Forum Menu - Click/Swipe to open
 

Halloween – Innocent Fun-Time, Spooky or Shirk?

You have contributed 0.0% of this topic

Thread Tools
Appreciate
Topic Appreciation
abu mohammed, ummi taalib, Yasin, Naqshband66, Taalibah
Rank Image
Seifeddine-M's avatar
London
4,762
Brother
4,174
Seifeddine-M's avatar
#1 [Permalink] Posted on 28th October 2014 11:02
Zaynub Zafar


Too often, we are in the dark about the background of occasions and holidays like Halloween, Easter, etc. Don’t think this is a trivial matter because once you find out why these are celebrated, you will think twice about getting yourself or your kids involved in it.

Before you wish someone Happy Halloween and become a part of the celebrations, won’t it be great to take a quick look into its origin? I mean, it’s only logical to KNOW about a thing before celebrating it. Agreed?

Here goes – bismillah!

Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain. The festival of Samhain was a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. Samhain was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and prepare for winter. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops. Masks and costumes were worn in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or appease them.

The festival would frequently involve bonfires. It is believed that the fires attracted insects to the area which attracted bats to the area. These are additional attributes of the history of Halloween.

Roman and Christian influence:

By 43 AD, “Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory.” For the 400 years, they occupied Celtic lands, two Roman festivals: Feralia (the commemoration of the passing of the dead) and a day to honor Pomona (the Roman goddess of fruits and trees). The apple was served as a symbol for Pomona and might have been incorporated into Samhain by the practice of “bobbing for apples”.

When “local people converted to Christianity during the early Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church often incorporated modified versions of older religious traditions in order to win converts.” Pope Gregory IV wanted to substitute Samhain with All Saints’ Day in 835, but All Souls’ Day (Nov. 2nd) which is closer in resemblance to Samhain and Halloween today, was “first instituted at a French monastery in 998 and quickly spread throughout Europe”. [1]

In the 16th century, “Christian village children celebrated the vigil of All Saints’ by doing the Danse Macabrloi. The Seven Brethren whose grizzly death is described in the seventh chapter of the deuterocanonical book of Second Macabees” is also said to have resulted in children dressing up in grizzly costumes to signify these deaths. [2]

What is Halloween made of:

Traditional activities include trick-or-treating, bonfires, costume parties, visiting “haunted houses” and carving jack-o-lanterns.

Part of the history of Halloween is Halloween costumes. We find it innocent enough to let our children dress up as a Vampire or a Frankenstein at the parties held at a house or the very least, attend the school functions because the teacher says “it’s mandatory”. But we forget or are oblivious to the fact that the practice of dressing up in costumes and begging door to door for treats on holidays goes back to the Middle Ages, and includes Christmas wassailing. This was done so that the spirits of the dead would not recognize people. The Druids would actually sacrifice animals and sometimes humans and dress in these animal skins. Wearing these clothes, they would engage in fortune-telling. Another explanation is that today, children who dress up, represent these spirits.

Trick-or-treating resembles the late medieval practice of “souling,” when poor folk would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2). Today, when kids are offered treats by neighbors, this goes back to the time people would offer food to appease the spirits.

Halloween can be a time for MAJOR Shirk (making partners with Allah Allah Subhanahu-wa-Taala ). There are games and rituals which involve fortune-telling. Young people, for instance, try to see what their marriage prospects are by using omens like apple pairings that are thrown over their shoulders, or nuts being burned in a fire.

Jack-o’-lantern started off as a legend associated with a man of Irish origin named Jack who supposedly enjoyed playing pranks on the Devil. After his death, Jack did not go to Heaven or Hell and therefore, had to wander the earth carrying a lantern which gave him some light to see where he was going. Pumpkins that were hollowed out and had candles lighted inside did the job and they were also supposed to scare evil spirits away.

The Islamic stance is clear:

When you look a few of these evidences, (there are a whole lot of them), you get the clear Islamic stance towards Halloween:

“Say: ‘None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghayb (Unseen) except Allaah…’” [al-Naml 27:65]

This leaves no room for Halloween fortune-telling; and “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” [3] puts an end to all the Halloween hype.

In Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, it says:

“The clear evidence from the Qur’aan and Sunnah – on which there is consensus among the early generations of the ummah – that there are only two Eids or festivals in Islam: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Any festivals other than these, whether they are connected to a person, a group, an incident or anything else, are innovated festivals and it is not permissible for the Muslims to celebrate them or approve of them, express joy on them or help with them in any way, because that is transgressing the sacred limits of Allaah Allah Subhanahu-wa-Taala …”

And to top it off, it becomes totally out of the league for us Muslims when it includes pagan-origins. It may seem very alluring to you with all the hype, and it may also be very difficult for you to stand apart from the mainstream crowd, but no matter how much fatwa shopping we do, how many ever “moderate” versions we try to seek, there is still just two words for it: not permissible.

