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Lakum
`Eidukum Wa Liya `Eid
(To You Be Your Celebrations, And To Me Mine)
Abu`
Abdillah Muhammad Al-Jibaly
Introduction
Alamdu
lillah. Indeed, all Glory and Praise is due to Allah. We glorify and
praise Him and we ask Him for help and forgiveness. In Allah we seek
refuge from the evils in ourselves and from our wrong doings. He whom
Allah guides shall not be misguided, and he whom He misguides shall
never be guided.
I
bear witness that there is no [true] god except Allah, alone without any
partners, and I bear witness that Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon
him, is His `Abd (servant) and Messenger.
Verily,
the best words are those of Allah (Glorified be He); the best guidance
is that of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him; the worst matters
[in creed or worships] are those innovated [by people], for every such
innovated matter is a Bid`ah, and every Bid`ah is a misguidance which
shall reside in the Fire.
To
many people, celebrating `Eids is a non-religious matter, and one has
the choice to participate in celebrating any `Eid, for any nation or
religion, as long as that does not involve engaging in haram
(prohibited) actions. This view is the basis for what we witness
repeatedly of Muslims engaging in various celebrations and in sharing in
the holidays of other nations. This article is meant to present, based
on the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah, guidelines for evaluating
holidays and other related practices. This should enable one to reach a
quick and sound conclusion when faced with such events.
Completeness
of the Deen
By
Allah’s blessing and mercy, Islam is complete, perfect, and universal
in nature. Allah (Glorified be He) said, “This day I have perfected
your religion for you, have completed My Favor upon you, and have chosen
for you Islam as your religion.” (Al-Ma’idah, 3)
It
is narrated by Imam Muslim that some idol worshipers tried to mock of
Islam by saying, “It seems as if your Prophet has taught you
everything, even how to defecate!” When Salman heard this he responded
with the strong dignity of a true believer: “Yes indeed! He prohibited
us from turning our faces or backs to the Qiblah when defecating or
urinating, from using the right hand to cleanse ourselves, from using
less than three stones to cleanse ourselves [in the absence of water],
and from using animal waste or bones to cleanse with.”
Allah’s
mercy has required that people be informed of all what would save them
from the Fire and what would let them into the Gardens of the Hereafter.
This was the mission of all prophets, as declared by Muhammad, peace and
blessings be upon him: There was never any prophet before me but that
his duty was to reveal to his people what he knew to be best for them,
and to warn them of what he knew to be evil for them. [Narrated by
Muslim] And this was certainly the mission of the Final Messenger, peace
and blessings be upon him, as he said: Nothing of what would bring you
closer to the Jannah and further away from the Fire but have been
clarified [through me] to you. [Authentic; narrated by Imam Ahmad].
With
His encompassing Wisdom, Allah (Glorified be He) made His Final
Revelation, Islam, a universal message meant for all peoples, at all
times, without any distinction: “We have not sent you [Muhammad]
otherwise than to mankind at large, to be a herald of glad tidings and a
warner.” (Saba, 28)
Furthermore,
this most important Message is preserved intact through the centuries,
as is clearly observed today by any impartial examiner. This is in
fulfillment of Allah’s promise: “It is We Ourselves Who have sent
down the Dhikr (the Message), and it is We Who shall surely guard it
[from corruption].” (Al-Hijr, 9)
We
conclude then that:
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Islam
contains the complete and perfect guidance for humanity.
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Islam
did not neglect any information that would be needed by people to
reach happiness and to avoid harm, in all matters, whether minute or
large.
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Islam
is the only guidance tailored for all peoples at all times.
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Islam
has been preserved, and will remain intact through the ages, as the
only true guidance capable of helping and saving people.
Completing
That Which Had Been Completed?
The
completeness of Islam obviously means that it cannot be completed
further. Whether people realize it or not, believing otherwise would
imply one or more of the following dangerous conclusions:
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that
Allah (Glorified be He) was not truthful in declaring this
completeness (I seek refuge in Allah from such a blasphemous
thought.)
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that
Allah (Glorified be He) has forgotten or missed some details needed
to complete the Deen (again, I seek refuge in Allah from such a
blasphemous thought.)
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that
Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, has neglected or
forgotten to convey to us some matters needed to complete the Deen
(and again, I seek refuge in Allah from such a blasphemous thought.)
