Muslim is sinning if he
sits with them or helps them to slaughter animals or cook food, or he lends
them a riding-beast to take them to their celebrations or festivals.” (al-Lama’
fi’l-Hawaadith, 1/492)
4. Not helping the Muslim who wants to imitate
them in their festivals to do so
Shaykh al-Islam said: “Just as we should not imitate
them in their festivals, so too we should not help the Muslim who wants to
imitate them to do so. It is forbidden to so this. If a person issues an
invitation on the occasion of their festivals that he would not ordinarily do,
his invitation should not be accepted. If a Muslim gives a gift on this
occasion that he would not ordinarily give at any other time, his gift should
not be accepted, especially if it is something that would help a person to
imitate them, as we have already stated. A Muslim should not sell anything that
could help Muslims to imitate them in their celebrations, such as food,
clothing and so on, because be doing so he is helping them in sin. (al-Iqtidaa’, 2/915-025).
5.
Not
congratulating them on the occasion of their festivals
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “As
for congratulating them for the symbols of kufr that belong exclusively to
them, this is haraam according to scholarly consensus, such as congratulating
them for their festivals and fasts, and saying, ‘A blessed festival to you’ and
the like. Even though the person who says this might not become a kaafir by
saying this, it is still forbidden, and it is the same as congratulating them
for prostrating to the cross. Indeed, it is an even greater sin with Allaah and
is more hated by Him than congratulating them for drinking wine, killing people
and committing adultery, and so on. Many of those who do not care about
religion do this, and do not realize how abhorrent their actions are. Whoever
congratulates a person for his sin, bid’ah (innovation) or kufr exposes himself
to the wrath and anger of Allaah. The pious scholars used to avoid
congratulating the tyrants when they were appointed to official positions, or
congratulating the ignorant when they were appointed as Qaadis, teachers or
Muftis, because they sought to avoid the wrath and anger of Allaah
.” (Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah, 1/144-244).
Congratulating the kuffaar on the occasion of their
religious festivals is haraam as Ibn al-Qayyim stated, because this implies
approval of their rituals and beliefs of kufr. Even if a person does not accept
this kufr for himself, it is still haraam for a Muslim to approve of the
rituals of kufr for someone else or to congratulate someone else for them,
because Allaah does not approve of this. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“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” [al-Zumar 39:7]
“This day, I have perfected your religion for you,
completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion”
[al-Maa’idah 5:3]
Congratulating them for that is haraam, whether they
are taking part with them in that or not. If they congratulate us on the
occasion of their festival, we should not respond, because it is not our
festival and because these are festivals with which Allaah is not pleased, because
they are either innovated in their religions, or they are prescribed, but they
(their religions) have been abrogated by the religion of islam, with which
Allaah sent Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to all of mankind. And Allaah says
concerning islam (interpretation of the meaning):
“And whoever seeks a religion other than Islâm, it
will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:85].
It is haraam for a Muslim to accept an invitation on
these occasions, because this is worse than merely congraulating them, since it
involves joining in with them. Anyone who does any of these things is a sinner
whether he does it just to be friendly, or because he likes them, or because he
is too shy to do otherwise, or for any other reason, because it is a kind of
hypocrisy in the religion of Allaah and is a way of making the kuffaar feel
stronger and making tem proud of their religion. (Majmoo’ Fataawaa wa rasaa’il
Fadeelat al-Shaykh Muhammad al-‘Uthaymeen, compiled by Fahd al-Salmaan,
3/45-46)
Question: What if a Muslim wants to celebrate like
they do, but he does it a few days before or after their festival so that he is
not imitating them?
This is a kind of imitation and to is haraam, because
the prohibition of a thing , and the prohibition of celebrating their festivals
also covers the days before and after the festival itself, when they do things
that have to do with it. The prohibition also covers the places in which they
do things that have to do with their festivals or … .
The ruling on these things is the same as the ruling on the festival itself.
These things should not be done, even if some people avoid doing any of thse
things on the days of their festival such as the Thursday (what is referred to
here is Maundy Thursday or the Day of Ascension, which is one of the rituals of
Easter for the Christians, who call it the Great Thursday) or Christmas, but
they tell their families, I will do this for you next week or next month, and
their motive is the fact that the kaafirs’ festival is happening, otherwise
they would not have done it at all. This is also one of the things meant by
imitation. (See: al-Iqtidaa’, 2/315).
6.
Avoiding
using their words and religious terminology
If it is forbidden to learn their languages
unnecessarily for fear of resembling them, then using the names they give to
their festivals and rituals is even more forbidden. This is like using the word
“mahrajaan” (festival) to describe any large gathering, because this is the
name of a religious festival of the Persians.
Al-Bayhaqi narrated that ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased
with him) was given a gift for Nawrooz and he said, What
is this?” They said, “O Ameer al-Mu’mineen, this is the day of Nawrooz.” He
said, “Then make every day Fayrooz!” Abu Usaamah said: “He, may
Allaah be pleased with him, did not even want to say ‘Nawrooz.’” (Reported by al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubraa, 9/532).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: “ ‘Ali (may Allaah
be pleased with him) did not even want to say the same name as they gave to
their own festival, so how abut doing the same things?” (See:
al-Iqtidaa’, 1/954).
We have already stated that this is not an Arabic
term; the Arabic language is rich enough not to need such words, and has better
words that can be used.
The ruling on accepting gifts on their festivals:
We have already stated above that it is not permissive
to give gifts on their festivals because this is helping them in their
falsehood. It is also not permissible to accept a gift from a Muslim who is
imitating them, because by accepting it one is helping him to imitate them and
this implies that one approves of what he is doing and that one is not rebuking
him for doing this haraam action.
