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74 views Why shouldn’t we celebrate New Year?
Praise be to Allah.
Each people have their own culture and days of celebrations. And Allah and His Messenger (saws) have ordained the two Eids and every Friday as a day of celebration for the believers. That is the culture of Islam; and every believer, who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day, must adopt the culture of Islam and celebrate the days which Allah and His Messenger (saws) have ordained for them to celebrate.
Besides, the Islamic New Year is the first of Moharram; and that too, is not dedicated as a day of celebration! Thus, it does not behove a believer, who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day, to celebrate a holiday of the pagan or western culture; especially when we have our own rich and proud culture of Islam. To celebrate a day of another culture, is in fact to accept their culture… and although it may not sound like a big deal, it may just be a start for the person to start accepting foreign cultures and in time it might have an effect on his own culture.
It is indeed true that the Gregorian New Year has no religious significance; and seems harmless … but for a believer, it should not constitute a day of celebration ….as it has nothing to do with Islam and its teachings and guidance.
Besides, one should realize that the pagans celebrate the advent of the New Year with nothing more than parties of mixed-sexes, singing, dancing, free flowing of alcohol, etc., which are all prohibited in Islam anyways! It just does not behove a believer, who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day, to sacrifice his high Islamic morals and culture, in exchange for a pagan celebration of the mixing of sexes, dancing, music, singing, alcohol, etc.
It is not permissible to greet or congratulate the non-muslims on the occasion of Christmas, New Year or any of their other holidays and greeting on these occasion is an affirmation and approval of them.
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.”
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”
And Allaah knows best.
December 27, 2009
Tags: Bidah, Birth day, Celebrations, Chirstmas, Eidd, Greetings, Innovation, New Year Posted in: Bidah, Festivals
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