And since it attracts children mostly, what with all the free candy, it becomes increasingly essential for parents to be proactive and handle the situation wisely.

Here are some handy tips for parents:

1. Be open and tell them the origin of Halloween and why our religion can’t allow it. Telling them the reason of banning it in the house will convince them more than any other lame excuse you could come up with.

2. Whenever you take away something from someone and leave a gap, never forget to provide them a suitable alternative. In this case, get your children to anticipate Eid more or get them involved into some other halal fun activities.

3. Another way is to keep them entertained on a daily basis. Sports, baking, hanging out with friends and food of their choice should be a regular-fun-thing in their time table. This way, they will not be so keen to seek it elsewhere.

4. Last but not the least, keep them away from school when Halloween parties take place. Because no matter how many times you tell them it’s wrong, they are bound to get influenced to be a part of its festivities. Remember, what your children SEE influences them more than what they HEAR. Your advice will not affect them if their environment preaches otherwise.

Closing Thoughts:

The Halloween hoop-la is crazy and seems like it takes over everyone every year. But instead of going with the tide, we need to educate ourselves and especially our kids about it and tell them why we do not become a part of its festivities. It’s not a bad thing to be different. Our religion gives us fun-off times (Come on, you just celebrated two Eids!) and-that should be enough for us. Having fun is absolutely permissible but going to extremes to have it and on the way trampling our beliefs is not only revolting but also implies our extreme lack of faith and lack of pride in our religion.

Moreover, it can promote useless phantom fears in the minds of our children and affect their psychology by getting them desensitized to the idea of begging/asking people for things. Hopefully trick or treat does not look so tempting now. It’s important to stay clear from these dangerous festivals because when we become a part of these things, we bear witness to that which is AGAINST our basic Aqeedah (creed). Watch out.

1- MSN Learning & Research- Halloween
2- Source: History of Halloween 29 Feb. 2001. Indiana University. 12 Oct. 2002
3- Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4031 (classed as saheeh by al-Albaani)


http://blog.islamiconlineuniversity.com/halloween-innocent-fun-time-spooky-or-shirk/
report post quote code quick quote reply
+4 -0Like x 2
back to top
Rank Image
Seifeddine-M's avatar
London
4,762
Brother
4,174
Seifeddine-M's avatar
#2 [Permalink] Posted on 29th October 2015 10:34
The History Of Halloween - Night Of The Devils

Halalified YT Audio
report post quote code quick quote reply
+2 -0Like x 2
back to top
Rank Image
Seifeddine-M's avatar
London
4,762
Brother
4,174
Seifeddine-M's avatar
#3 [Permalink] Posted on 21st October 2019 16:35
Satanism and Halloween


Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan and ‘LaVeyan’ Satanism, wrote:

“The highest of all holidays in the Satanic religion is the date of one's own birth. Every man is a god if he chooses to recognize himself as one. So, the Satanist celebrates his own birthday as the most important holiday of the year. Despite the fact that some of us may not have been wanted, or at least were not particularly planned, we're glad, even if no one else is, that we're here! You should give yourself a pat on the back, buy yourself whatever you want, treat yourself like the king (or god) that you are, and generally celebrate your birthday with as much pomp and ceremony as possible. After one's own birthday, the two major Satanic holidays are Walpurgisnacht and Halloween (or All Hallows' Eve). The solstices and equinoxes are also celebrated as holidays, as they herald the first day of the seasons.“

(The Satanic Bible)
report post quote code quick quote reply
+4 -0
back to top
Rank Image
Maripat's avatar
Offline
Gham-o-Huzn
3,269
Brother
3,503
Maripat's avatar
#4 [Permalink] Posted on 21st October 2019 16:50
Mufti Tariq Masood Sahab on Pranks.

I think even these pranks will fall fowl of Islam.
report post quote code quick quote reply
+0 -0Agree x 1Optimistic x 1
back to top
Rank Image
abu mohammed's avatar
London
26,146
Brother
9,541
abu mohammed's avatar
#5 [Permalink] Posted on 21st October 2019 16:54
Seifeddine wrote:
“The highest of all holidays in the Satanic religion is the date of one's own birth. Every man is a god if he chooses to recognize himself as one. So, the Satanist celebrates his own birthday as the most important holiday of the year"

The Satanic Bible

Wow!!!!
report post quote code quick quote reply
+0 -0Agree x 2
back to top
Rank Image
Offline
MARS
2,170
Brother
338
#6 [Permalink] Posted on 26th October 2019 22:50
Maripat wrote:
View original post



I totally disagree with Mufti Sahab. He must not encourage these types of activities. There are Sharai' usool for even jokes. This is illogical that you intentionally offend someone and then ask forgiveness. Nonsense!
report post quote code quick quote reply
+0 -0Agree x 1Optimistic x 1
back to top
Rank Image
Muadh_Khan's avatar
Offline
UK
11,537
Brother
112
Muadh_Khan's avatar
#7 [Permalink] Posted on 28th October 2019 22:02
report post quote code quick quote reply
No post ratings
back to top
Rank Image
Offline
Unspecified
1,210
Brother
121
#8 [Permalink] Posted on 31st October 2019 13:47
sipraomer wrote:
View original post


I just watched the clip. He backed up his point with a solid narration.