With regard to accepting a gift from a kaafir if he
gives something to a Muslim at the time of the kaafir’s festival, this is like
being given a gift at other times, because it does not involve helping them in
their kufr. There is some difference of opinion with regard to this matter,
based on whether one should accept a gift from a kaafir who is at war with the
Muslims as opposed to a kaafir who is living under the protection of Islamic
rule.
It should also be noted that their gifts may be of two
types:
1. Gifts other than meat that has been slaughtered for
the occasion of their festival – such as sweets, fruits and so on. There is a
difference of opinion based on the question of accepting gifts from the kaafirs
in general. It seems that it is permissible because it was reported that ‘Ali
(may Allaah be pleased with him) accepted their gifts, and it was reported that
a woman asked ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), “We have some birds
[?][ from the Magians wgich they had during their
festival and they gave them to us.” She said, “If they were slaughtered for
that occasion, do not eat them, but eat from their trees [i.e. fruits etc.].” (Reported by Ibn Abi Shaybah in Kitaab al-At’imah in his Musannaf,
5/521, no. 16342. In al-Iqtidaa’ it says ‘We have some wet-nurses.’ The
editor of al-Iqtidaa’ said: perhaps what is meant by
this is relatives through radaa’ah (breastfeeding)).
Abu Barzah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said that he
had Magian tenants [?] who used to give him gifts on Nawrooz and mahrajaan, and
he used totell his family: ‘If it is, eat it, but if it is anything else,
reject it.’ (ibid., no. 26346).
Shaykh al-Islam said: “All of this indicates that
refusing to accept their gifts has no effect on their festival. The ruling on
accepting their gifts at the time of their festival and at other times is the
same, because this does not entail helping them in the rituals of their kufr.”
(al-Iqtidaa’, 2/455-555).
2. Or their gift may be of meat that was slaughtered
for the occasion of their festival. This should not be eaten, because of the
reports of ‘Aaishah and Abu Barzah narrated above, and because it has been
slaughtered according to the rituals of kufr.
7. Singling out the festivals of the
kuffaar for fasting so as to be different from them
The
scholars differed with regard to this:
1. It was said that it is not makrooh to
fast on their festivals for the purpose of being different from them. This view
is da’eef (weak).
2. The correct view is that it is not
permissible to single out the days of their festivals for fasting, because
their festivals are occasions which they venerate, and fasting on these days
and not others coincides with them in their veneration.
Ibn
Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Our companions said: it is
makrooh to single out the day of Nawrooz and the day of Mahrajaan to fast,
because these are two days which are venerated by the kuffaarm so fasting only
on these days and not on others is agreeing with them in their veneration of
those days. This is like the case of Saturday, so by analogy this ruling
applies to every festival of the kuffaar and every day which they venerate.”
(al-Mughni, 4/924; see also al-Iqtidaa’, 2/975).
This
ruling applies in cases where one singles out that day to fast because it is
their festival. But if it happens to coincide with a vow or a voluntary fast,
without intending to fast because it is their festival, then there is nothing
wrong with that.” (See Haashiyat Ibn Qaasim ‘ala al-Rawd al-Murabba’, 3/064).
The guideline in being different from them with regard to their festivals is
that one should not innovate anything at all; one should treat the days of
their festivals as being like any other day. (See
al-Iqtidaa’, 2/815). So one should not take the day off work, or rejoice
on that occasion, of single that day out for fasting, expressing grief, etc.
Shaykh
al-Islam mentioned something which may be taken as guidelines with regard to
the matter of imitation. He said: “tashabbuh (imitation) includes those who do
something because they do it, which is rare; and those who follow others inwhat they do for some purpose of his own even though the
action is originally taken from those others. As for the one who does something
that happens to be done by others as well, but neither of them took it from the
other, it is open to debate as to whether this is is imitation or not. But the
person who does this may be rebuked so that there will be no excuse for
imitation, and because this will reinforce the idea of differing from them.” (al-Iqtidaa’, 1/242).
On the
basis of what Shaykh al-Islam has said, actions that happen to coincide with
what they do may be divided into two types:
1. Imitation of them, which is where the
person who imitates them wants to be like them ,for
whatever reason. This is haraam.
2. Resembling them, which
is when a person is not deliberately aiming to be like them. In this
case it should be pointed out to him, then if he stops, all well and good;
otherwise he is guilty of the kind of imitation that is haraam. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn
‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said: “The Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw me wearing two garments that had been
dyed with safflower. He said, ‘This is the clothing of the kuffaar, do not wear
them.’” According to another rport: “He said, ‘Did you
mother tell you to wear this?’ I said, ‘Should I wash them?’ He said, ‘No, burn
them.’” (The two reports were narrated by Muslim in al-Libaas wa’l-Zeenah,
2077)
Al-Qurtubi
said: “This indicates that the reason he told him not to wear them was that by
wearing them he was imitating the kuffaar.” (book
title?? 5/399).
It
seems from the hadeeth that ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) did
not realize that he was imitating the dress of the kuffaar, but the Prophet (peace
be upon him) still told him off for that and explained the ruling of sharee’ah
on this matter.
If
something originated with the kuffaar, And it is done by them and by others,
then this is not imitation, but Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah thought that it
should be stopped so as to leave no room for excuses and so as to protect the
Muslims from falling into imitation of the kuffaar, and because this serves the
purpose of differing from them.
The
munaafiqoon and the festivals of the kuffaar
1. The
socialist Baath party in one of the Arab countries tried to abolish Udhiyah
(sacrifices for ‘Eid al-Adhaa) on the grounds of famine and drought. Their
supporters put up a huge banner on which was written: “For the sake of the
hungry and the poor and the naked, donate the value of the sheep for udhiyah.” (See al-Istijaabah magazine, vol. 4, Rabee’ al-Thaani 1406 AH).
