We seem to be in an unending celebrations and festivals! First, it was the `Eid-ul-fitr [the festival of ending the Ramadan fasting] in the month of September. Then the [Nigerian] Independence Day celebration followed it in October. The month of November had Eid-ul-Adha, then comes the month of December with two celebrations following themselves closely; the Christmas day and the Boxing Day. Before them, a new Hijrah Year would have started and some Muslims would be celebrating the first day of Muharram. Six days after Xmas day, it will be the New Year day celebration.
As if that is not enough, the new Gregorian year, brings up another round of so-called celebrations starting with Saint Valentine’s Day in February and with others in tow. However, as Muslims our attention is not on the number of festivals and celebrations that we have, rather, our focus is on which of them is permissible and which of them are not. Insha Allaah, we take a look at some of these celebrations, their origins and what Islam says about them.
1. New Years Day celebration
The New Years Day is one of the most celebrated days around the world. The Day is usually celebrated on the 1st of January every Gregorian year in most parts of the world with some few exceptions. It is believed that it is counted from after the death of Eesa [Jesus] [AS]. That is why AD [Anno Domini] is put at the back of the year in question meaning the number of years since Jesus died. But the truth about this celebration is that it does have anything to do with Eesa [AS] because it is from the idol worshipers of Rome. It was a celebration that was dedicated to one of their gods named Janus from whose name January was derived. [Microsoft Encarta [students 2007] From what has been mentioned above, we can see that this celebration is not for Muslims because it does not have anything to do with Islam. Moreover, this celebration does not have anything to do with any of the heavenly revealed religion, rather it is pagan. Therefore, it is not correct for Muslims to celebrate this day with the non-Muslims.
2. Easter Day Celebration
Easter is the period when Christians celebrate the death and resurrection of Eesa [AS] it is a major celebration for Christianity itself hangs on the belief in the crucifixion of Jesus. However, a close look at this celebration will show that it has nothing to do with either Jesus Christ or Christianity. Origin of Easter According to the Nelsons Illustrated Bible Dictionary:
"Easter was originally a pagan festival honouring Eostre, a Teutonic [Germanic] goddess of light and spring".
It is believed that at the time of vernal equinox [the day in the spring when the sun crosses the equator and the day and the night are of equal length], sacrifices were offered in her honour.
Like the New Years Day celebration, the Easter Day celebration also has a pagan origin which the Christians have adopted into their religion. Therefore Muslims should not be a part of it. Even if it did not have a pagan origin, it would still not be a festival for the Muslims. This is because it will then be a celebration of the death Eesa [AS]. As Muslims, we know that Eesa did not die on the cross! Being a part of the celebration would then mean an approval of the festival and a denial of Allaahs saying:
"And because of their saying [in boast], "We killed al-Maseeh Eesa [Jesus] the son Maryam, the Messenger of Allaah. But they killed him not, nor crucified, but it was made to appear to them. And those who differ therein are full of doubts with no [certain] knowledge but only conjecture to follow: for, of a surety, they killed him not". [Q 4: 157]
Therefore, from this verse we can see that taking part in this celebration is not permissible for Muslims since Allaah has said that neither was Eesa killed nor was he crucified. Taking part would mean we are denying what Allaah has revealed. May Allaah forbid!
3. Valentine’s Day Saint Valentine’s Day is celebrated on the 14th of February every year. It is a day that involves people sending romantic greetings cards and gifts to their loved ones in order to express their love and affection for them. Origin of Valentine’s Day There are conflicting reports regarding the origin of Valentine’s Day celebration but none of them can actually be traced to any heavenly revealed religion. Not even Christianity that seems to have promoted it. According to the Microsoft Encarta:
"The holiday probably derives from the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalis (February 15), also called the Lupercalia. In an annual rite of fertility, eligible young men and women would be paired as couples through a town lottery. Briefly clad or naked men would then run through the town carrying the skins of newly sacrificed goats dipped in blood. The women of the town would present themselves to be gently slapped by the strips and marked by the blood to improve their chances of conceiving in the coming year."
Another version of the origin of Valentine’s Day has it that it has to do with the Romantic Birds. It is believed that it is on this day that birds chose their mates. With what has been said, one may ask the following questions: How did it become such a popular celebration? What has it got to do with Christianity that has promoted it so much? According to Microsoft Encarta 2007 version it is said that:
"As Christianity came to dominance in Europe, pagan holidays such as Lupercalia were frequently renamed for early Christian martyrs.
