format_quote Originally Posted by
Yusuf Saeed
:sl:
I have some questions about the coming Christmas holidays. I'm a convert and live with my non-muslim family so I'd like to know what should I refrain from and what I can do while being around them during these days. The questions are as follows:
Asalaamu Alaikum Wr Wb, first of all let me congratulate you on entering Islam and may he make you the cause of your whole family and generation as well as your friends to also be guided to the truth. Ameen
format_quote Originally Posted by
Yusuf Saeed
Is it okay to sit and eat dinner with them? For them it's this special Christmas dinner but I would take it only as kind of a family reunion dinner.
Islam emphasises on maintaining kinship, family bond and relations even if family are non Muslims, but these occassions are totally forbidden in Islam so it is far better that you try to avoid such occassions as it is better to be safe than to put oneself into potentially harmful situations and if you attend then it is like you are partaking in the celebration itself which clearly has nothing to do with the birthday of Christ but it is celebration of a pagan roman festival as explained below.
But if you do attend on this occassion then you will have to take a lot of precautions such as avoid mixing with non mahram women at the re-union and the food that you eat because the meat obviously will not be halal for you unless you get it from a proper halal butcher and also Christmas Pudding is drenched with alcohol as well as most deserts served at Christmas. So be very careful of what you eat, even the potato's and vegtables if they are cooked alongside the haraam meat.
Also avoid partaking in present giving, pulling Christmas crackers and filling stockings as well as having anything to do with the santa, the mistletoe and the Christmas tree - all which have pagan origins as explained at the bottom of the page.
If you do attend then try to leave from the re-union sooner rather than later because of the fact that there may be music and alcohol at the meeting as well as singing and other Christmas related things going on.
If you end up attending on this occassion even though it is far better for you that you don't then after you have told them about your beliefs and the truth about Christmas then next year onwards you should avoid such occassions because your family would have known and understood properly by then what your beliefs are and why cannot partake in or celebrate these occassion with them.
We must distant ourselves from taking part in these types of events which are contrary to the teachings of Islam. Christmas and other so called Christian celebrarions are contrary to the teachings of Christianity too. Most people who celebrate Christmas are not even Christians and do not even believe in their relgion or scriptures and even thr Christians who celebrate it are ignorant to the reality that Christmas is in fact a pagan Roman festival and nothing to do with th birth of Christ nore has any of the things that are related to Christmas.
As a Muslim you are to uphold the truth and carry the banner of Islam. You have been shown the truth and it is upto you now to convey the truth to your family and freinds in the most beautiful of ways using wisdom and tact.
Remember the best dawah(way of inviting towards Islam) is to be the best towards others and show exemplary character so that they can see the true beauty of Islam and that it teaches a superiour form of manners and ettiquette.
Once they see how much of a better person you have become because of Islam then they will be more likely to look into it inshallah and Allah may even unseal their hearts so that they be accept the truth.
Whatever happens always maintain the ties of kinship and keep good family relations.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Yusuf Saeed
If my grandpa is going to read a prayer(he's a Christian) before eating am I allowed to say "ameen" when he finishes? Of course supposing it would be a prayer in which he doesn't go against tawheed.
If you do attend the re-union then It is far better not to involve yourself in their prayers because the name of Jesus and the holy spirit may be mentioned as well as the fact that the prayer is for the purpose of it being what they think the birthday of jesus so we should not partake in their prayers. We should of course pray for them to be guided to the truth.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Yusuf Saeed
What should I reply with when someone wishes me "Merry Christmas"? Actually it's mostly about what should I say to my grandpa because I can't bluntly tell him as I would tell others that I don't celebrate because it might lead to some sort of arguing and there's no need of that in that evening.
Just wish them happy holidays. If you do attend then I don't think you should tell them the reason why you don't celebrate Christmas on their Christmas day unless they explicitely ask you because Islam emphasise on using wisdom and tact in all matters and there is no wisdom in causing dissension and friction on their Christmas day by telling them that the reason you do not celebrate it is because of its pagan origins.
That is why i suggest that you bring the subject up on another occassion and maybe bring the subject up with your grandfather when you and him are alone rather than infront of others and explain to him in a gentle manner the true origins of Christmas as well as telling him about Islam.
Also bring the subject up with other members of your family and friends whenever you feel would be best to tell them but i would say avoid the subject on their celebration day so as to avoid any arguments or bad feeling but rather bring it up the day after or another day whenever you feel would be best as you know your family better than anyone else.