This
shows why Islam warned so strongly against introducing Bid`ahs into the
Deen. We have cited in the Introduction above the Prophet’s, peace and
blessings be upon him, words warning of Bid`ahs. Imam Malik said,
“Whoever innovates in Islam what he believes to be a good Bid`ah would
be [implicitly] claiming that Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him,
has betrayed the trust (of delivering the full Message).” He then
recited the above ayah from al-Ma’idah.
Distinct
Muslim Identity - Is There A Choice?
To
some people, the universality of Islam means that Muslims have the full
choice to resemble and behave in coherence with other people in their
localities (or in other locations as well). You continue to hear
questions like the following: Is it all that important for a Muslim to
have a clear distinctive identity? Is it not sufficient to have a strong
belief within the heart and to perform Islam fully but privately?
Based
on simple Islamic principles, we can immediately conclude that the
answer to the first question is, simply, yes! And the answer to the
second question is, simply, no!
A
true Muslim is always eager to associate with his fellow believers:
“If anyone contends with the Messenger even after the Guidance has
been plainly conveyed to him, and follows a path other than that of the
believers, We shall leave him in the path he has chosen, and land him in
Hell: What an evil abode!” (An-Nisa’, 115)
And
a true Muslim is very anxious to be distinctive and different from the
non-believers. This attitude follows from the repeated instructions of
the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him: “Be different from the
Jews and the Christians.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] “Be different from
the disbelievers.” [Al- Bukhari and Muslim], and: “Whoever imitates
a people is one of them.” [Authentic; narrated by Ahmad]
Why
is it so important to be distinctive and different from the
disbelievers? For the following reasons:
a) We Muslims are blessed with the best guidance. The Guidance from the
Lord of lords, from Allah (Glorified be He). This gives us true dignity
and pride that no one else has a claim to: “Honor belongs to Allah, to
the Messenger, and to the Believers.” (Al- Munafiqun, 8)
b)
The disbelievers are misguided, and their ways are based on sick or
deviant views concerning their societies, the universe, and their very
existence. Their actions frequently reflect their deviant opinions. Why
then would anyone ever think of imitating them? Yet Muslims sometimes do
just that - they imitate them in their most unintelligible acts! The
Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him: “You [Muslims] will [in
future times] follow the ways of those [disbelieving] nations who
preceded you very closely; even if they enter into the hole of a lizard
you would follow them into it.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
c)
There is a substantial amount of evidence in Islam leading to the
important rule: external agreement or similarity results in real
similarity and agreement of the hearts. Thus, resembling disbelievers is
Satan's first step in leading Muslims to behave and believe like the
disbelievers.
Differing
from the disbelievers is of different levels or types, some of which are
more important than others. They can be broadly classified as follows:
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Islam
requires us to be different from non-Muslims in matters which are
particular to their beliefs or worships, such as: wearing a cross,
attending their religious services, wearing monks’ attires,
displaying or valuing their idols, etc. Imitating the disbelievers
in such matters constitutes a major sin which is most possibly a
form of disbelief that leads to permanent abode in the Hell-fire
(may Allah (Glorified be He) save us).
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Islam
requires us to be different from the disbelievers in matters which
are representative of them or are characteristic of their identity,
even if the religious aspect were not apparent in such matters.
Examples of this type of requirements: growing beards and trimming
moustaches, dying white hair, not to totally abandon women in their
menses, etc.
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Matters
which can be classified under the above two types should be treated
similarly, even if there is no specific text to require such
treatment. Examples: wearing the Western hat or wedding bands,
carrying pictures of family members, walking dogs, wasting time in
watching sports games and soap operas, etc.
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As
for other matters which are done by the disbelievers but are not
specific to them, the above texts inform us that we should still try
to be distinctive from them as much as possible.
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What
is stated above should not be taken to mean, for instance, that we
should not learn the sciences or use technology because the
disbelievers are currently its leaders. Islam requires us to learn
and benefit from such forms knowledge, and this does not have to do
with the subject of being different from the disbelievers.
Holidays
Are Part of the Complete Deen
After
the above lengthy discussion which, as stated earlier, is meant to
provide general guidelines concerning celebrations and other related
matters, we come back to apply what we have learnt so far to the subject
at hand.