Eid
al-Adhaa came and went, and the Muslims in that country offered their
sacrifices. Then when Christmas and New Year approached, preparaions began to
celebrate them. When Christmas and New year came, they
were official holidays in that country, and there were lavish parties and
promiscuous soirees. Foremost among the people celebrating were the leaders of
the scoialist Baath party whose joy at the Christian festivals made them forget
the needs of the poor, hungry and naked, whose plight they only remembered at
the time of the Muslims’ Eids!
2. One
of them wrote in his weekly column, under the title of “Tolerance” (see ‘Ukaaz
newspaper,
Definition of imitation.
Imitation
(tashabbuh in Arabic) means resembling. If we say that someone imitates someone
else, we means that he looks like him and acts like him. Likening a things to
something else (tashbeeh) means saying that it is like it. The word tashabbuh
has many counterparts in Arabic which carry meanings such as being like,
imitating, looking like, following, agreeing with, taking as an example, copying,
etc. They all have shades of meaning of their own, but they also overlap with
the meaning of tashabbuh. In terms of the terminology of Fiqh, al-Ghuzzi
al-Shaafa’i defined tashabbuh as describing a person’s attempt to be like the
one whom he is imitating, in appearance, characteristics, wqualities and
attributes. It implies making an effort to achieve this and deliberately taking
action for that purpose.
The
ruling on imitating the kuffaar
One of
the most important basic principles of our religion is that of al-walaa’
wa’l-baraa’, loyalty (walaa’) to Islam and its people, and diavowal (baraa’) of
kufr and its people. One of the essential features of this disavowal of kufr
and it’s people is that the Muslim should be distinct from the people of kufr,
and he should feel proud of his religion and of being a Muslim, no matter how
strong and advanced and civilized the kuffaar may be, and no matter how weak
and backward and divided the Muslims may be. It is not permissible under any
circumstances to take the strength of the kuffaar and the weakness of the
Muslims as an excuse for imitating and resembling them, as some hypocrites and
defeatist Muslims claim. The texts which forbid imitating the kuffaar do not
make any distinction between whether Muslims are strong or weak, because the
Muslim can be distinct in his religion and be proud of being Muslim even when
he is in a weak position.
Allaah
calls us to be proud of Islam, and considers this to be the best of speech and the
best kind of pride, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And
who is better in speech than he who [says: “My Lord is Allah (believes in His
Oneness),” and then stands firm (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to
Allah’s (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: “I am one of
the Muslims.” [Fussilat 41:33]
Because
it is so important for the Muslim to be distinguished from the kaafir, the
Muslim is commanded to pray to Allaah at least seventeen times each day to help
him to avoid the path of the kaafireen and to guide him to the Straight Path:
“Guide
us to the
There
are very many texts in the Qur’aan and Sunnah which forbid us to imitate them,
and which clearly state that they are misguided; whoever imitates them,
imitates them in their misguidance. Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings);
“Then We have put you (O Muhammad Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã) on a (plain) way of (Our) commandment [like the one
which We commanded Our Messengers before you (i.e. legal ways and laws of the
Islâmic Monotheism)]. So follow you that (Islâmic Monotheism and its laws), and
follow not the desires of those who know not.” [al-Jaathiyah
46:18]
“Were
you (O Muhammad Õáì
Çááå Úáíå æÓáã) to follow their (vain)
desires after the knowledge which has come to you, then you will not have any Walî
(protector) or Wâq (defender) against Allâh” [al-Ra’d 13:37]
“And
be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the clear
proofs had come to them” [Aal- ‘Imraan 3:105]
Allaah
calls the believers to remember Him with humility and to recite His Verses, then He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“lest they become as those who received the Scripture [the
Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] before (i.e. Jews and Christians), and
the term was prolonged for them and so their hearts were hardened? And many of
them were Fâsiqûn (the rebellious, the disobedient to Allâh)” [al-Hadeed
57:16]
No
doubt imitating them is one of the grestes indications that a person has
befriended them and loves them, and this contradicts the idea of diavowal
[baraa’] of the kufr and its people. Allaah has forbidden the believers to take
them as friends, and He has stated that taking them as friends causes a person
to become one of them – Allaah forbid. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as Auliyâ’ (friends,
protectors, helpers), they are but Auliyâ’ of each other. And if any
amongst you takes them (as Auliyâ’), then surely, he is one of
them” [al-Maa’idah
“You
(O Muhammad )
will not find any people who believe in Allâh and the Last Day, making
friendship with those who oppose Allâh and His Messenger (Muhammad ),
even though they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their
kindred (people)” [al-Mujaadilah 58:22]
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Imitation generates friendship and love, and regarding them as allies in the inside, just as loving them on the inside generates imitating them on the outside.”
And he also said, commenting on the aayah from Soorat al-Mujaadilah: “Allaah tells us that there is no (true) believer who takes a kaafir as a friend, for whoever takes a kaafir as friend is not a believer. Imitation on the outside implies that a person loves (the one whom he imitates), and so it is forbidden.”
It was reported that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of
them.”
(Narrated by Abu Dawood, al-Libaas, 1204; Ahmad, 2/05. Shaykh al-Islam classed its isnaad as jayyid in al-Iqtidaa’, 1/042. See also al-Fataawaa, 25/133. Al-Haafiz provided corroborating evidence in al-Fath, with a mursal report whose isnaad is hasan (6/89). Al-Suyooti classed it as hasan, and al-Albaani classed it as saheeh in Jamee’ al-Saheeh, 5206).
Shaykh
al-Islam said: “This hadeeth at the very least implies that it is haraam to
imitate them, even if it is only in external appearance, and it implies that
the one who imitatest hem is a kaafir, as Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning): ‘And if any amongst you takes them (as Auliyâ’), then
surely, he is one of them’ [al-Maa’idah 5:51].” (al-Iqtidaa’,
1/732).
