Regarding Christmas/ Non-Muslim Family

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palestine

Servant of Allah
Salaam,


This is one of those posts that tests us. When people extend themselves and invite me for dinner, I attend. I am gracious. When someone buys me a gift I accept. The gift is just a token of love.
Families are our life support. If they have a celebration we can be guests. We are not to isolate ourselves from others. We are not closed communities that build fences around ourselves.
Who knows if during the dinner conversation an opportunity appears wherein we can discuss the sense of Islam we may assist someone in making a life changing decision.
Christmas dinners are not religious gatherings. People come together and open gifts and eat. People inivite those who are alone so they are not lonely.
Attending Christmas dinner is not going to Midnight Mass.
Sometimes it is just common sense.

Ukhti i must disagree with you. the reason i had posted many fatwas was so that i wouldn't say something that was incorrect and against islam. When as Muslims our families buy as gifts, just for the sake of showing us that they love us then yeah we accept it too. but you said that Christmas dinners are not religious gatherings. ukhti if they're not religious gatherings why do they give us a two week break when it's christmas? why not on other usual, normal days? sister clearly christmas is a christian holiday. and the fatwas proof to us that we mustn't attend. It's better to please Allah than people. because if someone decides to do something haram to please their family, Allah will leave them to the care of their family, but if someone decides to stay away from that which is haram for the sake of Allah, Allah will be pleased with them and will not abandon that person. and there is a hadith that says so. Sister we cannot be selective Muslims. We should take Islam as it is and not pick what we want only. I've seen many muslims who play dirty tricks with the reverts by making them do things that are haram because they themselves do it. but the reverts don't know that since they are new to islam and are still learning. Everything we provide needs DALEEL(EVIDENCE). asalamu alaykum wrwb.:hijabi:
 

Aapa

Mirajmom
Salaam,


You have every right to disagree. However, as individuals we have a right to disagree with a fatawa.
I am often dismayed at how pompous we are. We are becoming arrogant. We justify our action.

According to some responses it is ok to go to a Church for a chiristening, a wedding, and a funeral. It is ok to go to a birthday party. However, you can not go for a Christmas dinner.

Islam is too sensible a religion for such trite interpertations. This reduces our faith to an inner circle. If you want such a narrow way of life you would not leave your house.

Think through your responses. It is easy to post a fatawa. But before you cut and past..think of the total ramifications of your response.
 

cmelbouzaidi

Junior Member
:salam2: i agree 100% with mirajmom. i think each situation for a revert should be judged on an individual basis, that is why i did not want to say one way or the other. i know i have been muslim for 17 years and my family in ireland is not religious at all. however, christmas day is the one day a year when all the immediate family has a chance to get together. there is no religious symbolism in the house or involved in the occasion in my particular case. my father, who is now 74, cooks a big roast turkey and enjoys so much seeing his children and grandchildren. if i can make it, and i did fly back a few times from the states to join them, i am there and i do not feel that i am compromising my religion in any way. i would not like my family to think that because i am muslim that they have lost me. quite the contrary, i try to be a better and more compassionate daughter than i had been previously. my father would be very upset if ever he thought i would avoid this family gathering because i am muslim.... you may think i am a grave sinner for trying to be a good muslim and at the same time to please my parents and that i do no see terrible harm in that and i am 39 years old so i can take some abuse! i just don't like to make swooping judgements without assessing a particular situation. hence i could not give the original poster any sound advice :)

i will say this, i agree with mirajmom that we shouldn't cut ourselves off from people of other faiths. i will also remind you that our beloved prophet Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon him, treated people of other faiths with the utmost of respect. he even sent a letter to the christian monks of st catherines on mount sinai to state that the muslims would protect the monastery from coming under attack as the muslims were the "defenders of faith". so you see that the noblest of men's compassion and respect extended beyond the islamic circle and he was so humble, also. i think we can learn a lot from this.

anyway, just my two cents from a revert's perspective whose entire immediate family is not muslim :)

:wasalam:
 

amirah80

*Fear Allah*
:salam2:

Well, no one wants to cut off ties with there family of course. Also, I am a revert so these things happen and you will have to make choices. Choices not for yourself but choices for the Sake of Allah. Also, no one said go to church for weddings that only weddings are not in churches. Also, never said a christening you used those words never went to those as a christain but I have seen baby showers etc done at not in churches having nothing to do with Religion. Even in Islam after a child is born you do a celebration of the 7th day. And Allahu Alim no one mentioned a birthday party that is bid'ah as well.

But, fatwas are available. As far as the funerals some differ in opinion some say no you cannot go unless its your parents not to break the family ties. Me myself respect the scholars views and when it is sound take heed to the Information. Especially the first link I posted which is from a well reputable Shaykh. Shaykh ibn Uthaymeen. Then humble one said as a revert it will be hard at first but the more your iman increases in the deen then you will not accept this things for yourself. So true, eventually this will happen for everyone, inshallah.

Just remember this you do not agree that is fine the world is not made to agree with everything so that is your right. But, I would think twice about refuting the scholars when sound advice and evidence is given and avoid our on fatwa. When you get into your own fatwa and a person listens to your advice you will be held responsible if they follow your advice. Also, it is ok to disagree bring your daleel. Daleel speaks louder than any words because opinions run with our emotions.

There is a hadith recorded by Anas. The Prophet (SAWS) when he went from Mekkah to Medina. He saw the Ansaar (medina muslims) celebrating and having a festiveal. He (saws) asked them what are you doing. The Ansaar said we are celebrating the holidays that we had before Islam. So, the Prophet (saws) said Allah came with two holiday that are better with those Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha

Wasalam Amirah80
 

Aapa

Mirajmom
Salaam,


Sister forgive me but that is just what we need to avoid. We can not live a life and say I will attend a baby shower...that is not a religious event..but they serve alcohol at many baby showers...but I will not enter a Church for the Christening of the child. The same logic applies to weddings. We have to be logical...


