Islam recognises only two major periods of festivities, that is, Eid ul Fitr (Ramadan Prayer) and Eid ul Adha (Dunkay Sally), and it discourages any other festival especially those that are deeply-rooted in Christianity with specific reference to Christmas.
As it stands, there are still insufficient evidence that Isa (Jesus) (A.S), was born on 25th December. In fact, some quarters of Christians have challenged the authenticity of the aforementioned date of birth of the beloved Prophet of Allah (Isa/Jesus).
In spite of that uncertainty, many people including Muslims are trapped in the doldrums of agog and merriment during this period- this is absolute contravention to the teachings of Islam.
Now, let me delve into the topic proper. Muslims must be Muslims and not the other way round. Allah (SWT) has dedicated a whole chapter in the Qu’ran(Surah Al-Kafirun) to address this misnomer.
Allah says: “Says, O disbelievers; I do not worship what you worship; Nor are you worshippers of what I worship; Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship; Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship; For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.”[Surah Al-Kafirun].
These verses are clear manifestation that the ways of those who submit to the Will of Allah are distinct from others.
Islam is based on a strict belief in the absolute oneness of God (Allah). Celebrating Christmas, which for Christians marks the birth of Jesus as the Son of God or God incarnate, contradicts the Islamic tenet that Allah has no partners, wife, or son. This is evident in the verse below.
“O people of the Book, do not exceed the limits in your religion, and do not say anything except the truth about Allah. Verily, the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only a Messenger of Allah and a fulfilment of His word which He sent down to Mary, and a mercy from him. So believe in Allah and His Messengers and do not say, ‘They are three.’ Desist, it will be better for you. Verily, Allah is the only One God. Far is it from His Holiness that he should have a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth. And sufficient is Allah as a Guardian.” (Surah al-Nisa )
Also, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) explicitly instructed, “The one who imitates those other than us [in faith and religious rituals] is not from among us. Do not imitate the Jews and Christians.” (Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi)
Again, he declared:
“He who imitates any people [in their actions] is considered to be one of them.” (Sunan Abi Dawood).
In line with the justifications from the Qu’ran and Hadiths, it is sufficient for Muslims to understand the values of their religion and stick to its teachings and principles. Otherwise, one would commit the greatest of sins in Islam (Shirk).
