بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
“In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”
As Muslims we believe that Prophet ‘Isa (a.s) also known as Jesus by the Christians, was sent as a Messenger & Prophet by Allah ﷻ . The Christians believe ‘Isa (a.s) to be God or the son of God. We believe he was a human being just like all the other Prophets. He never claimed to be God or the son of God. He was blessed with the ability by the will of Allah ﷻ to perform miracles. One of his greatest miracles was to be able to speak as a baby. This is mentioned in Surah Maryam Ayah 30. With ‘Isa’s (a.s) very first words, he made it clear that he is a servant & Prophet of Allah ﷻ.
قَالَ إِنِّى عَبْدُ ٱللَّهِ ءَاتَىٰنِىَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَجَعَلَنِى نَبِيًّا
Verily I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the book & made me a Prophet .
‘Isa (a.s) is not the son of Allah ﷻ. Rather look at what Allah ﷻ Himself says about those who have made ‘Isa (a.s) the son of god. Every creation apart from humans is terrified of any suggestion of association with Allah ﷻ!
وَقَالُوا۟ ٱتَّخَذَ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ وَلَدًۭا
They say, “The Most Compassionate has offspring.”
لَّقَدْ جِئْتُمْ شَيْـًٔا إِدًّۭا
You have done an atrocious thing.
تَكَادُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْهُ وَتَنشَقُّ ٱلْأَرْضُ وَتَخِرُّ ٱلْجِبَالُ هَدًّا
That the heavens are about to explode therewith and the earth to split open and the mountains to collapse in devastation.
أَن دَعَوْا۟ لِلرَّحْمَـٰنِ وَلَدًۭا
That they attribute to the Most Merciful a son.
وَمَا يَنۢبَغِى لِلرَّحْمَـٰنِ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا
It does not befit the most merciful to have a son.
[Surah Maryam, Ayahs 88-92]
SubhanAllah! With christmas being a festival celebrating the birth of Prophet ‘Isa (a.s), how then can we take part in anything to do with it? Our hearts too should fear just by the thought of what they are celebrating. As Muslims we are very sensitive to our belief in the oneness of Allah ﷻ. It is this very belief that brings one into the fold of Islam. Shirk (associating partners with Allah ﷻ), is a sin that Allah ﷻ will not forgive without sincere repentance. By joining in the celebration of christmas, we too are encouraging the incorrect belief of Allah ﷻ having a son.
By congratulating the non Muslims on Christmas saying “Merry Christmas”, is as though we are saying have a happy day associating partners with Allah ﷻ. Some may argue & say that we don’t celebrate with the wrong intentions or beliefs. However, we cannot justify a sin by a ‘good intention’. For instance, if someone breaks into a house to steal with the intention of giving it away as charity, he has still committed a sin. His good intentions would not earn him any reward nor would his sin be pardoned. A sin is sin. Good intentions are only good if we follow them through with righteous actions in obedience to Allah ﷻ.
Moreover, Islam prohibits the imitation of the non-Muslims in general. We have to understand that there is nothing but wisdom in what Allah ﷻ & his messenger ﷺ have commanded & prohibited.
From an early age, it can be observed how much imitating has an effect on children, these effects are not just limited to children. Imitating others and being like them in outward appearance and behaviour leads to imitating them and being like them in one’s heart and mind, by way of gradual, hidden influence. This is one of the plots of Shaitaan, he makes it seem like there’s no harm. But in reality these acts of imitation (may Allah ﷻ protect us) can be the very cause of one leaving the fold of Islam.
The Prophet ﷺ has said: “Whoever imitates a person is one of them.” [Abu Dawood] This hadith is in relation to religious imitation, that they will be with them in the hereafter, in the fire of jahannam.
Islam is a religion of peace not hatred. We have been encouraged to behave in the best of manner to all of mankind, regardless of their race, colour, gender, position, religion or beliefs. We can still do this & we should do this by not getting involved in the festivals & celebrations of the Non-Muslims. Show good character by keeping it general, wish them happy holidays & give gifts throughout the whole year instead of on Christmas day, for giving gifts it is a sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ .
We don’t see the non Muslims imitating us. They are proud of their beliefs. We too should be proud of who we are & remain true to our beliefs through our actions. Not wishing merry Christmas does not mean Muslims are insulting the Non-Muslims. We are remaining true to our beliefs. There are certain things they feel uncomfortable with in regards to our religion & respectfully do not partake in them & that’s completely ok. Be proud & passionate about your religion.
Tayyibah Tree 