In 496 Pope Gelasius officially declared February 14 to be the feast day of two Roman martyrs, both named Saint Valentine, who lived in the 3rd century. Neither Saint Valentine seems to have an obvious connection to courtship or lovers. Clearly, from what has been said this celebration has a pagan origin and has nothing to down with the religion of Christianity not to talk of Islam. So it is not permissible for a Muslim to partake in it. This is more so, when we look at the evil that people do on this day such as fornication, drinking of alcohol, free-mixing etc.
Christmas
Christmas is about the most popular celebration in the world. It is believed to be the day Prophet Eesa [AS] or Jesus was born. It is celebrated by most Christians especially the Roman Catholics and the Protestants on the 25th of December every year. However, some orthodox Christian’s don’t celebrate theirs until the 7th of January while some others celebrate theirs a day earlier i.e. the January 6th.Surprisingly though, do you know that some Christians [the Jehovah witness] do not celebrate Christmas at all? Origin of Christmas Christmas has nothing to do with Christianity.
As a matter of fact there is no mention of Christmas in the Bible. And can you believe this? Eesa [AS] was not born in December! According to the Guinness Book of Answers,
"The actual day Christ was born is not known and 25th December as the day of nativity [i.e. Christmas] was not generally observed until the 5th century AD."
Concerning the date of birth of Jesus, it is certain that he was not born in December because in Jerusalem, the birthplace of Jesus, shepherds did not take out their sheep in December, which is the winter season. The fields would be covered in snow and there would be no green grass for the sheep which would defeat the purpose of taking the sheep out in the field. Someone may now ask the question why then are Christians celebrating Christmas on December 25? According to Encarta Encyclopaedia:
"The Roman Catholic Church chose December 25 as the day for the Feast of Nativity in order to give Christian meaning to existing pagan rituals. For example, the church replaced festivities of honouring the birth of Mithra, the god of light, with festivities to commemorate the birth of Jesus, whom the Bible calls the light of the world. The Catholic Church hoped to draw pagans into its religion by allowing them to continue their celebration while simultaneously honouring the birthday of Jesus.
So we can see that 25th of December was not chosen as Christmas day because it was the day that Jesus was born, rather it was chosen to preserve pagan practice. So, as Muslim the question we need to ask ourselves are we pagans? Since we know we are not, why do have to be part of this pagan celebration? From what has been said, all of the celebrations and festivals mentioned above are not permissible for us as Muslims since we are neither pagan’s nor are we Christians! Celebrating birthdays is not allowed the evidence in the Quraan and Sunnah indicates that celebrating birthdays is a kind of bidah or innovation in religion, which has no basis in the pure shareeah.
It is not permitted to accept invitations to birthday celebrations, because this involves supporting and encouraging bidah. Allaah says:
"Or have they partners with Allaah (false gods) who have instituted for them a religion which Allaah has not allowed ...?" [al-Shoora 42:21]
In another verse Allaah says:
"Then We have put you (0 Muhammad) on a plain way of (Our) commandment. So follow that, and follow not the desires of those who know not. Verily, they can avail you nothing against Allaah (if He wants to puish you). Verily, the zaalimoon (wrongdoers) are awliyaa (protectors, helpers, etc.) to one another, but AIlaah is the Wali (Protector, Helper) of the muttaqoon (pious). "[Q 45:18-19]
According to saheeh reports, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Whoever does something that is a not part of this matter of ours (i.e., Islam) will have it rejected" (Muslim);
and
"The best of speech is the Book of Allaah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The most evil of things are those which have been newly invented (in religion) and every innovation is a going astray. [Muslim]
There are many other ahaadeeth that convey the same meaning. Besides being bidah and having no basis in shareeah, these birthday celebrations also involve imitation of the Jews and Christians in their birthday celebrations. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, warning us against following their ways and traditions:
"You would follow the ways of those who came before you step by step, to such an extent that if they were to enter a lizards hole, you would enter it too." They said, "O Messenger of Allaah, (do you mean) the Jews and Christians?" He said, "Who else?" (Bukhaari and Muslim).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also said:
"Whoever imitates a people is one of them."
[Islam Q&A]
Islamic festivals?
