Celebrating Halloween
First of all, we would like to refer to the fact that Halloween is an annual Western celebration based on Celtic and European pagan doctrines and traditionally applied to the evening of October 31st. It is derived from rituals involving dead spirits and devil worship and symbolizes the beginning of the ancient Druid’s New Year, who holds that the dead revisit their homes at that time.
In essence, Halloween represents the devil worshipper’s New Year. Muslim celebration of such a day is therefore sinful and haram, as it involves the most evil elements of polytheism and disbelief.
In his response to the question, Dr. Muzamil Siddiqi, former president of the Islamic Soceity of North America (ISNA), issues the following Fatwa:
"Halloween is an old pagan holiday of the witches and the dead. Later some Christians tried to Christianize it by calling it "All Saints Day". However there are still many Christians who resent it and consider it a bad holiday. Some of them even call it a "helliday."
Whether Christians accept it or not, we Muslims should not accept this holiday. It is meaningless. Wearing costumes, going tricking and treating and decorating houses with witches, spider nets and wasting so much pumpkins, etc., are all repugnant things. It is strange to see reasonable people acting as weirdo and doing foolish things. It is also becoming quite dangerous nowadays. Some people really act like monsters and witches. Muslims should not participate in this holiday."
First of all, we would like to refer to the fact that Halloween is an annual Western celebration based on Celtic and European pagan doctrines and traditionally applied to the evening of October 31st. It is derived from rituals involving dead spirits and devil worship and symbolizes the beginning of the ancient Druid’s New Year, who holds that the dead revisit their homes at that time.
In essence, Halloween represents the devil worshipper’s New Year. Muslim celebration of such a day is therefore sinful and haram, as it involves the most evil elements of polytheism and disbelief.
In his response to the question, Dr. Muzamil Siddiqi, former president of the Islamic Soceity of North America (ISNA), issues the following Fatwa:
"Halloween is an old pagan holiday of the witches and the dead. Later some Christians tried to Christianize it by calling it "All Saints Day". However there are still many Christians who resent it and consider it a bad holiday. Some of them even call it a "helliday."
Whether Christians accept it or not, we Muslims should not accept this holiday. It is meaningless. Wearing costumes, going tricking and treating and decorating houses with witches, spider nets and wasting so much pumpkins, etc., are all repugnant things. It is strange to see reasonable people acting as weirdo and doing foolish things. It is also becoming quite dangerous nowadays. Some people really act like monsters and witches. Muslims should not participate in this holiday."