I am not refuting anyone. What I am suggesting is that we weigh very carefully what we write. We have to have logical and sane explantions that can not be rendered apart.

I thank you for your efforts to help us.
 

amirah80

*Fear Allah*
:salam2:


Sister every baby shower does not have alcohol. That depends on the people that incorporate that into plan. So really think logical. If alcohol is present then you leave. If the type of people you know drink alcohol then do not go. If you know the people you will know there plans. Also, I edited my last post and you posted quickly. But read the hadith. That should say enough for Christmas the question asked.

Also, a baby shower is one time not made into a Holiday which is celebrated annually where a date is reserved for it. Like Christmas and Birthdays. Like I said previous in Islam when you have a birth of a child you do a celebration on the 7 the day. Not yearly. So attending such celebration is not a bid'ah.

Since I am not a scholar I will not get into many whys and why nots. But, on the fatwa pages you can ask a scholar or seek this information from your Imam.
 

hassana elkoussi

Junior Member
Dear brothers & sisters

PLZ remember that this arguing is from Shaytan

PLZ don't make this distinction between reverts and born moslems
-as you referred to in a different thread.We are all MOSLEMS, supposedly obedient to the rulings of our deen." Oh, Allah ,we listened and we obeyed (your rulings)".
It's too bad our revert brothers & sisters are having this TRIAL & i dare say it's a pretty hard one , but that is life- a series of tests based on very critical choices. May Allah guide you to the right choice that leads to His pleasure.


I've copied and pasted a relevant fatwa .PLZ read it carefully , then make your cho
ice.


Fatwa 947 Basic Tenets of Faith » Alliance and Amity, Disavowal and Enmity


Ruling on celebrating non-Muslim holidays and congratulating them
Can a muslim celebrate a non muslim holiday like Thanksgiving?​
Praise be to Allaah.

Greeting the kuffaar on Christmas and other religious holidays of theirs is haraam, by consensus, as Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy on him, said in Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah: "Congratulating the kuffaar on the rituals that belong only to them is haraam by consensus, as is congratulating them on their festivals and fasts by saying ‘A happy festival to you’ or ‘May you enjoy your festival,’ and so on. If the one who says this has been saved from kufr, it is still forbidden. It is like congratulating someone for prostrating to the cross, or even worse than that. It is as great a sin as congratulating someone for drinking wine, or murdering someone, or having illicit sexual relations, and so on. Many of those who have no respect for their religion fall into this error; they do not realize the offensiveness of their actions. Whoever congratulates a person for his disobedience or bid’ah or kufr exposes himself to the wrath and anger of Allaah."

Congratulating the kuffaar on their religious festivals is haraam to the extent described by Ibn al-Qayyim because it implies that one accepts or approves of their rituals of kufr, even if one would not accept those things for oneself. But the Muslim should not aceept the rituals of kufr or congratulate anyone else for them, because Allaah does not accept any of that at all, as He 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 Islaam as your religion . . ."
[al-Maa’idah 5:3]

So congratulating them is forbidden, whether they are one’s colleagues at work or otherwise.

If they greet us on the occasion of their festivals, we should not respond, because these are not our festivals, and because they are not festivals which are acceptable to Allaah. These festivals are innovations in their religions, and even those which may have been prescribed formerly have been abrogated by the religion of Islaam, with which Allaah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to the whole of mankind. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Whoever seeks a religion other than Islaam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers." [Aal ‘Imraan 3:85]

It is haraam for a Muslim to accept invitations on such occasions, because this is worse than congratulating them as it implies taking part in their celebrations.

Similarly, Muslims are forbidden to imitate the kuffaar by having parties on such occasions, or exchanging gifts, or giving out sweets or food, or taking time off work, etc., because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever imitates a people is one of them." Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyah said in his book Iqtidaa’ al-siraat al-mustaqeem mukhaalifat ashaab al-jaheem: "Imitating them in some of their festivals implies that one is pleased with their false beliefs and practices, and gives them the hope that they may have the opportunity to humiliate and mislead the weak."

Whoever does anything of this sort is a sinner, whether he does it out of politeness or to be friendly, or because he is too shy to refuse, or for whatever other reason, because this is hypocrisy in Islaam, and because it makes the kuffaar feel proud of their religion.Allaah is the One Whom we ask to make the Muslims feel proud of their religion, to help them adhere steadfastly to it, and to make them victorious over their enemies, for He is the Strong and Omnipotent.



Majmoo’ah Fataawa wa Rasaa’il al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 3/369)

:salam2:
 

amirah80

*Fear Allah*
Thread Closed

:salam2:

Inshallah sisters/brothers you are all in good health and Iman.

I am closing this thread for the following reasons:

1) The question as been answered
2) The daleel (evidence) has been provided and nothing presented that is daleel to differ in opinion.
3) Agrumentation is not a good quality of a believer when the point of agruementation has no basis of facts to support the opinions.
4) We ALL must adhere to commands Allah wether a revert or born muslims. We are all still the muslimeen and need to conduct ourselves like so.

Also, I will provide previous threads done on TTI about this very situation. I am not sure if this conversations arises only when it is close to the holidays but the information remains the same each time. Inshallah you can read the other threads if more clarity is needed.

http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37550&highlight=celebrating+holidays

http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5175&highlight=Christmas

http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/search.php?searchid=768176&pp=25&page=4

http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13733&highlight=Christmas

http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23762&highlight=Christmas

Wasalam Amirah80
 
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