A weird Christian friend

[north_malaysian]

Oh dear, I had watched an Arabic movie from Egypt about a Coptic Christian family with the title Ma7ab Smaaya, I guess it means "Loving the Father" because Smaaya is a Syriac term. Father might metaphorically mean their Father the God or maybe the father in that Coptic Christian family.

The movie is about a father who is so strict, he don't even allow his family watching TV nor going to the Cinema. His 7 years old son, called Na3eem had been so fond and he really curious to know how does it feel in the cinema. The boy was secretly brought into the cinema by her maternal auntie after he had threatened to tell his grandmother that the auntie was dating her boyfriend in their house. The boy described his feeling like entering heaven, he described that the cinema attendants opening the cinema door as Ridhwan (the angel who guard paradise). The father too had disallowed his wife who was previously an artist from painting humanistic art, he had banned all sort of art from Europe and claiming those things as Bid3ah (invention) and haram, those things like riding bicycle and going to beach as haram and kafir. The father later died of heart attack because he thought that he had violated his religion after tolerating his family by buying a TV and died kneeling in front of the portrait of their god Jesus.

I think gosh, that father is like wa****s in Saudi Arabia or Lebanon. No offence though, I am a Sunnah follower from Syafi3i school of salaf. I am strictly observing and following what had been taught in glorious Quran and Sunnah too. I even agree with Saudi government in banning the pilgrims from South Asia and Turkey from doing acts which have not mentioned in Quran and Hadiths, I'm not a music person too just listening to the radio for information and getting updated with current news. I just do not agree that they are so super strict on certain cultural things and Muslims are of different geographical location and ethnicity. Of course some point of their culture is not mentioned in glorious Quran, we have to teach them to differentiate good and bad culture, and those bad cultures can be eliminated gradually.

I'm so going to watch this movie.... where did u watch it?

 

[malayloveislam]

I'm so going to watch this movie.... where did u watch it?

I watched it in Astro ART channel 111. I don't know whether the channel will replay it again. I tried to google up about this movie but to no avail I can't find it with with my roman font keyboard :exhausted.

 

[malayloveislam]

As you can see from those who have responded already, different people are going to find different ways to do this.

In my house we begin by keeping Advent, a period of 4 weeks before Christmas. We have a simple Advent wreath in our house with 4 candles in it. When we gather for supper we light 1 candle each week and read some of the prophecies in scripture regarding Jesus' coming (both his first advent and his second coming).

There are varieties of special services leading up to Chrsitmas as well. Often there is a children's Chrsitmas program, a choir cantata (remember most Christians don't think that music is haraam), or something else. I also liked to teach my kids to give to others by giving something to the Salvation Army (even though they are a "competing" denomination I like to support their ministry), taking on the role of an "angel" for a family from our angel tree at the church, and singing carols to some of the shut-ins of our community. Then Christmas Eve we attend church together. I prefer the 11:00 PM candlelighting service that gets out at midnight, and on those few occassions where my church had an earlier service I would first attend it, and then go to another church that had the midnight service as well.

Christmas Day is actually rather quiet. We start the morning with getting up for breakfast (though not to early), then we gather around the tree and read the Christmas story from Luke 2. After that we open presents. When the kids were younger and we stayed home we often had a neighbor without any family join us. Now I'm a grandpa and we will travel to my daughter's. One of her traditions is to bake a cake and sing "Hapy Birthday, Jesus" with her kids.

One thing that many people fail to realize is that Christmas Day is just the first day of Christmas. There are 12 more days of Christmas till Epiphany on January 6, the traditional day when the Magi are supposed to have visited (though if you read the Bible closely you will see that this was probably 2 years later at a house and not at the manger where the shepherds visited). Many Christian traditions prefer to exchange gifts on this occassion and not Christmas Day.

What is your sect of Christianity if you don't mind, sorry about curiosity. Wish you and other Christian friends Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

I believe Jesus nativity is either in August or in September because from what we have read in Glorious Quran, Surah Maryam no. 19 verse 23 (mother Mary), Jesus nativity happened under a date tree. Date tree usually bear fruits around August to November because it is Summer in Palestine. They do have some snow in certain area in Palestine/Israel. In Saudi area, if I'm not mistaken date tree flowers bloom around April (Spring), bear fruits around May, and starting to ripe around June (Summer) every year.

We Muslims had the tradition of eating dates as we follow the example of prophet Muhammad (pbuh), it is called as Sunnah. Dates is traditionally eaten to stimulate the health of women who gave birth to their babies, makes birth process easy, and for baby health. It also kills germs in the body.

Well, again the exact date is not important for us but his teaching is among the teaching revealed by God the same as what had been revealed to Moses (pbuh) and to Muhammad (pbuh) .

 

[Grace Seeker]

What is your sect of Christianity if you don't mind, sorry about curiosity.

United Methodist. Generally considered one of the mainline protestant denominations.

Wish you and other Christian friends Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Thank-you. I sincerely appreciate your kindness in wishing me this. I would return the greetings, but I know that for many Muslims such a statement can be insulting. So, I wish you God's blessings in your life, a merry December (everyday of it, not just the 25th), and a Happy New Year.

Well, again the exact date [of Jesus' Nativity] is not important for us but his teaching

Very true. You will find all knowledgable Christians (who know that we really don't know when it was) in agreement with this part of your statement.

 

[Follower]

Thank you malayloveislam- Very nice of you!! This is such a joyous time for us.

We have had our usual neighborhood parties, for 30 years now!! - wonderful fellowship, great food, singing hymns, hugs all around. Tonight is the luminaria- we light candles in bags and line our sidewalks with them. This is an invitation/guide for the Christ child to enter our homes.

I think we can say Happy Holidays!!

 

[north_malaysian]

For those who celebrate Christmas.... have a nice and enjoyable festival with your friends and family members...

For those who dont celebrate Christmas but it's a public holiday in your countries...... have a nice and enjoyable holiday with your friends and family members...

 

[wth1257]

You admit that the tree isnt part of your religion but use it in ceremonies.

We assert that the Kaaba is PART of out religion and turn to it while praying.


You admit that you are adding something.

It's not really a religious ceremony. The tree is not part of Christianity theologically and if people got rid of it tomorrow it would not make a bit of difference. It's just a cultural practice. I'm sure the German pagans had a religious affiliation with the tree but the Christians hold no such affiliations towards it. It's just a German cultural thing that caught on. My Family is half German. Every Christmass my German grandmother would hide a pickle ornament on the tree and the children would find it. While this is part of the German celebration of Christmkass it has no religious dimension, it's just an old cultural tradition.

I guess it's like this. Say one day Muhammad was walking along and came upon the village. The village was pagan but they accecpted Islam after Muhammad preached to them. Anyway Muhammad finds out that they used red and green prayer mats for their worship, they want to worship Allah, but ask Muhammad if they can retain using their red and green prayer mats, as they are dearly beloved by the culture. If Muhammad allowed them to keep the red and green prayer mats for Salat would you say he was corupting Islam with paganism? I am not sure what your view is, but I would not. The red and green prayer mats are just incidental. They were once used by pagans but are now devoid of any pagan connotations in the mids of the villigers and they worship only Allah, not the pagan gods of their ancestors.

 

[Aqeel Ahmed]

Your friend should be called Wise Christian Friend rather than wierd , she has a great open mind for her religion and her thoughts are also very true about the man made celebrations.