Al-San’aani
said: “If a person imitates the kaafir in his dress, and believes that by doing
so he will be like him, then he is a kaafir. If he does not belive this, then
there is a difference of opinion among the fuqahaa’ in this case. Some of them
say that he is a kaafir, which is the apparent meaning of the hadeeth; others
say that he is not a kaafir, but he should be disciplined.” (Subul
al-Salaam, 8/842).
Shaykh
al-Islam said: “The reason why the religion of Allaah and its rituals is
vanishing, and kufr and sin are prevailing, is because of imitation of the
kaafireen, just as the means of preserving all good is by following the ways
and laws of the Prophets. “ (al-Iqtidaa’, 1/413).
There
is much that could be said about imitation of the kuffaar, but what we have
said above is sufficient.
The
forms of imitating the kuffaar in their festivals
The
various sects and groups of the kuffaar have many kinds of festivals,
some of them have a religious basis whilst others have been newly invented.
Some of their festivals are like customs and events for which they have
invented festivals, such as national holidays and the like. Their festivals may
be grouped into different categories as follows:
Firstly:
religious
festivals by means of which they seek to draw nearer to Allaah, such as the
Epiphany, Easter, Passover, Christmas, etc. They ways in which the Muslims
imitate them in these festivals are two:
1.
Joining
in with them in these festivals, such as when some non-Islamic groups or
minorities in Muslim countries celebrate their festivals, and some Muslims join
in with them. This happened at the time of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah and
al-Haafiz al-Dhahabi, and it is what is happening now in many of the Muslim
countries. What is even worse than that is what some Muslims do by travelling
to the kaafir countries for the express purpose of attending these festivals
and joining in the celebrations, whether the motive is to fulfil their physical
desires or in response to the invitation of some of the kuffaar – as some
Muslims do who live in kaafir countries and are invited to join the
celebrations, or some other who have capital to invest or are owners of large
companies, so they accept these invitations for the sake of being friendly to
the person who invited them, or for a worldly interest such as winning a
contract, and so on. All of this is haraam, and there is the fear that it may
lead to kufr, because of the hadeeth, “Whoever imitates a people is one of
them.” And the one who does this is aiming to join in some of the rituals of
their religion.
2.
Beinging
the celebration to the Muslim countries. Those who attend the festivals of the
kuffaar in their countries and who like them because they are ignorant and have
weak faith and little knowledge, may be prompted to bring some of those
festivals and rituals to the Muslim countries, as is happening now in many
Muslim countries, where the Gregorian New year is celebrated. This category is
worse than the former one for one reason, which is that the people whodo this
are not content merely to join the kuffaar in their rituals, but they want to
bring them to the Muslim lands as well.
Secondly:
Festivals
whose origins lie in the rituals of the kuffaar, and they have now become international
customs and celebrations. This is like the Olympic festivals (the Olympiad) in
1.
Taking
part in the games with their rituals in the kaafir countries, as many of the
Muslim states do by sending athletes to participate in the different games.
2.
Bringing
these festivals to the Muslim countries, such as some of the Muslim countries
asking to host the Olympic Games in their countries.
In
both cases, taking part or hosting the games in a Muslim country is haraam, for
the following reasons:
1.
The
origin of these Olympic Games is one of the pagan festivals of the Greeks, as
mentioned above. This was the most important festival for the Greek nation, then it was inherited by the Romans and, in turn, the
Christians.
2.
It
bears the same name as it was known by when it was a Greek festival.
The
fact that it is now no more than a sporting event does not cancel out the fact
that it is a pagan festival, because of its origin and name. The evidence
(daleel) for that is the hadeeth narrated by Thaabit ibn al-Dahhaak (may Allaah
be pleased with him), who said: “At the time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), a man vowed to sacrifice some camels in
Bawwaanah. He came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, ‘I have vowed to sacrifice some
camels in Bawwaanah.’ The Prophet Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Were there any idols there that
were worshipped during the Jaahiliyyah?’ He said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Did they hold any of their festivals there?’ He said, ‘No.’
The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Then fulfil your vow, for there is
no fulfilment of any vow which involves disobeying Allaah, or with regard to
something that the son of Adam does not own.’” (Narrated
by Abu Dawood in al-Aymaan wa’l-Nudhoor, 3133. According to another
report, the one who asked the question was a woman (2133). It was also narrated
by al-tabaraani in al-Kabeer (1431). Shaykh al-Islam said: its isnaad is
according to the conditions of al-Saheehayn. All of its narrators are thiqaat
(trustworthy) and mashhoor (well known), and the chain is intact, with no
‘an’anah (none of the links of the chain are connected with the word ‘an, meaning ‘from’). See al-Iqtidaa’,
1/634. It was classed as saheeh by al-Haafiz in al-Buloogh, 5041).
The
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) paid attention to the origins of things,
and the origin of this sporting event is a (pagan) festival.
Shaykh
al-Islam said: “This implies that the fact that that spot was the place where
their festival was held would have been a reason to forbid him to sacrifice
there, as would also have been the case if had been the place of their idols.
Otherwise, how else can we interpret the hadeeth, of course it would only have
been to venerate the spot which the yvenerated, by holding the festival there
os by joining them in there celebrations there, or reviving the symbols of
their festival and other things that can only be related to that action in that
place or at that time… If merely choosing the place of the
festival is forbidden, then how about the festival itself?” (al-Iqtidaa’, 1/344)
Our
issue concerning the Olympic games does not have to do with the time or the
place, but with the event itself and its original name, and the things that are
done during the event, such as the lighting of the Olympic torch, which is one
of the rituals of the games. There is also the timing of the event, because
among the Greeks the games were held every four years, and nowadays too they
are held every four years. This is a festival with regard to its origins, its
name, the things that are done and the timing, so taking part in these games
means taking part in a festival which was pagan and then Christian, and asking
to hold these games in a Muslim country means bringing this pagan festival into
a Muslim land.
