"Say, 'O People of the Book! Exceed not in your religion the bounds of (what is proper), trespassing beyond the truth. Nor follow the vein desires of people who went wrong in times gone by, --- who misled many, and strayed (themselves) from the even Way.'"[Quran, Surah Al-Maidah, 5:77]
Both Muslims and serious Christians can learn a lot from Christmas, the annual celebration of the victory of paganism over the religion of Prophet Isa (Jesus Christ), (alayhis-salam - peace be upon him).
No one disputes that the event and all its symbols came from pagan religions; it has nothing to do with the birth or teachings of Isa (Jesus - peace be upon him). For one thing, no one knows with certainty the date of birth of Jesus. "In fact, dates in almost every month in the year were suggested by reputable scholars at one time or another," notes The American Book of Days. Most historians believe that his birth probably occurred in September. One thing they agree on is that it is very unlikely that Isa (Jesus - peace be upon him) was born in December. For another, the celebration of birthdays is itself a pagan idea, never promoted by any Prophet or Book of God, including the Bible. Early Church leaders opposed it strongly. As late as 245 CE African Church father and philosopher Origen wrote that it was sinful even to contemplate observing Jesus's birthday `as though he were a King Pharaoh."[The American Book of Days].
But the pagan world did have prayers and celebrations during the winter season. Those who worshipped the sun god because of its apparent power, used to become concerned about the fate of their god, in a world of many gods, as days became shorter and air very cold. It looked like the sun was being defeated by the god of snow that brought death and misery with it. "... in Rome, the sun in its winter solstice was at its weakest on December 25 and had to be born anew with the help of bonfires, lights, processions and prayer." [Reader's Digest Book of Christmas]. The Roman pagan celebration was called Saturnalia. The Persians also had similar celebrations for Mithras, their sun god.
The evergreens, holly, ivy, and mistletoe plants, which remained green even during this wintertime, were similarly considered by the pagans to have magical powers. The Druids, whose Stonehenge temples can be seen in England, regarded mistletoe with reverence and used to burn it in sacrifice during the solstitial festivities. They also used to hang it in their houses. When you don't know the One True God, even leaves and plants can become god. They thought it brought good luck, fertility, and protection from witchcraft, and was an antidote to poison. Mistletoe is used even today, although the U.N. might consider banning it if the fertility claim proves true!
In 1822 a Dr. Clement Moore, professor of divinity, wrote a poem titled "The visit of St. Nicholas." The poem became popular and Santa Claus was born. The reason for popularity? "... the time was ripe. A myth was needed, and the recreation of `old Christmas' was well in the wind."[William Sanson, A Book of Christmas]. Some decades later The New York Sun answered an 8 year old's question: Is there a Santa Claus? The answer has become classic and is worth noting. "Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see." So Santa Claus is divine, and judging from the Christmas celebrations, certainly more important than Prophet Isa (Jesus Christ - peace be upon him) himself.
Early church leaders wanted to Christianize the pagan festivities, but their operating principle became: When you can't beat them, join them. For as Pope Gregory declared in 601 CE, "... from obdurate minds it is impossible to cut off everything at once." It was a license for another pearl of "wisdom": When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
And so they did. First slowly and then rapidly. The Son of God replaced the sun god. Saturnalia was replaced by the ceremony for Christ or Christ Mass, which later became Christmas. For several centuries it was solely a church anniversary, observed by religious services. "At Christmas, men and women were not, repeat not, to dress up or mime; there were not to be auguries, such as superstitions about fire; houses were not to be decorated, no presents given, no well-laden tables, and a strict watch was to be kept on drink." But false religion drives out true religion. Consider Christmas gifts, a carryover from the Roman practice of giving dolls as gift in lieu of their earlier barbaric custom of offering human sacrifices. "The early Church frowned on gift giving as a pagan custom. But the people enjoyed it too much to abandon it, and so finally the Church accepted the idea and sanctioned it." [Barbara Rinkoff, The Family Christmas Book].
Evergreen Trees? "The early church forbade the use of them, but here again the custom was too deeply rooted and the ban was ignored. Finally the church accepted the use of evergreens for decoration." And on and on. Now consider this portrait of Saturnalia and contrast it with the original don'ts mentioned above: "... a fortnight of near riot, of drunkenness, noise and games, naked slaves singing, men dressing up as animals and behaving with less dignity, sex, often with perversion." [Reader's Digest Book of Christmas]. Anyone can see which picture represents today's Christmas more closely.
With the advent of Capitalism, the old pagans got a new supporter in the form of the adman. George Bernard Shaw observed: "Christmas is forced on a reluctant ... nation by...shopkeepers and the press." This is how they can serve God, and make money at the same time. This in itself is a pagan idea and it is alive and well today.
