Is Christmas haram in Islam? Many Muslims celebrate Christmas in Islam as a form of sharing Christian joy, especially Muslims living in non-Muslim countries. and many don’t know the ruling of the Islamic perspective on this kind of celebration.
In this article, we will discover whether Christmas is haram in Islam or not and what is allowed and what isn’t. Let’s get started.
Is Christmas Haram in Islam?
Yes, Christmas is Haram in Islam. Muslims should only celebrate the ‘Eid al-Fitr and ‘Eid al-Adha. All scholars agree that celebrating Christmas in Islam is Haram and not permissible because it is a Christian celebration.
Allah Almighty says in the Quran:
“And [they are] those who do not testify to falsehood, and when they pass near ill speech, they pass by with dignity” (25:72) Al-Furqan
Narrated Anas ibn Malik:
When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to Medina, the people had two days on which they engaged in games. He asked: What are these two days (what is the significance)? They said: We used to engage ourselves in them in the pre-Islamic period. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Allah has substituted for them something better than them, the day of sacrifice and the day of the breaking of the fast. [Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani), Sunan Abi Dawud 1134, Book 2, Hadith 745]
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Can Muslims decorate their houses at Christmas in Islam?
No Muslims can’t decorate their houses at Christmas because we are not allowed to celebrate it. Christmas in Islam is haram and forbidden. When decorating our homes for it is like celebrating it.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“Similarly it is forbidden for the Muslims to imitate the unbelievers by holding parties on these occasions, or exchanging gifts, or distributing sweets or other foods, or taking time off work, and so on because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.
” Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in his book Iqtida’ al-Sirat al-Mustaqim Mukhalafat Ashab al-Jahim: Imitating them on some of their festivals implies that one is happy with the falsehood they are following, and that could make them (the non-Muslims) take this opportunity to mislead those who are weak in faith.”
Those who do any of these things are sinning, whether they do it to go along with them, or to be friendly towards them, or because they feel too shy (to refuse to join in), or any other reason, because it is a kind of compromising the religion of Allah to please others, and it is a means of lifting the spirits of the unbelievers and making them proud of their religion.” (Fatawa Ibn ‘Uthaymin, 3/44)
From this hadith, we can clearly understand that because Christmas is haram in Islam any form of celebration is forbidden.
Is it permissible to wish “Merry Christmas” in Islam?
Since Christmas in Islam is Haram then wishing Merry Christmas is not permissible according to Islamic scholars. Islamic scholars agree that wishing Merry Christmas or exchanging gifts on Christmas is like celebrating it and accepting it as a festival.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“Praise be to Allah. It is not permissible for Muslims to imitate them in any way that is unique to their festivals, whether it be food, clothes, bathing, lighting fires refraining from usual work or worship, and so on.
And it is not permissible to give a feast or to exchange gifts or to sell things that help them to celebrate their festivals or to let children and others play the games that are played on their festivals, or to adorn oneself or put up decorations.
In general, (Muslims) are not allowed to single out the festivals of the unbelievers for any of these rituals or customs. Rather the day of their festivals is just an ordinary day for the Muslims, and they should not single it out for any activity that is part of what the unbelievers do on these days.” (Al-Fatawa al-Kubra, 2/487; Majmu‘ al-Fatawa, 25/329
What is the Islamic view on Christmas in Islam and New Year?
The Islamic view on Christmas in Islam and New Year is that we are not allowed to celebrate any of them and they are both considered haram. Celebrating Christmas is like imitating Christians and our beloved prophet warned us from imitating others.
Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) said:” Whoever imitates a people becomes one of them”.
Additionally, whether Christmas in Islam or New Year is not part of the Islamic faith. The only Eids we can celebrate are the two Eids of Al-Fitr and Al-Adha.
What did the Quran say about Christmas?
The Quran didn’t say anything about Christmas in Islam. The day of Christmas is a celebration of the birth of the prophet Jesus (peace be upon him). However, his exact date of birth is not known in Islam. We know that he was born under a palm tree, but we don’t know when.
Allah Almighty said in the Quran: “Then the pains of labor drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She cried, “Alas! I wish I had died before this and was a thing long forgotten”. [Maryam (19:23)].
Is Having a Christmas tree for decoration allowed in Islam?
Having a Christmas tree for decoration is not allowed in Islam. Because celebrating Christmas in Islam is prohibited. Therefore, any act of celebration like exchanging gifts, having a decorated tree, or imitating their food is not allowed.
All scholars agree that the Christmas tree and the Christmas decoration are forbidden because doing so means imitating Christian customs and traditions.
Conclusion.
As Muslims, we shouldn’t celebrate Christmas in Islam or do any kind of celebration like having and decorating a Christmas tree, exchanging gifts, or imitating any kind of Christian celebrations. Even wishing a merry Christmas is not allowed from the Islamic perspective.
Celebrating Christmas in Islam is forbidden, and the Eids that we are allowed to celebrate are the Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha.
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