Joe, like always you bring up some interesting points. One thing you have to keep in mind is some of us Muslims are professional party poopers. I enjoy sociolising with my Non_Muslims friends. But only at quiet small get togethers with no food, drinks, music or smoking. I prefer for men and women to be in seperate rooms and only intermingle out of necessity or business.

With that said, it is foolish for me to accept any invitations to any parties. Now that I think of it I have never been at a party at a Muslim home either, although I have been at a few Muslim friends homes for a meal.

I would be willing to accept an invitation to a party at your home, provided I knew that there would be nothing haraam at the party.

I would avoid:

food
Television
music
dancing
drinking
any socialising with women
No celebration focus, such as birthday, religious event, etc.

With that said, I doubt if you would enjoy having me over as a party guest. My concept of a "wild party" is there are about 5 people at the party. Everybody is related by blood or marriage. No event is being celebrated. I bring my own food and dishes.

Now with all that, the majority of my friends are non-Muslim. Because, at the apartment complex I live in those are the only people that get much time to visit me. I don't get out very often, except for my appointments at the VA clinic.

Quoted from 'Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni book 'don't be sad''

The word 'isolation' and 'seclusion' have a special meaning in our religion: to stay away from evil and its perpetrators, and to keep those who are foolish at a distance. When you seclude yourself from evil in this manner, you will have an opportunity to reflect, to think, to graze in the meadows of enlightenment.

When you isolate yourself from things that divert you from Allah's obedience, you are giving yourself a dose of medicine, one that doctors of the heart have found to be a most potent cure. When you seclude yourself from evil and idleness, your brain is stimulated into action. The results are increases in faith, repentance, and remembrance of Allah, the Most Merciful.

However, some gatherings are not only recommended, but necessary: the congregational prayer, circles of learning, and all gatherings of righteousness. As for gatherings wherein frivolity and shallowness prevail, be wary of them. Take flight from such gatherings, weep over your wrongdoing, hold your tongue, and be content within the boundaries of your home. By mixing with others based on foolish motives, you endanger the stability and soundness of your mind, for the people you indiscriminately mix with are likely to be experts at wasting time, masters at spreading lies, and skilled in spreading both trouble and mischief.

"Had they marched out with you, they would have added to you nothing except disorder, and they would have hurried about in your midst (spreading corruption) and sowing sedition among you..." (Qur'an : 9:47)

I advise you to fortify yourself to your purpose and isolate yourself in your room, except when you leave it to speak well or to do well. When you apply this advice, you will find that your heart has returned to you. So use your time well and save your life from being wasted. Hold your tounge from backbiting, free your heart from anxiety, and preserve your ears from profanity.

[quote=Ansar Al-'Adl;400012]Hi SearchingSoul,
A lot of questions today?

No, it is not permissable for Muslims to celebrate Christmas. Religious acts in Islam are only those in conformity with the Sunnah of the Prophet pbuh, otherwise they are considered reprehensible innovations (bid'ah). Also, the celebration has its origins in shirk (associating partners with God), and lastly it involves assimilation with non-muslims in cultural celebrations.

This is what I know,Muslims can't celebrate any of the Kufaars' festivals.
Think about chrismas,Christians believe it is the birthday of Jesus,but for sure it's not.From the history it shows on this day some prisoners were being fleed
from the jail .
We have our own festivals,I think they are enough,and in celebrating them we also get the rewards from Almighty Allah, we don't have to find others.

Easter was celebrated before in the time of Moses. This was the time when you asked your enemies to come and sit at your table. For them, were killed a lamb or goat and the entire animal must have been eat entirely. Jesus never were agreed with the animal killing and whats really sad for Easter most of us tend to kill them. . The pagan fest was replaced with the Easter.

The Christmas night is dedicated to the church and family. It begins with the family dinner where no one else is invited and its followed by the midnight sermon from the church. For me this night is magical. Its the time when i feel most happy and peaceful. Don't ask me why, but i am just content and happy with everything.

Origins
http://www.religioustolerance.org/xmas_tree.htm
http://www.historychannel.com/exhibi...mas/trees.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_tree

Pagan beiefs durrounding Christmas:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_tree

Is Christmas pagan?
http://jesus-messiah.com/html/christmas.html
http://www.sabbatarian.com/Paganism/XmasHistory.html
http://www.eliyah.com/paganexp.html

I would never celebrate Christmas. And I dont believe Jesus was God, he was a worshipper.

Thanks for the information. I find this interesting since I know a lot of muslims that enjoy the Christmas festivities. Hmmm Still it's nice to know the official ruling.

^Yeh i was so shocked when i meet a Muslim who celebrated christmas, and that was when i was like 13 or something, i didnt have a clue that it was actually officially forbiden for Muslims to celebrate it but obviously it just didnt make sense. It's like, hello, we dont believe Jesus was God, why are you celebrating christmas??

But then again those same Muslims drank wine so..

I think those who decided to celebrate Christmas are not considering Jesus like God. They want only to respect their friends joy and ,if they are invited, try to take part only at meals without to drink wine.
Also, thats depend of the country. Over here its a family dinner so we are not inviting friends at all.

^^ yeh, they're the ones that Allah cursed, just like the way he cursed the people who broke the sabbath who didn't actually fish, but all they done was eat the fish "to respect their friends joy and only take part in means" but they didn't go out and break god's law about the Sabbath.

Where have you read about Allah cursed the people which ate fish?

its either a hadith or in the story mentioned in the qruan, only the people who enjoined good and forbade evil where saved, the rest copped it.

Infact that's always been a constant in dawah, ill give you an analogy... someone burgles a shop and has a feast, and you know that the food is stolen and you attend the party and have fun with him, you wouldn't be very different to teh theif himself in Allah's sight. Becasue it's a form of encoruagement.

Do you want to say everyone should keep his own fests....like i should not go to muslim fests and you should not come to christians fests, right?

You're more than welcome to attend our eid because we're just celebrating the end of fasting (somethign taht jews and (probably?) christians are aquainted to)... and the other eid is commemorating Ismail's dad (Abrahm's) sacrifice PBUH something that you guys probably hav in common with us....

We believe it's not a sin for you to do that because the relgiion that Isa came wtih is the same that Muhamamd PBUH came with...

but we don't celebrate christmas because it's an innovation, nothing to do with the religion that Isa PBUH came with.

hope that helps
tc all the best!

You don't find a little bit too improper Jesus to tell us to celebrate his birthday? He was very humble..
But anyhow i got your point.So the christians can attend muslim fests but you can't attend the two major christians fests.

yep.

if you where my neighbor or an aquaintance i'd be very happy to attend 2a non religious celebration of yours any other day though - as long as there's no alchohol , free mixn and stuff ;)

but i hope you understand, it's because christmas an easter is a credo, if you believe that eid is a credo antagonistic to your beliefs, and thereby you believe it wrong to not attend, by all means.. no compulsion.

It's more than just celebrating a birthday, firstly the idea of birthdays is a concept that doesn't exist in Islam, we're nto suppose to even celebrat our own propehts birthday. Secondly, it's partly celebrating the idea of him being the son of God, and Allah (God) has some very hard words about how insulted he is at such a claim (checkout the first few verses of surat al-Kahfr for example - amongst many many many others).

hope u get wher eim coming from..
take care all the best