This defeat of Christianity at the hands of paganism must be contrasted with Islam's resounding victory over it. Before Islam, Arabia was a pagan country--big time. But none of the pagan customs survived after Islam. None whatsoever. There was no such thing as `the people wanted it very much so the church allowed it.' Islam completely eradicated not only the beliefs but also the practices and the symbols of paganism. This in itself is a miracle that serious students of comparative religions must reflect upon. Here is a living proof of the authenticity of the last Messenger, Salla-Allahu alayhi wa sallam.
The success continued throughout the centuries. The secret of this great success lies in what Stuart Brown deplores as Muslim "antipathy to innovation." The first Khalifah, Abu Bakr, Radi-Allahu anhu, had declared in his first address as the new ruler, that he was a follower not an innovator, thereby setting the tone for all successors.
Throughout Islamic history there have been attempts to introduce bid'ah (cursed innovations) as innocent good practices, but unlike Christianity, there have always been rightly guided 'ulema who fought them strongly. The struggle continues today. Yes, Muslims can learn from Christmas. Those of us who may be wondering what is wrong with Milad Nabi celebrations may do well to realize that Christmas also started as Milad for Prophet Isa (Jesus Christ - peace be upon him).
commemorating the birth of a distinguished person has never been prescribed by any religion attributing itself to divine revelation. It was originally a custom prevalent in pagan communities only. Even Christmas, the famous Christian feast commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ finds no mention in the Bible or in the early Christian writings. It was only in the 4th century after the ascension of Jesus Christ that Christmas was recognized as a regular Christian feast. To quote the Collier's Encyclopedia:
"It is impossible to determine the exact date of the birth of Christ, either from the evidence of the gospels, or from any sound tradition. During the first three centuries of the Christian era there was considerable opposition in the Church to the pagan custom of celebrating birthdays, although there is some indication that a purely religious commemoration of the birth of Christ was included in the feast of Epiphany. Clement of Alexandria mentions the existence of the feast in Egypt about the year A.D. 200 and we have some evidence that it was observed on various dates in scattered areas. After the triumph of Constantine, the Church at Rome assigned December 25 as the date for the celebration of the feast, possibly about A.D. 320 or 353. By the end of the fourth century the whole Christian world was celebrating Christmas on that day, with the exception of the Eastern Churches, where it was celebrated on January 6. The choice of December 25 was probably influenced by the fact that on this day the Romans celebrated the Mithraic feast of the Sun-god, and that the Saturnalia also came at this time." (Collier's Encyclopedia 1984 ed, v. 6, p. 403).
A similar description of the origin of Christmas is found in-the Encyclopedia Britannica with some more details. Its following passage will throw more light on the point:
"Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church, and before the 5th century there was no general consensus of opinion as to when it should come in the calendar, whether on Jan. 6, March 25 or Dec. 25. The earliest identification of Dec. 25 with the birthday of Christ is in a passage, otherwise unknown and probably spurious, of the philos of Antioch (c.180), preserved in Latin by the Magdeburyg centuriators (i, 3, 118), to the effect that the Gauls contended that since they celebrated the birth of Lord on Dec. 25, so they ought to celebrate the resurrection on March 25. A passage, almost certainly interpolated, in 'Hippelates' (c. 202) commentary on Daniel iv, 23, says that Jesus was born at Bethlehem on Wednesday, Dec. 25, in the 42nd year of Augustus, but he mentions no feast, and such a feast, indeed, would conflict with the then orthodox ideas. As late as 245, Origin (hem. viii on Leviticus) repudiated the idea of keeping the birthday of Christ "as if he were a king Pharaoh". (Britannica, 1953 ed. v. 5, p.642)
These two quotes are more than sufficient to prove the following points:
1. The commemoration of birthdays was originally a pagan custom, never recognized by a divine scripture or prophetic teaching.
2. The exact date of the Birth of Sayyidna 'Isa is unknown and impossible to be ascertained.
3. The commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ was not a recognized practice in the early centuries of the Christian history.
4. It was in the 4th or 5th century that it was recognized as a religious feast, and that, too, under the influence of the pagans who worshipped Sun-god.
5. There was a strong opposition against the commemorating of the birthday by the early Christian scholars like Origin, on the ground that it is originally a custom of pagans and idolaters.
Shaykh Mumtaz Ul Haq Shaykh says we must display good character/manners but it doesn't mean we compromise our religious beliefs in order to do so. As a result due to the religious significance of Christmas, we are not allowed to participate by distributing Christmas cards and even saying "Merry Christmas". Alternatives and reasons will be given in this short clip inshallah.
JazakAllah for all the information on this topic, it has been very useful and informative in many ways, not only for myself but also for many others. May Allah reward you for all your beneficial posts.
1. Is it permissible to send seasonal greeting cards to non-Muslims at the time of Christmas so long as there are no religious symbols on them and without the intention of celebrating or supporting Christmas?
2. Can the following from al-ashbaah be used as a justification for sending seasonal greeting cards at Christmas time?
Assalaamu alaykum
Respected Brother in Islam:
Your query refers.