Thirdly:
The
days and weeks that have been invented by the kuffaar.
These may be divided into two types:
1.
those
which have a religious origin and have now become customs connected to some
worldly purpose, such as the workers’ festival (May Day) which was invented by
those who worshipped trees, then it became a pagan festival of the Romans, then
it was adopted by the French who connected it to the church, until socialism
came and propagated it, and it became an international and official holiday
even in many Muslim countries. Undoubtedly it is haraam to adopt this day as a
holiday and let workers take this day off, for the following reasons:
1.
because
in its origins and development it is a pagan festival
2.
because it occurs on a fixed day each year, which is May 1.
3.
Because
it involves imitating the kuffaar with regard to something that belongs
exclusively tot hem.
1.
Even
if an event does not have a religious basis, such as World health Day, or days
for fighting drugs and eradicating illiteracy, and other invented days and
weeks, one of the two following things will still apply:
1.
either it occurs on a fixed day each year and is repeated on the same day each
year, like Bank Holidays and other fixed days. There are two things wrong with
this:
1.
it
is a fixed day which recurs on the same date each year
2.
it
entails imitating the kuffaar because this is something that they have
invented.
These
international days, such as World Health Day and a day for fighting drugs,
contain some benefit for humanity as a whole, which the Muslims cannot avoid
taking part in because they may miss out on some benefits otherwise; they have
nothing to do with religion and only resemble festivals in that they come every
year and they are events that are celebrated and taken notice of – so can they
be tolerated on these grounds? It seems to me that this matter needs research
and ijtihaad to weigh up the pros and cons, because the Muslims are not
consulted concerning these days and their opinion carries no weight, on the
contrary, these things are forced on the entire world and the Muslins are in a
weak and humilated position as is well known.
1.
or
it is not a day or week that comes at a fixed time each year, but is moved
according to a particular system or needs. This does not have the character of
a festival which is repeated at a fixed time, but there remains the problem of
imitation, in that it is something that was invented by the kuffaar and them brought to the Muslims. Does this count as the kind of
imitation that is haraam? Or is it a kind of imitation that is permissible like
other matters having to do with organization, administration, etc., and like
the days of annual leave in companies, institutions, etc.? This too needs
research and investigation, although initially to seems to me that there is
nothing wrong with it, for the following reasons:
1.
It
is not fixed on a specific date that is the same each time, so it does not have
that festival-like character.
2.
These
days are not called festivals, and they do not have the characteristics of
festivals, such as celebrations and the like.
3.
The
purpose of these days is to organize awareness campaigns, to achieve beneficial
goals.
4.
Those
who want to stop them would have to stop many events and gatherings that happen
from time to time, and I do not think that anyone would advocate this. These
events are like family meetings, da’wah meetings, workplace meetings, and so
on.
5.
There
is nothing in them that would dictate that they be considered haraam, apart
from the fact that they originated with the kuffaar and were brought to the
Muslims, and the problems they deal with are widespread among the kuffaar and
others. So the objection that they belong only to the kuffaar is cancelled by
the fact that these things are also widespread among the Muslims.
In
conclusion, These festivals are not part of the
religion and beliefs of the kuffaar, and they do not form part of their
exclusive customs and traditions. There is no veneration or celebration
involved, and they are not festivals on set days which are repeated regularly.
They resemble other organizations in that they serve a useful purpose.
Fourthly:
Another
form of imitation of the kuffaar is turning the Eids of the Muslims into
something resembling the festivals of the kuffaar. The Eids of the Muslims are
distinguished by the fact that their rituals point to the expression of
gratitude to Allaah, may He be exalted, and glorifying, praising and worshipping
Him, whilst expressing joy for the blessings of Allaah, and not using these
blessings for sinful purposes. This is in contrast to the festivals of the
kuffaar, which are distinguished by the veneration of their false rituals and
idols which they worship instead of Allaah, whikst indulging in their fobidden
desires. It is most unfortunate that Muslims in many places are imitating the
kuffaar in this way, and they have changed their Eid from an occasion of
worship and thanksgiving into an occasion on sin and ingratitude for the
blessings, by spending the night of Eid listening to musical instruments and
singing, indulging in immoral actions, organizing mixed parties and doing other
things which they think express the celebration of Eid, following the misguided
ways in which the kuffaar spend their festivals engaging in immorality and sin.
Ways
in which we must avoid the festivals of the kuffaar
1.
Avoid
attending them:
The
scholars have agreed that it is haraam to attend the festivals of the kuffaar
and to imitate them in their festivals. This is the madhhab of the Hanafis,
Maalikis, Shaafa’is and Hanbalis. (See al-Iqtidaa’, 2/425;
Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah by Ibn al-Qayyim, 2/227-527; al-Tashabbuh al-Munhaa ‘anhu
fi’l-Fiqh al-Islaami, 533). There is a great deal of evidence (daleel)
for this, such as:
1.
All
of the evidence which states that it is forbidden to imitate them, some of
which has been quoted above.
2.
The
concensus of the Sahaabah and Taabi’een that Muslims should not attend their
festivals, The evidence of this consensus takes for forms:
1.
The
Jews, Christians and Magians (Zoroastrians) who lived in the Muslim lands and
paid Jizyah were still observing their own festivals, so the motive for some
Muslims to imitate them was present. No one among the early generations of
Muslims would have refrained from joining them in any part of that, If there
had not been something to stop them from doing so, such as it being either
makrooh (disliked) or prohibited, many of them would have fallen into that, for
if the action and the motive are present and there is nothing to stop them,
people will undoubtedly do the thing. Al-muqtada? Therefore we understand that
there was something stopping them from doing that, and what was stopping them
was the religion of Islam. This is what was stopping them from going along with
the kuffaar and this is the point that we are trying to make here. (al-Iqtidaa’, 1/454).