Here is some information on the origins of Christmas for you to use when you bring it up when you feel is best:
The truth about Christmas
The Christmas season has been aggressively promoted in every aspect of business, in schools, in every public place. High pressure sales tactics have invaded the home through television, radio, magazine and newspaper, captivating the imagination with every kind of attraction day and night for a month or more every year. Little wonder that many of those thus targeted so persistently succumb to temptation. Among earlier generations, Christmas was an occasion which was still basically religious in orientation. Gifts, trees, decorations and feasting assumed lesser roles. But now all of this has changed.
As noted in an American publication, Christmas has gone the way of many other aspects of society, becoming one more element in the mass culture which every season enables manufacturers and merchants to make millions of dollars through an elaborate system of gift exchange which comes more often from mutual expectations that
"must" be fulfilled than from the heart.
The commonly accepted notion that happiness is derived largely from possessions and entertainment is the driving force behind the month-long preparations and festivities which continue on through the end of the year. This fact, although blameworthy in itself, has led many Muslims into the delusion that Christmas is no longer a religious occasion and therefore does not conflict with Islamic belief.
The materialistic atmosphere surrounding the celebration of Christmas is, in reality, a manifestation of pagan culture at its worst. It can only be seen by the conscious Muslim believer as a rat-race designed and implemented by Shaytaan to accomplish a great waste of time, effort, money and resources while countless families barely subsist in a state of poverty throughout many areas of the world. In addition to the commercial side of Christmas, although less obvious to the casual observer, are certain religious aspects to be noted.
The celebration was and still is intended by practising Christians as a remembrance of the birth of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) who is considered by many of them as God incarnate or the second person in a trinity, and thus they celebrate the birth of
"divinity." The word itself is an abbreviated form of
"Christ Mass," i.e., sacrament in commemoration of Christ. Although taken by Christians to be the birthday of Jesus, the actual date of celebration, December 25th, cannot be traced back any further than the fourth century after Christ.
Ironically, this day is also considered to be the birthday of the Hindu god, Krishna, as well as Mithra, the Greek god of light. It also coincides with the annual Tree Festival which had long been celebrated in Northern Europe before the Christian era and which has been recently revived in some Arab countries in an attempt to encourage celebration by disguising the religious significance of the day.
The Christmas tree is the most obvious aspect of that pagan celebration which was incorporated along with its date of observance, December 25th, into church rites. The evergreen tree, because it keeps its green needles throughout the winter months, was believed by pre-Christian pagans to have special powers of protection against the forces of nature and evil spirits. The end of December marked the onset of a visible lengthening of daylight hours - the return of warmth and light and defeat of those evil forces of cold and darkness. At a particular stage of its development, the church is known to have adopted certain of the popular pagan practices into Christianity for political or social reasons.
Thus, in more aspects than one, the holiday is deeply rooted in the worship of different forms of creation rather than the Creator Himself.
The true origins of Christmas and everything related to it
Christmas as well as everything related to it has all come from roman pagan beliefs mainly from the roman pagan festival of Saturnalia. The Christmas tree came from Pagans who had long worshipped trees in the forest, or brought them into their homes and decorated them, and this observance was adopted and painted with a Christian veneer by the Church.
The Origin of Mistletoe came from Norse mythology which recounts how the god Balder was killed using a mistletoe arrow by his rival god Hoder while fighting for the female Nanna. Druid rituals use mistletoe to poison their human sacrificial victim. The Christian custom of “kissing under” the mistletoe is a later synthesis of the sexual license of Saturnalia with the Druidic sacrificial cult.
The giving of Christmas Presents originated in pre-Christian Rome where the emperors compelled their most despised citizens to bring offerings and gifts during the Saturnalia (in December) and Kalends (in January). Later, this ritual expanded to include gift-giving among the general populace. The Catholic Church gave this custom a Christian flavor by re-rooting it in the supposed gift-giving of Saint Nicholas
'Santa' was derived from a man named Nicholas was born in Parara, Turkey in 270 CE and later became Bishop of Myra. He was among the most senior bishops who convened the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE and created the New Testament.
In 1087, a group of sailors who idolized Nicholas moved his bones from Turkey to a sanctuary in Bari, Italy. There Nicholas supplanted a female boon-giving deity called The Grandmother, or Pasqua Epiphania, who used to
fill the children's stockings with her gifts. The Grandmother was ousted from her shrine at Bari, which became the center of the Nicholas cult. Members of this group gave each other gifts during a pageant they conducted annually on the anniversary of Nicholas’ death, December 6.
The Nicholas cult spread north until it was adopted by German and Celtic pagans. These groups worshipped a pantheon led by Woden –their chief god and the father of Thor, Balder, and Tiw. Woden had a long, white beard and rode a horse through the heavens one evening each Autumn. When Nicholas merged with Woden, he shed his Mediterranean appearance, grew a beard, mounted a flying horse, rescheduled his flight for December, and donned heavy winter clothing.
