O servants of Allah, as we have already mentioned, in our time, a widespread problem is the celebration of pagan holidays—holidays not established by Allah, which He is not pleased with, for which He becomes angry, and for which He punishes. It is surprising that many Muslims do not pay attention to this. They do not hesitate to participate in these holidays, help organize them, exchange gifts, and share greetings, not realizing that by doing so, they approve of disbelief in Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and approve of rituals hated by their Creator.
A Muslim has no right to treat such things lightly. O servants of Allah, every person who believes in Allah, who respects His religion, is obligated to avoid participating in idolatrous celebrations, to avoid assisting in their organization, and to avoid selling or renting out anything that is an attribute of these celebrations.
You are a Muslim, and as a Muslim, you must be compassionate and merciful to people. But what kind of compassion is it if you see people in dangerous misguidance, wandering in error, and you approve of their actions, do not warn them, and do not wish for them guidance to the straight path? No. Be merciful to people, kind to people, wish for them to follow the straight path, and praise Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) for guiding you to the straight path.
All the companions, O servants of Allah, all the companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), all the imams of the straight path, and all the scholars of Islam unanimously (ijma’) condemned and prohibited the celebration of any holidays not established by Allah through His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
In Medina, there lived several Jewish communities. Not a single companion ever participated in any of their celebrations, helped them with their holidays, gave them gifts on those days, or offered them congratulations on such occasions. When Muslim lands expanded and Muslims conquered Sham and Egypt, where many non-Muslims lived—Christians and others—there is not a single report of any companion or tabi’ (the generation following the companions) participating in the celebration of non-Muslim holidays.
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), in Surah Al-Furqan, describes the qualities of believing people. And do you know what one of these qualities mentioned by Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is?
وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَشْهَدُونَ الزُّورَ
📖 when they come across falsehood, they pass ˹it˺ by with dignity. (Qur’an, Surah Al-Furqan, 25:72):
“And [they are] those who do not witness falsehood, and when they pass near ill speech, they pass by with dignity.”
Believers do not participate in falsehood, including various polytheistic celebrations.
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has forbidden us from imitating the People of the Book (Christians and Jews).
وَلَا يَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلُ
not be like those given the Scripture before (Qur’an, Surah Al-Hadid, 57:16):
“Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth?”
📜 And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
من تشبَّهَ بقومٍ فَهوَ منْهم
He who copies any people is one of them. [Abu Dawood, Sunan, Hadith No. 4031; Sheikh al-Albani confirmed the authenticity of this hadith in Irwa’ al-Ghaleel (Vol. 5, p. 109)].
Allahu Akbar! All four imams of the well-known madhhabs, as well as all other jurists, unanimously agree (ijma’) with the companions that it is obligatory to avoid holidays not established by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Some people are surprised by this strictness.
✔ They say: “But it’s not something serious. What’s wrong with it? Why are you so strict and harsh on such matters?”
Such words can only come from ignorant people who understand nothing about religion. But those who understand the religion of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) know that it is impossible to preserve the religion, to keep it in its original, pure state as it was revealed by Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), without blocking the way for innovations, extraneous rituals, and new additions. The religion must remain pure, without alien impurities, without anything foreign entering it or removing anything that belongs to it.
We have already explained how the pagan rituals of Ancient Rome and Greece were introduced into Christianity, how church leaders added innovations to please people, resulting in their religion deviating from what Jesus (peace be upon him and his mother) brought, to the point where almost nothing of his teachings remained.
✔ “Why do you forbid congratulating others on these holidays?” they ask.
The ignorant object to why we forbid congratulations. We answer: “Do you think it is an act of goodness and tolerance? Is it good to congratulate people on their misguidance, on rituals that actually originate from Satan, on celebrations that displease Allah the Almighty? Is this goodness? What are you congratulating people on—on polytheism, on sins, on falling into the abyss?”
These are strange notions of goodness and mercy. And my words are not an attempt to divide society.
✔ If someone thinks: “He is dividing society,” they are mistaken.
No! On the contrary, this is mercy toward my fellow citizens and those around me. If you see someone walking on a road, knowing that at the end of this road there is a cliff, an abyss, and they are about to fall into it—while they walk along it cheerfully and joyfully—what would be merciful on your part, O servant of Allah? To say: “I won’t interfere, let them enjoy themselves; why should I ruin their happiness?” Or would it be merciful to shout: “Stop! Stop, where are you going?”