Unfortunately, we Muslims have also copied the non- Muslims by innovating some festivals and celebrations that neither the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] nor his Companions did ortold us to do. These are some of them; Eid al-Maulud or Maulid an-Nabiyy Eed al-Maulud is the celebration to mark the birth of the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him]. It is commonly believed that the Prophet [peace and blessings of AIIaah be upon him] was born on the 12th of Rabee ul-Awwal. However, different groups, mosques and organisation celebrate their own Maulid an-Nabiyy on different days and in different ways. They believe that celebrating this day is a demonstration of their love for the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] and hoping for a reward from Allaah for doing so.
How did it start?
There is no record that the Prophet [peace and blessings of AIIaah be upon him] celebrated his birthday neither is there any record that shows that his Companions celebrated it. According to the book The Observance of Mawlid an-Nabavywi and other Birthdays, the first time that anything like Maulid annabiyy was celebrated was long after the death of the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] in the year625AH in a region known as Mosul in Iraq. What can be said with regards to this celebration then is that it is an innovation since neither the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] nor the rightly guided caliphs knew anything about it. Celebrating it will mean going against the instruction of the Prophet "You must then follow my sunnah and that of the rightly Caliphs.
Hold on to it and stick fast to it. Avoid novelties, for every novelty is an innovation, and every innovation is an error." [Abu Dawood]. He also said, The best speech is that embodied in the Book of Allaah, and the best guidance is the guidance given by Muhammad. The most evil affairs are their innovations; and every innovation is an error." [Muslim] Clearly, celebrating Eid ul-Maulid is something that has nothing to do with Islam; so every Muslim must stay away from it no matter how good it may seem to us. It is also not permissible to celebrate the birthday of anyone including our own birthday. Laylatul Qadr Laylatul Qadr is a night that occurs in the month of Ramadan in the last ten nights. It is the best night that Allaah created. It is better than one thousand months. Allaah says; "Verily, We have sent it [this Quran] down in the night of AI-Qadr [Decree].
And what will make you know what the night of Al-Qadr [Decree] is?
The night of AI-Qadr [Decree] is better than a thousand months [i.e. worshiping In that night is better than worshipping Him a thousands, i.e. 83 years and4 months [Q97: 1-3] Nowadays, people celebrate this night by printing envelopes to raise money and on the night people gather at a place, usually the mosque, where food and drink will be served to the people. Also, they engage in chanting adhkarin congregation.
How did it start?
When Allaah revealed the verses concerning Laylatul-Qadri there is no doubt that it was revealed to the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] in the presence of his Companions. If indeed the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] did not celebrate this day and after him the Companions did not celebrate it then there is no reason for us to celebrate it. As a matter of fact, it will be an innovation that the person who engages in it stands to be punished for. What should we do on this night? As Muslims what we are expected to do is to follow the sunnah of the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him].
What the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] used to do was to go for itikaf [seclusion in the mosque] in the last ten days and engage in acts of worship alone without calling anybody to himself. If he was at home he would stand most of the night invoking Allaah and would encourage the members of his household to do the same; So clearly, it is haram for anybody to engage in any other thing on this night other than what the prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] did because he is our example and we take religion examples from only him.
Which celebrations are permissible?
When the Prophet of Allaah [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] came to Madinah, the people had two days on which they engaged in games. He asked, "What are these two days?"They said, "We engaged ourselves in them in the pre-Islamic days." Allaah's Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said:
"Allaah has substituted for them something better than them: the day of sacrifice and the day of the breaking of the fast. "[Abu Dawood].
Also, the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said:
"Two festivals (Eid and Friday) have synchronised on this day. If anyone does not want to offer the Friday prayer, the Eid prayer is sufficient for him. But we shall offer the Friday prayer. [Abu Dawood]
From this hadith we can see that there are two major festivals that are legislated for the Muslims i.e. Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitri. Apart from these two festivals, the day of the Juma is another day of festival for us as Muslims. Further, this hadith also tells us the origin of the festivals that we have. They came into being at the time of the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] and therefore are not innovated celebrations and do not have pagan origin. Eid al-Adha is the 10th of Dhul-Hijja and it is on this day that we slaughter our sacrificial animal to eat and have fun with family and friends.
As for Eid ul-fitri, it is the day that we break our fast of Ramadan. It takes place on the first day of Shawwal, it also a day of enjoyment, fun and unification for the Muslims. We can conclude therefore any other Eid apart from these are not permissible. Especially those that are repetitive so, Hijrah Day celebration is also not permissible as it comes every year. As we enter into the new Islamic year let us take note of these celebrations and know that it is only these two celebrations that are permissible for us. May Allaah continue to guide us a right.
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited