New to Islam 23rd November 2011 ‘Surviving Christmas’ with Br Abdul Azeem : New to Islam 23 rd November 2011 ‘Surviving Christmas’ with Br Abdul Azeem
Christmas – Is it a case of....? : Christmas – Is it a case of....?
Christmas – or is it a case of....? : Christmas – or is it a case of....? Christmas Mubarak?!!
Christmas – some issues For All Muslims.... : Christmas – some issues For All Muslims.... Society is fully geared up to celebrate Christmas Street Decorations, Supermarket campaigns, Television and Radio, etc Sometimes we feel awkward dealing with this Colleagues and Neighbours Workplaces – The Christmas night out Some Muslims openly celebrate Christmas Christmas – how big a deal is it?!
Christmas – some issues for New Muslims.... : Christmas – some issues for New Muslims.... Family – invitations, meals Religious Connotations – Carols, imagery etc Emotional Attachment – memories from the past Handling Awkward questions from Non-Muslim friends/family Involvement of Alcohol or other Haraam in Celebrations Kids issues Gifts – to give or not to give? To accept or not to accept?
From the Qur’an... : From the Qur’an... Allah says in the Qur’an: “ And We have recommended to man his parents; his mother bore him in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning was in two years. Thank Me and your two parents. To Me is the return. But if they try to force you to associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not. Keep their company with kindness in this world, and follow the path of him who turns to Me. Then to Me will be your return, and I shall tell you what you did” ( Luqman 31: 14-15).
From the Qur’an... : From the Qur’an... Allah the Almighty says: “Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion and did not drive you out of your homes. Verily, Allah loves those who deal with equity. It is only as regards those who fought against you on account of religion, and have driven you out of your homes, and helped to drive you out, that Allah forbids you to befriend them. And whosoever will befriend them, then such are the wrong-doers.” (Al- Mumtahinah 60: 8-9)
People of other faiths... : People of other faiths... Al- Bukhari and Muslim both reported on the authority of Asma ’ bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her), that she came to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah! My mother, who is a mushrik (a polytheist), has come to visit me and she desires to be close to me and to give me gifts. Shall I greet her and treat her well?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stated: “Greet your mother and treat her well.” “Be aware of Allah wherever you are, and follow up a sin that you have committed with a good deed, so that sin may be erased, and treat people with beautiful manners.” (Reported by Ahmad, At- Tirmidhi , Ad- Darmi , and Al-Hakim)
Merry Christmas... : Merry Christmas... “When you are greeted with a greeting, greet in return with what is better than it, or at least return it equally” (An- Nisa ’ 4: 86) It was reported that when a group of Jewish people approached the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and greeted him with twisted pronunciation, and thus uttered “ Assam`alaykum , O Muhammad!” (meaning “death and destruction come upon you”) instead of “ as- salamu ` alaykum ”, ` A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) heard them and responded by saying, ‘ assamu ` alaykum also and the curse and wrath of Allah!” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) rebuked ` A'ishah for what she had said. She told him, “Did you not hear what they said?” He said, “I did, and I responded by saying, ‘And upon you,’” (i.e., that death will come upon you as it will come upon me.) He went on to say, “O ` A'ishah ! Allah loves gentleness in all matters.” (Reported by Al- Bukhari and Muslim)
Family Celebrations..... : Family Celebrations..... It is OK to attend Family Gatherings and Celebrations over the Christmas period, bearing in mind certain conditions: Be clear in your mind that your intention is not to celebrate a religious festival, but instead you are fulfilling your obligations to your family and strengthening the bonds of your relations – which is from the Sunnah Remember the high status given to Jesus (as) in Islam and that although we accept his Virgin birth, we do not accept all that others believe ( ie crucifixion etc) You do not participate in Religious rites or services You do not consume anything doubtful or haraam You do not sit beside people who are drinking alcohol – The Prophet pbuh advised this in Hadith .
Family Celebrations..... : Family Celebrations..... Dr. Jamal Badawi , Member of the European Council for Fatwa and Research and the Fiqh Council of North America, stated the following: “Participating in the non-religious aspect of Christmas such as family reunion dinner or visitation is OK. Attempts should be made to avoid situations where alcoholic drinks are served on the same table. Kindness to parents and family without compromising one’s beliefs is an Islamic duty. During socialization and whenever appropriate, one may share one’s thoughts [on religion] with them, preferably in answer to their questions or comments without being too argumentative .”