You see people walking the path of sin, of polytheism (shirk), of paganism, heading toward the abyss of Hell, where they will fall forever and never escape, and you congratulate them on this, rejoice with them, and don’t want to ruin their joy. Is that sincerity and goodness, O servants of Allah?
✔ “Do not sow division in society,” they say.
But wasn’t Jesus (peace be upon him) persecuted for allegedly sowing division in society? And wasn’t Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) persecuted for the same reason?
If you want good for people, if you call them to the truth, you should not be stopped by the fear of being accused of causing division. Moreover, if you are accused of this, and you are sincere, it is inevitable. There is no protector but Allah.
If you see someone prostrating, making sujood before an idol, and a Muslim approaches them and says, “Congratulations,” wouldn’t you be outraged? You would rebuke that Muslim for congratulating someone on bowing to idols. Why, then, are you surprised when we refuse to congratulate people on something potentially far worse—not just an individual bowing to an idol but entire masses falling into polytheism, sin, invoking Saint Nicholas [or Santa Claus or Father Frost], believing in New Year’s trees, making New Year’s wishes, reading astrological predictions, and New Year’s horoscopes?
Paganism, polytheism, sins… This madness engulfs entire masses, including Muslims. And it is absorbed by your children. Allahu Akbar! And you say, “What’s wrong with this?”
I will tell you why you are surprised. It’s simply because when people bow to an idol, and someone congratulates them, you rarely see it. But this idolatry associated with New Year’s, you’ve seen it since childhood; you’ve just gotten used to it, so you no longer notice it.
That’s why the Arabs say:
كثرة المِساس تقلل الإحساس
“Frequent contact dulls the senses.” When we often see sin, we simply get used to it and eventually stop paying attention to it.
What could be more heinous, what could be more unjust than polytheism (shirk)? If someone were to kill your father, your mother, or your child and then celebrate that day, rejoicing and throwing a party, would you also celebrate with them, congratulate them, and approve of it? Allahu Akbar! Yet here you are dealing with shirk. If you were to congratulate someone on the day they killed your father, they would diagnose you as insane.
What is wrong with you, Muslims?! Disbelief in the Creator, associating partners with Him, worshiping anyone besides Him, and disbelieving in the prophets—these crimes are far more monstrous than even murder. Have you not understood this yet, O you who say, La ilaha illallah, Muhammadur Rasulullah?
The greatest injustice is shirk. The Most High, Allah, says:
إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ
📖 associating ˹others with Him˺ is truly the worst of all wrongs. “(Qur’an, Surah Luqman, 31:13)”
And you rejoice in this! An attack is made on the rights of your Creator, and yet you celebrate and congratulate one another. People are lost in misguidance, and instead of warning them, you wish to join them in heading towards destruction. Whoever looks calmly and approvingly at these pagan rituals—among which these celebrations are a clear manifestation—cannot revere the rituals of Allah.
Allah, the Most High, says:
ذَلِكَ وَمَن يُعَظِّمْ شَعَائِرَ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّهَا مِن تَقْوَى الْقُلُوبِ
📖And whoever honours the symbols of Allah, it is certainly out of the piety of the heart. “(Qur’an, Surah Al-Hajj, 22:32)”
Therefore, if you treat the transgression of Allah’s religion lightly, and if you are pleased with the rituals of disbelief, it means you do not honor the rituals established by Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). This puts your piety (taqwa) and your faith (iman) in doubt.
