Question and Answer Details
Name of Questioner
Sally - United Kingdom
Title
Celebrating Christmas with Christian Family
Question
Respected scholars, as-salamu `alaykum. I am a new Muslimah and I still live with my non-Muslim family. Now that Christmas is approaching, how should I behave? I am sure that my family will eat pork and drink wine while celebrating their feast, so I feel I should not join them. I also do not want to feel the so-called spirit of Christmas, as I used to do as a child. On the other hand, I would like to show them kindness, and that I am still part of the family. I think I could visit relatives with my parents at the times when they are not eating or drinking, just to be kind to them. Is this a possible solution? Thank you so much. May Allah bless and reward you.
Date
23/Dec/2008
Name of Mufti
Zulfiqar Ali Shah
Topic
Customs & Traditions, Morals & Values
Answer
Wa `alaykum as-salamu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear sister in Islam, we are greatly impressed by your question, for its related to the affairs of the new Muslims. We seize the chance to earnestly implore Allah from the depths of our hearts to lead all perplexed men and women to the light of Islam, the true religion of Allah. We welcome all our new Muslim brothers and sisters to the fold of Islam.
First of all, you are to be commended for your keenness to keep good relations with your family and be compassionate to them. As a Muslimah, it is your duty to be very gentle and kind to them, especially your parents. Almighty Allah says, [Keep their company with kindness in this world, and follow the path of him who turns to Me. Then unto Me will you return, and I shall tell you what you did.] (Luqman 31: 15)
Therefore, you can accept invitations from your family, share their happy times with them, and eat any kind of permissible food with them, which excludes pork, intoxicants, and that which has been dedicated to idols. Also, you should not participate in any religious rituals associated with non-Muslim beliefs.
In his response to your question, Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Member of the Executive Committee of the Fiqh Council of North America and the Religious Director of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, states:
It is your responsibility to have good relations with your parents, and be kind and considerate to them as well as to your family at large. Many families celebrate Christmas as part of their culture and not because of their religious ideologies. We are forbidden to participate in Christmas celebrations if they are observed as a token of respect to the birth of God and seeking Divine pleasure and rewards. However, there is nothing wrong to join ones family or have dinner with them if they are just celebrating a cultural holiday. At the same time, it will be wrong to consume any unlawful food items such as pork or alcohol; however, joining the family for the sake of kindness, mutual love and respect is an important part of the Islamic social code.
You need to draw the line between acts of worship and cultural practices. If you feel that your faith is challenged by participating in such events or that your faith is compromised then you should avoid taking part.
www.fatwa.org
apparemment les savants ne sont pas d'accord entre eux... alors pas de raison non plus que les bladinautes le soient