2.
The
conditions set out by ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him), which the
Sahaabah and all the fuqahaa’ after them agreed upon, that the Ahl al-Dhimmah
(Jews and Christians living under the protection of Islamic rule in return for
paying a poll tax) should not celebrate their festivals openly in the Muslim
lands. If the Muslims have agreed that they should not celebrate their
festivals openly, then how can it be OK for Muslims to celebrate them? Is it
not worse for a Muslim to do this at all than for a kaafir to do it openly? (al-Iqtidaa’, 1/454).
1.
‘Umar
(may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “Do not learn the language of the Persians,
and do not enter upon the mushrikeen in their churches on the day of their
festival, for the Divine warth is descending upon them.” (Musannaf ‘Abd
al-razzaaq, 9061; al-Sunan al-Kubra by al-Bayhaqi, 9/432).
2.
‘Abd-Allaah
ibn ‘Amr (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said: “Whoever settles in the
land of the non-Arabs and celebratest heir Nawrooz and their Mahrajaan, and
imitates them until he dies in that state, will be gathered with them on the
Day of Resurrection.” (al-Sunan al-Kubra, 9/432; classed as saheeh by Ibn
Taymiyah in al-Iqtidaa’, 1/754).
Shaykh
al-Islam said: Here we see ‘Umar forbidding people to learn their language and
to merely enter their chuch on the festivals, so what about actually doing some
of the things they do, or doing some of the rituals of their religion? Is not
doing the things they do more serious than speaking the same language? Or is
not doing some of the things they do in the festival more serious than merely
entering upon them on the occasion of their festival? If the Divine wrath comes
upon them on the day of their festival because of what they do, then is not the
one who joins them in all or part of that also exposed to the same punishment?
(al-Iqtidaa’, 1/854)
And he
commented on the words of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr – “will be gathered with them”
by saying: This implies that this makes him a kaafir by his joining in what
they do, or else it means that this is one of the major sins that doom a person
to Hell, although the former is more apparent from the wording. (1/954).
1.
Avoiding
doing the same things that they do.
Some Muslims may not be able to be present at the
festivals of the kuffaar, but they do the same things as they do. This is also
a part of the imitation which blameworthy and forbidden. Shaykh al-Islam said: “It
is not permissible for the Muslims to imitate them in any part of the things
that are exclusively part of their festivals, whether it be
food, dress, bathing, lighting fires or changing their habits with regard to
daily living, acts of worship, etc. It is not permissible to give a feast or
give gifts or sell items that will help them to do that for that purpose, or to
allow children and others to do any of that, whether it is playing, wearing new
clothes etc. in conclusion, they should not make that day special by adopting
any of their rituals; for the Muslims, the day of the kaafirs’ festival should
be like any other day.” Majmoo’ al-Fataawaa, 52/923).
Al-Dhahabi said: “If the Christians or the Jews have a fstival that is exxclusively theirs, the Muslims should
not join them in that, just as they do not join them in their laws or their
direction of prayer.” (tashabbuh al-Khasess bi Ahl
al-Khmaees, in al-Hikmah magazine, issue $, p. 391). Ibn al-Turkmaani al-Hanafi
mentioned some of the things that some Muslims did on the occasion of Christian
festivals, such as spending more than usual and taking the family out, then he
said: “Some of the Hanafi scholars said: whoever does any of the things
mentioned here and does not repent, is a kaafir like them.” One of the
companions of Maalik said: “Whoever cuts up a watermelon on the day of Nawrooz,
it is as if he sacrificed a pig.” (al-Lam’ fi’l-Hawaadith wa’l-Bida’, 1/492)
2.
Avoiding
using the means of transportation that they use to go to their festivals
Maalik said: “It is makrooh to travel with them in the
boats which they use to go to their festivals, because the Divine wrath and
curse is descending upon them.” (al-Hawaadith
wa’l-Bida’, 1/492).
Ibn al-Qaasim was asked about travelling in the boats
which the Christians ride in to attend their festivals. He regarded that as
makrooh, fearing the descent of Divine wrath upon them for the
shirk which they agreed upon. (al-Iqtidaa’,
2/625).
3.
Not
giving them gifts or helping them to celebrate their festvials
by either selling or buying.
Abu Hafs al-Hanafi said: “Whoever gives an egg to a
kaafir out of respect for that day has disbelieved in Allaah, may He be
exalted.” (Fath al-Baari li Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqallaani, 2/315).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: “Ibn al-Qaasim
regarded it as makrooh for a Muslim to give a Christian anything on the
occasion of his festival to congratulate him. He saw that as respecting their
festival and helping them in their kufr. Do you not see that it is not
permissible for the Muslims to sell anything to the Christians that helps them to celebrate their festival? No meat, no food, no
dress. They should not loan their riding-beasts to them or help them in any way
with their festival, because that is like honouring their
shirk and helping them with their kufr. The authorities should prevent
Muslims from doing this. This is the view of Maalik and others, and I do not
know of any dissenting opinion on this point.” (2/625-725)
Ibn al-Turkmaani said: “The Muslim is sinning if he sits
with them or helps them to slaughter animals or cook food, or he lends them a
riding-beast to take them to their celebrations or festivals.” (al-Lama’
fi’l-Hawaadith, 1/492)
4.
Not
helping the Muslim who wants to imitate them in their festivals to do so
Shaykh al-Islam said: “Just as we should not imitate
them in their festivals, so too we should not help the Muslim who wants to
imitate them to do so. It is forbidden to so this. If a person issues an
invitation on the occasion of their festivals that he would not ordinarily do,
his invitation should not be accepted. If a Muslim gives a gift on this
occasion that he would not ordinarily give at any other time, his gift should
not be accepted, especially if it is something that would help a person to
imitate them, as we have already stated. A Muslim should not sell anything that
could help Muslims to imitate them in their celebrations, such as food,
clothing and so on, because be doing so he is helping them in sin. (al-Iqtidaa’, 2/915-025).