And, O servant of Allah, do not be deceived by the fact that most people are involved in this. When you see that everyone is doing it, do not be misled by this, for the majority of people are in error. Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said:
وَإِن تُطِعْ أَكْثَرَ مَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يُضِلُّوكَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَإِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا يَخْرُصُونَ
📖 If you were to obey most of those on earth, they would lead you away from Allah’s Way. They follow nothing but assumptions and do nothing but lie. “(Qur’an, Surah Al-An’am, 6:116)”
The inhabitants of Hell are more numerous than the inhabitants of Paradise. Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) says:
لَأَمۡلَأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنَ ٱلۡجِنَّةِ وَٱلنَّاسِ أَجۡمَعِینَ
📖 I will surely fill up Hell with jinn and humans all together. “(Qur’an, Surah As-Sajda, 32:13)”
And do not look at the many who are misguided. Every person will face punishment and answer before Allah individually. Allah said:
وَلَقَدۡ جِئۡتُمُونَا فُرَ ٰدَىٰ كَمَا خَلَقۡنَـٰكُمۡ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةࣲ وَتَرَكۡتُم مَّا خَوَّلۡنَـٰكُمۡ وَرَاۤءَ ظُهُورِكُمۡۖ
📖 you have come back to Us all alone as We created you the first time—leaving behind everything We have provided you with. (Qur’an, Surah Al-An’am, 6:94)
From worldly blessings, from relatives, and from everything else — you will leave it all behind. Everything will remain on Earth; you will come to Allah alone to account for yourself, and no one will help you. Therefore, beware, O believers, of any involvement in these revelries, because a believer cannot be pleased with the manifestation of disbelief or any sin.
Protect yourselves, protect your families, and especially protect your children, because children are the category most susceptible and vulnerable to any propaganda, any ideology, and are easily deceived.
Remember yourselves, those of you who grew up perhaps in the Soviet era, when you were young, how your understanding of reality was distorted, how lies were instilled in you, and how false notions about the meaning of life and happiness were imposed. Allah (Glorified and Exalted) has shown mercy upon you, He guided you to the True Path, while most of humanity remains in misguidance. Will you allow your children to be taught these lies from childhood, growing up as misguided fantasizers living in absurd superstitions, believing that Santa Claus will bring a gift, “ask Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas,” “let’s set up a Christmas tree — it will bring good luck”? Will you allow distorted perceptions of reality and the meaning of life to form in your children’s minds? And in the best case (this is in the best case!), when the 31st of December comes, your child will spend their whole life battling these feelings! People fall into such nostalgic feelings about childhood when they hear the sound of bells, see the Christmas tree, or hear the ringing of the New Year’s clock or the fireworks. Would you want that to become ingrained in your child’s heart? This is in the best case, if they remain believers and understand that it is wrong, and struggle with it each time.
Protect your children, protect your children. Allah (Glorified and Exalted) says:
قُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا
📖Protect yourselves and your families from a Fire Surah At-Tahrim (The Prohibition, 66:6) If they instill incorrect views of life and reality in him now, he will carry them for his entire life. Explain to the child that true joy can only be found in serving Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and in submission to Him, that true happiness is the happiness of the eternal world, and that everything else is fleeting and deceptive.
Some say: “But this is not a religious holiday.” How can it not be a religious holiday?! It is a religious holiday! Those who say it is not a religious holiday are lying. The proof of this, and admit it, is that a person who celebrates the New Year inevitably feels something special about this holiday, this day, as if it were something holy and dear. They associate their hopes with this day, thinking that the New Year will bring happiness. Moreover, there are strict religious rituals. Just like in religion, yes. The New Year is a strict, prescribed holiday with unchangeable rituals. It has its obligations (fard), its recommended actions (mustahabb). The fard is the Christmas tree and something else. The mustahab for them is the family celebration at home. On this day, there are certain things they should not do, like sweeping. There are prohibitions (haram) on this day. You must make a wish. There is so much paganism! These horoscopes… the year of the donkey (!), the year of the rooster, the year of the goat, what will happen this year! And you say it is not a religious holiday. It is a religious holiday! It is a religion, but not the religion of Allah. It is the religion of the devil: a complete accumulation of lies, paganism, shirk, superstitions, and sin. And anyone who believes in Allah and the Day of Judgment, anyone who follows the prophets of Allah, cannot have anything to do with this ancient pagan holiday.
May Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) protect us all and our descendants from all forms of polytheism. And we call upon Our Creator with the same supplication that was made by our forefather Musa, Isa, and Muhammad (peace be upon them all and blessings of Allah): “My Lord, make me and my descendants a refuge from polytheism” (Qur’an, Surah Ibrahim, 14:40).
وَاجْنُبْنِي وَبَنِيَّ أَن نَّعْبُدَ الْأَصْنَامَ
📖keep me and my children away from the worship of idols. (Quran, Surah “Ibrahim”, 14: 35)
