The ruling on celebrating the New Year's Eve

[أبو عبد الله عادل السلفي]

The ruling on celebrating the New Year's Eve, and congratulate the infidels on their festivals.

In the name of Allah the most merciful.

* His eminence Sheikh Abdul aziz bin baz (may Allah have mercy on him).

Q: Some Muslims participate with the Christians in their festivals, what's your guidance?

A: it's not permissible for a Muslim to participate the Christians, Jews or other infidels in their festivals, but they must leave it, because whoever imitates a people is one of them, and the prophet , peace be upon him, warned us from imitating them and their morals, so the believer has to be careful of that , and it's not permissible for them to assist in that with anything, because it's against shariah, it's not permissible to participate in it or cooperate with them or help them with anything neither tea , coffee or otherwise such as kitchenware and other stuff, because Allah (almighty) says {Help you one another in Al-birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is severe in punishment.} [Surah Al-Maidah 2 (Hilali)], so the participation with the infidels in their festivals is kind of cooperation in sin and transgression.

[Total fatawa and variety articles of sheikh ibn baz 6/405]

*Scholar sheikh Muhammed Ibn Saleh Al Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him).

Q: What's the ruling on greeting the infidels on the occasion of Christmas and how we should respond when they greet us on this occasion? Is it permissible to go to the parties that they hold on this occasion?
Is a person sinning if he does any of the things mentioned without intending to, and he only does it to be nice, or because of or shyness or embarrassment or other reasons? Is it permissible to imitate them in that?

A: Greeting the infidels on the occasion of Christmas or any of their other religious holidays is forbidden according to scholarly consensus, as was stated by Ibn al-Qayyim in his book Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah, where he says:
"Congratulating the infidels on the rituals that belong only to them is forbidden by consensus, as is congratulating them on their festivals and fasts by saying ‘A happy festival to you’ or ‘May you enjoy your festival,’ and so on. If the one who says this has been saved from infidelity, it is still forbidden. It is like congratulating someone for prostrating to the cross, or even worse than that. It is as great a sin as congratulating someone for drinking wine, or murdering someone, or having illicit sexual relations, and so on. Many of those who have no respect for their religion fall into this error; they do not realize the offensiveness of their actions. Whoever congratulates a person for his disobedience or bid’ah (heresy) or infidelity exposes himself to the wrath and anger of Allah." End quote.
Congratulating the infidels on their religious festivals is forbidden to the extent described by Ibn al-Qayyim because it implies that one accepts or approves of their rituals of infidelity, even if one would not accept those things for oneself. But the Muslim should not accept the rituals of infidelity or congratulate anyone else for them, because Allah does not accept any of that at all, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
{If you disbelieve, then verily, Allah is not in need of you, He likes not disbelief for His slaves. And if you are grateful (by being believers), He is pleased therewith for you.} .
[Surah Al-Zumar 7 (Hilali)]
{. . .This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed my favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion}
[Surah Al-Maa’idah 3 (Hilali)]
So congratulating them is forbidden, whether they are one’s colleagues at work or otherwise.
If they greet us on the occasion of their festivals, we should not respond, because these are not our festivals, and because they are not festivals which are acceptable to Allah. These festivals are innovations in their religions, and even those which may have been prescribed formerly have been abrogated by the religion of Islam, with which Allah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to the whole of mankind. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
{Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.}
[Surah Aal ‘Imraan 85 (Hilali)]

It is forbidden for a Muslim to accept invitations on such occasions, because this is worse than congratulating them as it implies taking part in their celebrations.

Similarly, Muslims are forbidden to imitate the infidels by having parties on such occasions, or exchanging gifts, or giving out sweets or food, or taking time off work, etc., because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever imitates a people is one of them." Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in his book Iqtidaa’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem Mukhaalifat Ashaab al-Jaheem: "Imitating them in some of their festivals implies that one is pleased with their false beliefs and practices, and gives them the hope that they may have the opportunity to humiliate and mislead the weak
[Total fatawa and messages of sheikh Ibn uthaymeen 3/44]

Permanent Committee for Research and Verdicts*

Q: Please dear sheikh , it has entered between me and my Muslim brothers to discuss the religion of Islam, there is some Muslims in Ghana magnify Jews and Christians holydays and they leave their holydays, even when the time of the Jewish and the Christians festival comes, they close the Islamic schools in the occasion of their festival, but if the Muslims festival comes, they don’t close the Islamic schools and they say: if you follow the Jews and Christians holydays, they will enter the religion of Islam, So dear sheikh, you have to explain to us that what they do is true in the religion or not?

A: praise is to Allah, prayer and peace is upon his messenger and his family and companion.

First: Sunnah is show the Islamic religious rites between Muslims and leave showing it is incompatible with the teaching of the prophet, peace be upon him, and it was proven that he said: follow my sunnah and the sunnah of the caliphs cling to it and bite on it with your teeth (wisdom-teeth)'' the hadith

Second: it's not permissible for a Muslim to participate the infidels in their festivals and show the joy and the pleasure on this occasion and stop the work, whether it was religious or worldly, because it's forbidden to imitate the enemies of Allah and cooperating with them on falsehood, and it was proven that the messenger, peace be upon him, said: "whoever imitates a people is one of them", and Allah says:{ Help you one another in Al-birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is sever in punishment}

And we advise you to refer to the book '' Iqtidda'a Al-sirat Al-mustaqqim'' of sheikh Al-Islam Ibn taymiyah (mercy upon him) it's very useful in this section.

May Allah bless our prophet Mohammed and his family and companion.

Permanent Committee for Research and Verdicts

President: Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Baz

Vice-Chairman of the Committee: Abdul Razzaq Afifi

Member: Abdullah bin Qu'ood