In a bid for pagan adherents in Northern Europe, the Catholic Church adopted the Nicholas cult and taught that he did (and they should) distribute gifts on December 25th instead of December 6th.
In 1809, the novelist Washington Irving (most famous his The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle) wrote a satire of Dutch culture entitled Knickerbocker History. The satire refers several times to the white bearded, flying-horse riding Saint Nicholas using his Dutch name, Santa Claus.
Dr. Clement Moore, a professor at Union Seminary, read Knickerbocker History, and in 1822 he published a poem based on the character Santa Claus: “Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in the hope that Saint Nicholas soon would be there…” Moore innovated by portraying a Santa with eight reindeer who descended through chimneys.
The Bavarian illustrator Thomas Nast almost completed the modern picture of Santa Claus. From 1862 through 1886, based on Moore’s poem, Nast drew more than 2,200 cartoon images of Santa for Harper’s Weekly. Before Nast, Saint Nicholas had been pictured as everything from a stern looking bishop to a gnome-like figure in a frock. Nast also gave Santa a home at the North Pole, his workshop filled with elves, and his list of the good and bad children of the world. All Santa was missing was his red outfit.
In 1931, the Coca Cola Corporation contracted the Swedish commercial artist Haddon Sundblom to create a coke-drinking Santa. Sundblom modeled his Santa on his friend Lou Prentice, chosen for his cheerful, chubby face. The corporation insisted that Santa’s fur-trimmed suit be bright, Coca Cola red. And Santa was born – a blend of Christian crusader, pagan god, and commercial idol.
It is also believed that Christmas' date was chosen to take advantage of the imperial holiday of the birth of the Sun God Mithras and the pagan festival of Saturnalia which was thought to have been taken over by Christians leaders succeeded in converting to Christianity large numbers of pagans by promising them that they could continue to celebrate the Saturnalia as Christians.
The problem was that there was nothing intrinsically Christian about Saturnalia. To remedy this, these Christian leaders named Saturnalia’s concluding day, December 25th, to be Jesus’ birthday.
One should always look properly into the origins of any festival or celebration because knowledge is the key to clarification on any matter and without it we will remain lost and confused.
Use this for dawah(inviting towards Islam) purposes
Make members of your family and friends realise that ALL the prophets and messengers sent by God came with the same messege and that is to establish the oneness of God and that includes Jesus who was a revered Prophet of Allah who came to re-establish the old testament given to Moses not to abrogate or change it like Paul the apostle did.
It is satan that has from the beginning of creation wanted to lead man astray and his biggest achievement in doing this was was to make man worship other than God and to ascribe partners to him.
Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus attribute himself to God but his words and teachings have been distorted and intepreted in such a way as to make a man of God to become a God himself.
The following statements in the Bible are attributed to Jesus Christ:
"My Father is greater than I."
[The Bible, John 14:28]
"My Father is greater than all."
[The Bible, John 10:29]
"…I cast out devils by the Spirit of God…."
[The Bible, Mathew 12:28]
"…I with the finger of God cast out devils…."
[The Bible, Luke 11:20]
"I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgement is just; because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."
[The Bible, John 5:30]
Here are some very useful links to read more about the real truth and realities of Christianity:
http://www.ilovezakirnaik.com/muhamm...ised/index.htm
I've also pasted the link "Very Useful Threads For Those Looking Into Islam" which includes various very interesting and thought provoking articles on various aspects of Islam which will be very useful for you to use or to forward to your partner at some point so that she can find out more about the truth of Islam.
Allah has told us to invite others in the most beautiful of manners and also in a gentle manner especially to ones partner but remember that we are only informers and Allah is the guide, so you can only do the best you can and leave the rest to Allah but never stop showing her the beauty of Islam and the best way to invite someone towards Islam is to show the best of manners and behaviour.
Here are the various links:
How The Bible Led Me To Islam Recommended
http://www.islamicboard.com/discover...-me-islam.html
Very Useful Threads For Those Looking Into Islam, Some Amazing threads for those looking into Islam!!!
http://www.islamicboard.com/discover...nto-islam.html
Brilliant "proof Of Islam" Lectures By Abdul Rahman Green
http://www.islamicboard.com/discover...man-green.html
ISLAM IS THE TRUTH - Older Manuscripts found in Palestine says that Jesus Christ (A) is NOT a God!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flafC8VDhms
See why they converted to Islam:
http://forum.mpacuk.org/showthread.php?t=44218