Family Celebrations..... : Family Celebrations..... Sheikh Ahmad Kutty , a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, adds: You are allowed to partake of their feasts and celebrations so long as you stay away from their specifically religious rituals, and so long as you are clear in your mind that Christmas has nothing to do with the original teaching of Jesus (Isa, PBUH). While remaining steadfast to your beliefs about Jesus (Isa, PBUH) you are allowed to join them in their feasts in order to reciprocate kindness with kindness. By doing so, you may even be helping them remove their misconceptions about Islam being a fanatical religion. So go ahead and participate in their feasts, and let them know the true image of Islam.
However........ : However........ When the Prophet ( pbuh ) first came to Madina , they had two days in which they would celebrate and have fun. He asked them, “what are these two days?” They responded, “We used to have fun in those days in Jahiliya (pre-Islamic days)”. The Prophet ( pbuh ) responded, “Allah has given you two days which are better, and they are the days of Adha and the days of Fitr .” [Abu Dawud ]
So, What do We get to do?....... : So, What do We get to do?....... Although we do not celebrate Christmas, we should in fact celebrate our feast days – Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha with happiness We can decorate our homes during Ramadhan and for the 2 Eids (within reason) We can give presents to Muslims and beloved Non Muslims We can dress up in our best clothes We can feast!
So, What do We get to do?....... : So, What do We get to do?....... We should make a big fuss of our children on these days to make them feel that this is a special time! We should look forward to these special times and let ourselves be excited about them Think differently about the Eids – perhaps going for a special dinner or visiting family
Some Christmas Do’s : Some Christmas Do’s If given a gift, accept it and thank the giver. Perhaps give a gift back as a gesture of goodwill ( ie not a Xmas pressie ) Christmas Cards – if given them, accept with thanks, however you shouldnt display them if religious. Consider returning with ‘Seasons Greetings’ card, Thank You or a plain card Greetings – return them with goodness Maintain Relations without compromising belief These are all Islamically acceptable and are good for dawah (Spreading the spirit of Islam) and common unity
Some Christmas Don’ts : Some Christmas Don’ts Don’t be insensitive or rude – try to be courteous. It is the Season of Goodwill after all! Don’t refuse gifts, unless it is something haraam , like alcohol. – the giver will always mean well and if we have to decline a gift for these reasons we need to do so with best courtesy and show that we are grateful for the thought. Do not attend celebrations in pubs, clubs etc ‘Born Muslims’ do not share the same issues as New Muslims/Reverts (except where married to a New Muslim) and therefore these concessions should not apply
Some Try Not To’s : Some Try Not To’s Although we are keen to encourage family ties, try not to go beyond the limits of Islam Try to think ahead – try not to cause yourself undue hardship Try not to be coaxed/persuaded into something you are uncomfortable with, for example the office party or similar. It is ok to make an excuse without an outright lie.
Announcements : Announcements • Sat 26th Nov, NTI Aberdeen Class, Foresterhill Hospital Musallah – 2 classes. Br Abdul Azeem and Sr Sasha teach ‘Simple Salaat ’, Learning the Prayer and ‘Surviving Christmas’ – Class teaching how to get through the Festive Season with Non Muslim friends and family • Wed 30th Nov, 7.30pm in SUMSA – Shaykh Abdul Aziz teaches on the Day of Ashura (10th day of the Month of Muharram) • Wed 7th Dec, 7.30pm in Glasgow Central Mosque – Mosque Tour with Maulana Umayr , one of the Central Mosque Imams and Br Abdul Azeem
Announcements Cont. : Announcements Cont. • Wed 14th Dec, 7.30pm in SUMSA – Shaykh Ruzwan Muhammad teaches on Purification of the Heart • Sat 17th Dec NTI Aberdeen Class, Foresterhill Hospital Musallah and Abderdeen Central Mosque. Br Abdul Azeem and Sr Sasha teach on Halal and Haram. Shaykh Amer Jamil teaches from 40 Hadith of Imam Nawawi • Wed 21st Dec 7.30pm in SUMSA – Br Shoket Aksi teaches on the Life of Jesus pbuh , Prophet of Islam • Wed 28th Dec – & Wed 04th Jan 2012 – No Meetings due to transport etc
JazakAllah for coming. Please Make Du’a for us and for each other for Allah swt to strengthen our hearts and improve our condition. May Allah swt send peace and blessings upon the Prophet (pbuh), His family and His Companions. : JazakAllah for coming. Please Make Du’a for us and for each other for Allah swt to strengthen our hearts and improve our condition . May Allah swt send peace and blessings upon the Prophet ( pbuh ), His family and His Companions.