Prophet
Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, once saw the Ansar
celebrating a certain day. He inquired about that and was informed: This
is one of two days that we used to celebrate in Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic
ignorance) and we continue to do so. He replied: Nay! Allah has
substituted for you two better days: the day of al-Fitr and the day of
al-Adhha. [Authentic; narrated by Ahmad, an-Nasai, and others]
In
addition to these two days, the Jumu`ah (Friday) is an `Eid day. The
Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: This is a day which
Allah has designated as an `Eid for Muslims. [Authentic] From this and
the previous hadith, we conclude that Muslims have only three `Eid days,
a weekly `Eid every Friday, and two annual `Eids, al-Fitr and al-Adhha.
Also,
Islam instructs us as to how to celebrate our `Eids. No fasting is
allowed on these days (Friday is excepted under certain conditions). On
`Eid days, Muslims take a bath and wear their best clothes. They avoid
all forms of sinning which people tend to commit when they are in a
state of rejoice. The major part of the celebration is not eating or
drinking. Rather, it is a prayer which gathers Muslims together to
remember Allah's bounties and to chant His glory and greatness.
It
becomes clear then that Allah alone has the right:
Imitating
Non-Muslims in Celebrations
The
evidence from the Qur’an and the Sunnah is quite clear in that `Eids
are distinctive features for every nation. Allah (Glorified be He) said:
“To every people we have appointed [its own] rites and ceremonies.”
(al-Hajj, 34/67) And it was shown in the previous section that `Eids are
purely religious occasions for Muslims.
As
discussed earlier, Allah (Glorified be He) and His Messenger, peace and
blessings be upon him, have warned us against following or imitating
non-Muslims in things which are characteristic of their religions or
beliefs. This is more emphasized in the case of their `Eids or
occasions, which always hold some religious or ideological non-Islamic
meanings, and on which the disbelievers indulge in many evil practices.
Differing from them on such occasions includes the following:
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Staying completely away from the disbelievers’ celebrations. This
means to avoid places where they perform their holiday practices and to
avoid participating with them in such practices (Christmas and New Year
parties, Halloween trick-and-treat nonsense, Thanksgiving celebration
and dinner, Fourth of July fireworks, First of April lies, birthday
parties, anniversaries, etc).
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Avoiding
doing, ourselves, things which pertain to the practices of the
disbelievers on such occasions (allowing Christmas trees in our
homes or offices, inviting our friends to a Turkey dinner on
Thanksgiving day, allowing members of our families to purchase or
borrow Halloween attires, holding birthday or anniversary parties
for our family members, etc).
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Avoiding
to celebrate our `Eids in a way which is meant to copy the ways of
the disbelievers (mingling and shaking hands between men and women,
improper cover for both genders, etc).
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Avoiding
initiating certain occasions or `Eids in imitation to theirs (the
Day of the Earth, the Day of Iowa Muslims, etc.)
Bid`ahs
and Sinning on `Eids
It
has been shown above that `Eids are meant to be purely Islamic occasions
and practices. They are not liable to the innovation or disobedience of
people. The warnings concerning Bid`ahs (and sinning in general) clearly
applies to them. Thus:
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Celebrating
so called Islamic occasions other than the three days prescribed by
Allah is a Bid`ah which is rejected by Islam, because it consists of
introducing new rites and worships which only Allah or His
Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, have the right to do.
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Introducing
certain baseless practices during the three legitimate days is also
a Bid`ah. On these days, people choose, for instance, to visit
graveyards and distribute sweets there, to read specific portions of
the Qur’an, to specify the preceding night for extended worship,
and to do other things which have no valid evidence.
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Committing
all sorts of innovations and sins in imitation to the disbelievers
and the ignorant Muslims is obviously a combination of Bid`ahs and
other forms of disobedience which are emphasized by that people get
involved in them at the time when they are supposed to be performing
a purely religious worship.
Conclusion
To
preserve our identity and our dignity, and to attain Allah’s love and
acceptance (which means peace and happiness in this life and ultimate
prosperity in the Hereafter), let us adhere to what pleases Him as He
instructed in His Book or in His Messenger’s Sunnah; and remember:
`Eids and celebrations are no exception to that. We ask Allah for
guidance.
Excerpted
from www.islaam.com with slight modifications
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