Why Muslims should not imitate Christmas
“You can congratulate them for having time off, and that's what a holiday is, rather than congratulating them for the season.”
Muslims should not celebrate or imitate Christmas because it conflicts with tawhid, while honoring Jesus and Mary as beloved servants and prophets of Allah.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Establishes Allah’s uniqueness and rejects attributing a son to Him.
- Explains Mary’s purity and Jesus’ miraculous birth through Allah’s command.
- Affirms Jesus as a prophet and Mary as honored, while rejecting Jesus’ divinity.
- Argues that Christmas and its customs glorify beliefs and practices contrary to tawhid.
- Suggests respectful responses to holiday greetings and productive uses of time off.
- Encourages worship, charity, solidarity with oppressed Muslims, and dua.
In the khateeb's words
“All of the above Was by the permission of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala Not through his own ability”
“However, the celebration and commemoration of Christmas even though it's not a religious practice it is a form of glorifying other than Allah”
“so you can congratulate them for having time off and that's what a holiday is rather than congratulating them for the season”
“get in the habit of helping out the poor it's cold many people don't have warm clothing if you have extra warm clothing give it to someone”
For the dinner table
The khutbah teaches that Muslims honor Jesus and Mary deeply, but worship Allah alone and do not attribute a son to Him. It explains that Christmas celebrations and customs can conflict with this belief, even when people observe them mainly as a cultural holiday. The speaker suggests responding kindly to greetings by acknowledging time off rather than endorsing the religious celebration. He also encourages using the break for Fajr in the masjid, Quran reading, charity, and helping people who lack warm clothing. Finally, he reminds Muslims to care about oppressed believers around the world and pray for them.
- How can we show respect for Jesus and Mary while keeping worship only for Allah?
- What good habit or act of service could we begin during a school or work break?
- What does being a brother or sister in faith require from us toward people suffering elsewhere?
More on the Islamic calendar
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