5.
Not
congratulating them on the occasion of their festivals
Ibn al-Qayyim (may
Allaah have mercy on him) said: “As for congratulating them for the symbols of
kufr that belong exclusively to them, this is haraam according to scholarly
consensus, such as congratulating them for their festivals and fasts, and
saying, ‘A blessed festival to you’ and the like. Even though the person who
says this might not become a kaafir by saying this, it is still forbidden, and
it is the same as congratulating them for prostrating to the cross. Indeed, it
is an even greater sin with Allaah and is more hated by Him than congratulating
them for drinking wine, killing people and committing adultery, and so on. Many
of those who do not care about religion do this, and do not realize how
abhorrent their actions are. Whoever congratulates a person for his sin, bid’ah
(innovation) or kufr exposes himself to the wrath and anger of Allaah. The
pious scholars used to avoid congratulating the tyrants when they were
appointed to official positions, or congratulating the ignorant when they were
appointed as Qaadis, teachers or Muftis, because they sought to avoid the wrath
and anger of Allaah .” (Ahkaam Ahl
al-Dhimmah, 1/144-244).
Congratulating the kuffaar on the occasion of their
religious festivals is haraam as Ibn al-Qayyim stated, because this implies
approval of their rituals and beliefs of kufr. Even if a person does not accept
this kufr for himself, it is still haraam for a Muslim to approve of the
rituals of kufr for someone else or to congratulate someone else for them,
because Allaah does not approve of this. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“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” [al-Zumar 39:7]
“This day, I have perfected your religion for you,
completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion”
[al-Maa’idah 5:3]
Congratulating them for that is haraam, whether they
are taking part with them in that or not. If they congratulate us on the
occasion of their festival, we should not respond, because it is not our
festival and because these are festivals with which Allaah is not pleased,
because they are either innovated in their religions, or they are prescribed,
but they (their religions) have been abrogated by the religion of islam, with
which Allaah sent Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to all of mankind. And Allaah says
concerning islam (interpretation of the meaning):
“And whoever seeks a religion other than Islâm, it
will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the
losers” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:85].
It is haraam for a Muslim to accept an invitation on
these occasions, because this is worse than merely congraulating them, since it
involves joining in with them. Anyone who does any of these things is a sinner
whether he does it just to be friendly, or because he likes them, or because he
is too shy to do otherwise, or for any other reason, because it is a kind of
hypocrisy in the religion of Allaah and is a way of making the kuffaar feel
stronger and making tem proud of their religion. (Majmoo’ Fataawaa wa rasaa’il
Fadeelat al-Shaykh Muhammad al-‘Uthaymeen, compiled by Fahd al-Salmaan,
3/45-46)
Question: What if a Muslim wants to celebrate like
they do, but he does it a few days before or after their festival so that he is
not imitating them?
This is a kind of imitation and to is haraam, because
the prohibition of a thing , and the prohibition of celebrating their festivals
also covers the days before and after the festival itself, when they do things
that have to do with it. The prohibition also covers the places in which they
do things that have to do with their festivals or … .
The ruling on these things is the same as the ruling on the festival itself.
These things should not be done, even if some people avoid doing any of thse
things on the days of their festival such as the Thursday (what is referred to
here is Maundy Thursday or the Day of Ascension, which is one of the rituals of
Easter for the Christians, who call it the Great Thursday) or Christmas, but
they tell their families, I will do this for you next week or next month, and
their motive is the fact that the kaafirs’ festival is happening, otherwise
they would not have done it at all. This is also one of the things meant by
imitation. (See: al-Iqtidaa’, 2/315).
6.
Avoiding
using their words and religious terminology
If it is forbidden
to learn their languages unnecessarily for fear of resembling them, then using
the names they give to their festivals and rituals is even more forbidden. This
is like using the word “mahrajaan” (festival) to describe any large gathering,
because this is the name of a religious festival of the Persians.
Al-Bayhaqi narrated that ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased
with him) was given a gift for Nawrooz and he said, What
is this?” They said, “O Ameer al-Mu’mineen, this is the day of Nawrooz.” He
said, “Then make every day Fayrooz!” Abu Usaamah said: “He, may
Allaah be pleased with him, did not even want to say ‘Nawrooz.’” (Reported by al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubraa, 9/532).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: “ ‘Ali (may Allaah
be pleased with him) did not even want to say the same name as they gave to
their own festival, so how abut doing the same things?” (See:
al-Iqtidaa’, 1/954).
We have already stated that this is not an Arabic
term; the Arabic language is rich enough not to need such words, and has better
words that can be used.
The ruling on accepting gifts on their festivals:
We have already stated above that it is not permissive
to give gifts on their festivals because this is helping them in their
falsehood. It is also not permissible to accept a gift from a Muslim who is
imitating them, because by accepting it one is helping him to imitate them and
this implies that one approves of what he is doing and that one is not rebuking
him for doing this haraam action.
With regard to accepting a gift from a kaafir if he
gives something to a Muslim at the time of the kaafir’s festival, this is like
being given a gift at other times, because it does not involve helping them in
their kufr. There is some difference of opinion with regard to this matter,
based on whether one should accept a gift from a kaafir who is at war with the
Muslims as opposed to a kaafir who is living under the protection of Islamic
rule.