I think he's saying it demands on the extent and type of hurt your prank will have on the individual. If it's minor and your quick follow up forgiveness will surely win their heart back then such a prank cannot deemed as haram per se.

If they're really going to be worked up, and you don't know them very well then of course such actions will be regarded as a form of zulm (oppression).

Some times people really need to lighten up and be open to harmless humour, not be so text-book about it.

The Seerah is replete with incidents of the companion(s) who played practical jokes on the Prophet (SAW). Some of them were far more adventurous than anything we'd have the guts to pull off. The Prophet (SAW) never scolded any of them and laughed with them.

There was one companion in particular who did it quite often. I think there is even a thread on this forum dedicated to him and his humorous side.

Some of us should go look it up.
report post quote code quick quote reply
No post ratings
back to top
Rank Image
bint e aisha's avatar
Offline
Unspecified
2,515
Sister
1,681
bint e aisha's avatar
#9 [Permalink] Posted on 31st October 2019 14:07
There are some pranks attributed to Hazrat Nu'ayman bin 'Amr رضي الله عنه also mentioned in Hayatus Sahaba.
report post quote code quick quote reply
No post ratings
back to top
Rank Image
Offline
Unspecified
1,210
Brother
121
#10 [Permalink] Posted on 31st October 2019 14:43
bint e aisha wrote:
View original post


Exactly.
report post quote code quick quote reply
No post ratings
back to top
Rank Image
Offline
MARS
2,170
Brother
338
#11 [Permalink] Posted on 31st October 2019 20:22
Imam Ali wrote:
View original post


Give me examples of civilized Shariah compliant pranks. Share the link here. When the word pranks is mentioned then pranks of this age come to mind.
report post quote code quick quote reply
+0 -0Agree x 1Disagree x 1
back to top
Rank Image
Offline
Unspecified
1,210
Brother
121
#12 [Permalink] Posted on 31st October 2019 21:27
sipraomer wrote:
View original post


I'm sure if you did enough research you'll find the answer, brother. It was passing post to share a titbit.

Check out the thread on here dedicated to Nu'ayman bin 'Amr رضي الله عنه also.
report post quote code quick quote reply
No post ratings
back to top
Rank Image
Offline
MARS
2,170
Brother
338
#13 [Permalink] Posted on 31st October 2019 21:36
Imam Ali wrote:
View original post


Nu'ayman bin 'Amr RA. I didn't deny this sahabi. I was talking about today's pranks. Anyway...

Hazrat! Our people are not literate enough to know these very delicate differences between right and wrong. So a man of Mufti sahab's position must take precaution while discussing these matters. Pranks have added filth in the society. Have done nothing good and constructive so far.
report post quote code quick quote reply
+0 -0Agree x 1
back to top
Rank Image
abu mohammed's avatar
London
26,146
Brother
9,541
abu mohammed's avatar
#14 [Permalink] Posted on 1st November 2019 09:20
sipraomer wrote:
View original post

(I haven't heard what Mufti Sahib is saying, but....)
Pranks are of many kind.

Some are sinful, wasteful etc. others are innocent. Pranks can be deceitful, i.e. one has to lie even in jest. Some have to backbite, slander, cause waste of money and items and so one.

Some pranks are innocent which many of us do (or have done) in this day and age.

For example:

and my all time favourite as a kid

I could've got a much worse picture, but you can imagine :)


At the same time, one must be careful of Shamatah (schadenfreude [German word as there is no proper English word for this]) - Although I'm not sure if this would come under pranks, but to laugh at someones agony/pain/accident (if the prank was as such, then be careful where you tread)
report post quote code quick quote reply
No post ratings
back to top
Rank Image
abu mohammed's avatar
London
26,146
Brother
9,541
abu mohammed's avatar
#15 [Permalink] Posted on 31st October 2020 17:17
Loading tweet
report post quote code quick quote reply
+1 -0
back to top

 

Quick Reply

CAPTCHA - As you are a guest, you are required to answer the following:


In the above image: What part of the day is the background image (it's not day)?