"God Doesn't Want You To Have A Christmas Tree"

by astro_girl 13 Replies latest social family

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  Will Power

  Elsewhere:

  .....you never see them together.

  I'm still laughing.

  Astro: "God doesn't want....." This is your M.I.L speaking for God of course. Or is she repeating the WT who speaks for God of course.

  Doesn't she know that "God doesn't want people making shit up in his name?"

  welcome back
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  vitty

  Why wouldnt a muslim celebrate christmas, they believe in Jesus?
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  blondie

  vittvin, that is true that Muslims believe in Jesus but not as the Messiah or God's Son and certainly not as God, but as a great prophert; Muhammad is considered their Messiah.

  Here is a question and answer I found on a fairly orothodox Muslim DB.

  http://www.islamonline.net/fatwa/english/FatwaDisplay.asp?hFatwaID=8895

  Details of Fatwa
  Title of Fatwa	Can Muslims Celebrate Christmas?
  Date of Fatwa	19/ December/ 2004
  Date of Reply	19/ December/ 2004
  Topic Of Fatwa	Non-Muslim holidays
  Country Applied	United States
  Question of Fatwa	Scholars of Islam, As-Salamu `alaykum wa Rahmatu Allahi wa Barakatuh. During the Christmas season, Christians all over the country illuminate their houses with lights, put up Christmas trees, and exchange gifts. TV is full of jingle bells and all the stores are decorated for Christmas. All this is very tempting to small children; children love putting up lights and decorating for holidays. Some Muslim families also put up Christmas trees and lights to keep their children happy. They argue that Christmas is, after all, Prophet Jesus' birthday and there is no harm in celebrating Christmas as long as children are happy. When our children started talking a few years back they started asking why we do not put up lights and trees during Christmas. I explained to them that we are Muslims and we don?t celebrate Christmas; we celebrate `Eids. To keep our children happy and to get them excited about `Eid, we started putting up lights (green and white) around the house and decorating inside the house during Ramadan until after `Eidul-Fitr and during `Eidul-Adha. We exchange gifts with our Muslims friends on both `Eids. Alhamdulillah, our children now wait for `Eid, not for Christmas. What is the Islamic position on these issues? Can we celebrate Christmas? Is it OK to put up lights during Ramadan and `Eid?
  Name of Mufti	Group of Muftis
  Content of Reply	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 brother in Islam, we are really impressed by your question, which shows how concerned you are about the affairs of your fellow Muslims and your interest to abide by the Shari`ah in all details of your life. May Allah help us all lead a righteous life based on Islam! Muslims should not celebrate Christmas. By participation in Christmas, it is possible that slowly one may lose his or her consciousness of this basic point of difference between Islam and Christianity. Muslims must be very careful in this matter. The greatest danger is for our next generation, who may slowly lose their Islamic faith in tawhid and may start believing in Jesus as "more than a prophet and servant of Allah". We should tell our children that we are Muslims and this is not our holiday. This is the holiday of our Christian neighbors and friends. We may give greetings to our Christian friends and neighbors on their holiday, but we should not make it our own holiday. In response to the question you posed, Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, former President of the Islamic Society of North America, states: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Every people have their `Eid?" Some celebrations are of a religious nature, and some others are social and cultural. Some celebrations are based on beliefs and practices that are contrary to Islamic teachings, and some celebrations are not of that nature. Some people claim that Christmas is now a secular holiday and it is very much an American national holiday rather than a religious holiday. But it is wrong to assume that because this holiday is national, it has ceased to be Christian. It is true that this holiday is very popular and it is extremely commercialized; nevertheless it is basically a religious holiday. Its very name and all its symbolism is Christian through and through. Christians celebrate at Christmas what they believe to be the "day of the birth of God's Son" or what they call "God Incarnate". Thus it is not only a celebration of another religion, it is also a celebration that is based on a belief that is totally against the teachings of Islam. From the Islamic point of view, the belief in the "Son of God" or "God in the flesh" is a blasphemy and kufr (denial of God's Oneness). By participation in Christmas, it is possible that slowly one may lose his or her consciousness of this basic point of difference. Muslims must be very careful in this matter. The greatest danger is for our next generation, who may slowly lose their Islamic faith in tawhid and may start believing in Jesus as "more than a prophet and servant of Allah". The argument that ?Christmas is, after all, Prophet Jesus' birthday and so there is no harm in celebrating Christmas? is neither logical nor Islamic. Why should Muslims celebrate Jesus' birthday? Why not the birthdays of the other 24 prophets and messengers who are mentioned in the Qur'an by name? For us Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the final Prophet and Messenger of Allah, not Jesus. Christians believe that Jesus was the last one and they say that "after God spoke through many prophets ? in these last days he spoke to us through his son whom he made to inherit every thing" (New Testament, Hebrews 1:1). Thus they celebrate his coming, but for us Muslims, Prophet Muhammad was the last Prophet and Allah appointed him for all people and for all times to come. I do agree that our little children are deeply affected with the festivities and glitter of this holiday. We should try to take them to some Islamic camps and conferences at this time and give them some other alternate programs and activities. But Muslim families should not have Christmas trees in their homes, nor should they put up lights inside or outside their homes at this time. We should tell our children that we are Muslims and this is not our holiday. This is the holiday of our Christian neighbors and friends. We may give greetings to our Christian friends and neighbors on their holiday, but we should not make it our own holiday. I am pleased to know that you celebrate Ramadan and `Eids with lights and decoration of your home and exchange gifts with your children. This is very thoughtful, indeed. It is good to decorate our homes and masjids during Ramadan and for `Eids. It is mentioned in one of the Hadiths that even the heaven is especially decorated during the month of Ramadan. Allah Almighty closes the gates of Hell and opens the gates of Paradise during the month of Ramadan. We Muslims should give special attention to our own Islamic holidays. In this way our children will be attracted to our own celebrations rather than looking at others. Unfortunately, there are some Muslims who do not pay any attention to Ramadan and `Eid. Some of them do not even come to `Eid prayers and even if they come, they do not take their day off from work. Thus their children have no idea about Islamic holidays or they think that Islam is a religion without any festivals and celebrations.? Explaining the reasons why Muslims don?t celebrate and believe in Christmas, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states: ?Christmas was a pagan custom which was adopted into Christianity; it has nothing to do with reverence and love of Jesus, the mighty Messenger of Allah that we Muslims hold in the highest regard and respect. If Jesus were to come today, whether or not he would identify himself with those who celebrate Christmas is a question one should ask seriously. If we are celebrating the great teachings of Jesus or other prophets, we must do so everyday. To do so means to practice love, mercy, justice and compassion and to be actively engaged in doing the will of God. (Source: www.muslims.ca) Read also: Congratulating Non-Muslims on Their Festive Occasions A New Convert Torn Between Celebrating `Eid and Christmas May I Celebrate Christmas with My Christian Mother? As a New Muslim, Can My Kids Celebrate Christmas?
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  Raphael

  ROMANS 14:5 "Some of the Lords followers think one day is more important than another, others think all days are the same. But each of you should make up your own mind.Any followers who count one day more important than another day do it to honour their lord...the day is coming when God will judge all of us ...And so each of us must give an account to God for what we do."