Sending a greeting card to non Muslims specifically on their festive day is intrinsically a form of respect and honour for that day of celebration even though it might not be intended. For this reason the Jurists have made a distinction between an intentional display of respect for their festive days and an unintentional act. The first leads to kufr while the second is haraam but not kufr. This is because the basic element of honouring a festive day of the kuffar is found. Furthermore, the fact that one selected that particular day for a special (not ordinary) greeting indicates that one has been influenced by that particular kuffar festive day. There is no doubt that such an act is not permissible. This is also tashabbuh bil-kuffar. The Fuqaha have prohibited even the exchange of gifts among Muslims on these festive days, when there was no prior habit of this nature. See the references below:
قال أبو حفص الكبير الحنفي من أهدى في النيروز بيضة إلى مشرك تعظيما لليوم فقد كفر بالله تعالى وأحبط أعماله وقال القاضي أبو المحاسن الحسن بن منصور الحنقي من اشترى فيه شيئا لم يكن يشتريه في غيره أو أهدي فيه هدية إلى غيره فإن أراد بذلك تعظيم اليوم كما يعظمه الكفرة فقد كفر وإن أراد بالشراء التنعم والتنزه وبالإهداء التحاب جريا على العادة لم يكن كفرا لكنه مكروه كراهة التشبيه بالكفرة حينئذ فيحترز عنه ) عون المعبود - (3 / 341(
البحر الرائق - (8 / 555(
قال رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ ( والاعطاء بِاسْمِ النَّيْرُوزِ وَالْمِهْرَجَانِ لَا يَجُوزُ ) أَيْ الْهَدَايَا بِاسْمِ هَذَيْنِ الْيَوْمَيْنِ حَرَامٌ بَلْ كُفْرٌ وقال أبو حَفْصٍ الْكَبِيرُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ لو أَنَّ رَجُلًا عَبَدَ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى خَمْسِينَ سَنَةً ثُمَّ جاء النَّيْرُوزِ وَأَهْدَى إلَى بَعْضِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ بَيْضَةً يُرِيدُ تَعْظِيمَ ذلك الْيَوْمِ فَقَدْ كَفَرَ وَحَبَطَ عَمَلُهُ وقال صَاحِبُ الْجَامِعِ الْأَصْغَرِ إذَا أهدي يوم النَّيْرُوزِ إلَى مُسْلِمٍ آخَرَ ولم يُرِدْ بِهِ تَعْظِيمَ الْيَوْمِ وَلَكِنْ على ما اعْتَادَهُ بَعْضُ الناس لَا يَكْفُرُ وَلَكِنْ يَنْبَغِي له أَنْ لَا يَفْعَلَ ذلك في ذلك الْيَوْمِ خَاصَّةً وَيَفْعَلُهُ قَبْلَهُ أو بَعْدَهُ لكيلا ( ( ( لكي ) ) ) يَكُونَ تَشْبِيهًا باؤلئك الْقَوْمِ وقد قال من تَشَبَّهَ بِقَوْمٍ فَهُوَ منهم وقال في الْجَامِعِ الْأَصْغَرِ رَجُلٌ اشْتَرَى يوم النَّيْرُوزِ وشيئا يَشْتَرِيهِ الْكَفَرَةُ منه وهو لم يَكُنْ يَشْتَرِيهِ قبل ذلك إنْ أَرَادَ بِهِ تَعْظِيمَ ذلك الْيَوْمِ كما تُعَظِّمُهُ الْمُشْرِكُونَ كَفَرَ وَإِنْ أَرَادَ الْأَكْلَ وَالشُّرْبَ وَالتَّنَعُّمَ لَا يَكْفُرُ
As for the mas'ala of Al-Ashbaah, that is not confined to any festivity or special occasion, and further, it is not said out of intentional or unintentional respect. Allama Ibn Nujaim (RAHIMAHULLAHU TA'ALA) gives the reason for this as follows:
Seasonal greeting cards are practices of the kuffaar. It is not
permissible to adopt their wasteful and baseless customs.
The text in Al-Ashbaah has no relevance to such cards. Cards are a practice of the kuffaar. The statement mentioned in Al-Ashbaah is a verbal one which has no resemblance to the actual practice of wasting money and emulating the kuffaar in their card-greeting practice. It is no a practice of the kuffaar. It is a statement of a Muslim.
1. Muslims should strictly avoid this. Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said من تشبه بقوم فهو منهم (the one who emulates a people will be counted from amongst them (in the sight of Allah Ta'aala)). Hence, it is not right at all for a Muslim to share in the happiness of non Muslims by sending them cards or wishing them at the time of their religious festivals. Refer to: [link removed].
2. This quotation does not prove in any way the permissibility of wishing kuffar on their religious festivals.
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
We apologise but you have been denied access to report posts in this thread. This could be due to excessively reporting posts and not understanding our forum rules. For assistance or information, please use the forum help thread to request more information. Jazakallah