It should also be noted that their gifts may be of two
types:
1. Gifts other than meat
that has been slaughtered for the occasion of their festival – such as sweets,
fruits and so on. There is a difference of opinion based on the question of
accepting gifts from the kaafirs in general. It seems that it is permissible
because it was reported that ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) accepted
their gifts, and it was reported that a woman asked ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be
pleased with her), “We have some birds [?][ from the
Magians wgich they had during their festival and they gave them to us.” She
said, “If they were slaughtered for that occasion, do not eat them, but eat
from their trees [i.e. fruits etc.].” (Reported by Ibn Abi
Shaybah in Kitaab al-At’imah in his Musannaf, 5/521, no. 16342. In
al-Iqtidaa’ it says ‘We have some wet-nurses.’ The editor of al-Iqtidaa’ said:
perhaps what is meant by this is relatives through
radaa’ah (breastfeeding)).
Abu Barzah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said that
he had Magian tenants [?] who used to give him gifts on Nawrooz and mahrajaan,
and he used totell his family: ‘If it is, eat it, but if it is anything else,
reject it.’ (ibid., no. 26346).
Shaykh al-Islam said: “All of this indicates that
refusing to accept their gifts has no effect on their festival. The ruling on
accepting their gifts at the time of their festival and at other times is the
same, because this does not entail helping them in the rituals of their kufr.”
(al-Iqtidaa’, 2/455-555).
2. Or their gift may be of meat that was slaughtered
for the occasion of their festival. This should not be eaten, because of the
reports of ‘Aaishah and Abu Barzah narrated above, and because it has been
slaughtered according to the rituals of kufr.
7.
Singling
out the festivals of the kuffaar for fasting so as to be different from them
The
scholars differed with regard to this:
1.
It
was said that it is not makrooh to fast on their festivals for the purpose of
being different from them. This view is da’eef (weak).
2.
The
correct view is that it is not permissible to single out the days of their
festivals for fasting, because their festivals are occasions which they
venerate, and fasting on these days and not others coincides with them in their
veneration.
Ibn
Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Our companions said: it is
makrooh to single out the day of Nawrooz and the day of Mahrajaan to fast,
because these are two days which are venerated by the kuffaarm so fasting only
on these days and not on others is agreeing with them in their veneration of
those days. This is like the case of Saturday, so by analogy this ruling
applies to every festival of the kuffaar and every day which they venerate.”
(al-Mughni, 4/924; see also al-Iqtidaa’, 2/975).
This
ruling applies in cases where one singles out that day to fast because it is
their festival. But if it happens to coincide with a vow or a voluntary fast,
without intending to fast because it is their festival, then there is nothing
wrong with that.” (See Haashiyat Ibn Qaasim ‘ala al-Rawd al-Murabba’, 3/064).
The guideline in being different from them with regard to their festivals is
that one should not innovate anything at all; one should treat the days of
their festivals as being like any other day. (See
al-Iqtidaa’, 2/815). So one should not take the day off work, or rejoice
on that occasion, of single that day out for fasting, expressing grief, etc.
Shaykh
al-Islam mentioned something which may be taken as guidelines with regard to
the matter of imitation. He said: “tashabbuh (imitation) includes those who do
something because they do it, which is rare; and those who follow others inwhat they do for some purpose of his own even though the
action is originally taken from those others. As for the one who does something
that happens to be done by others as well, but neither of them took it from the
other, it is open to debate as to whether this is is imitation or not. But the
person who does this may be rebuked so that there will be no excuse for
imitation, and because this will reinforce the idea of differing from them.” (al-Iqtidaa’, 1/242).
On the
basis of what Shaykh al-Islam has said, actions that happen to coincide with
what they do may be divided into two types:
1.
Imitation
of them, which is where the person who imitates them wants to be like them ,for whatever reason. This is haraam.
2.
Resembling
them, which is when a person is not deliberately aiming to be
like them. In this case it should be pointed out to him, then if he
stops, all well and good; otherwise he is guilty of the kind of imitation that
is haraam. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas (may Allaah be pleased with them
both) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw me wearing two garments that had been
dyed with safflower. He said, ‘This is the clothing of the kuffaar, do not wear
them.’” According to another rport: “He said, ‘Did you
mother tell you to wear this?’ I said, ‘Should I wash them?’ He said, ‘No, burn
them.’” (The two reports were narrated by Muslim in al-Libaas wa’l-Zeenah,
2077)
Al-Qurtubi
said: “This indicates that the reason he told him not to wear them was that by
wearing them he was imitating the kuffaar.” (book
title?? 5/399).
It
seems from the hadeeth that ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) did
not realize that he was imitating the dress of the kuffaar, but the Prophet (peace
be upon him) still told him off for that and explained the ruling of sharee’ah
on this matter.
If
something originated with the kuffaar, And it is done by them and by others,
then this is not imitation, but Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah thought that it
should be stopped so as to leave no room for excuses and so as to protect the
Muslims from falling into imitation of the kuffaar, and because this serves the
purpose of differing from them.
The
munaafiqoon and the festivals of the kuffaar
1. The
socialist Baath party in one of the Arab countries tried to abolish Udhiyah
(sacrifices for ‘Eid al-Adhaa) on the grounds of famine and drought. Their
supporters put up a huge banner on which was written: “For the sake of the
hungry and the poor and the naked, donate the value of the sheep for udhiyah.” (See al-Istijaabah magazine, vol. 4, Rabee’ al-Thaani 1406 AH).
Eid
al-Adhaa came and went, and the Muslims in that country offered their
sacrifices. Then when Christmas and New Year approached, preparaions began to
celebrate them. When Christmas and New year came, they
were official holidays in that country, and there were lavish parties and
promiscuous soirees. Foremost among the people celebrating were the leaders of
the scoialist Baath party whose joy at the Christian festivals made them forget
the needs of the poor, hungry and naked, whose plight they only remembered at
the time of the Muslims’ Eids!
2. One
of them wrote in his weekly column, under the title of “Tolerance” (see ‘Ukaaz
newspaper,
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