Praise be to Allaah Alone and blessings
and peace be upon the one after whom there is no Prophet.
The Standing Committee on Academic
Research and Issuing Fatwaas has reviewed the many questions and requests
for fatwaas submitted to His Excellence the Grand Mufti and forwarded to the
Standing Committee from the general trust of the Council of Senior ‘Ulamaa’
(no. 3825, dated 21/7/1420 AH). People have asked questions concerning the
rulings on paying attention to and celebrating the European (Gregorian)
millenium, and others matters pertaining to this event. It is sufficient for
us to quote just two of the questions asked:
In the first question, it is asked:
“Nowadays we are seeing media reports about the events and preparations
leading to the Year 2000 CE and the beginning of the third millenium. The
kuffaar, Jews, Christians and others, are excited about this and are pinning
great hopes on this event. My question, O respected Shaykh, is this: some
so-called Muslims are also showing interest in this event and regard it as
an auspicious time for getting married or doing certain things. Some of them
are advertising this event in their stores and companies etc., in ways that
are offensive to Muslims. What is the shar’i ruling on respecting this
occasion, showing an interest in it, exchanging greeting on this occasion –
whether verbally or by sending cards – etc.? May Allaah reward you with much
good on behalf of Islam and the Muslims.”
Another question which has been asked is
as follows:
“The Jews and Christians are preparing to
celebrate the year 2000 according to their calendar, making unusual
preparations to further their plans and spread their beliefs throughout the
world, especially the Muslim states.
Some Muslims have been influenced by this
propaganda and have started to make preparations of their own, such as
offering discounts to mark this occasion. There is a fear that this may have
an impact on the ‘aqeedah of Muslims by making them allies of non-Muslims.
We hope that you will issue a statement
concerning the ruling on Muslims’ imitation of the kuffaar on their
festivals, propagating and celebrating them, and the ruling on making this a
day off, as some institutions and companies plan to do on this occasion.
Does doing any of these things or similar
things, or accepting them, have any effect on a Muslim’s ‘aqeedah?”
Having studied these issues, the Standing
Committee has issued the following response:
The greatest blessing which Allaah has
bestowed upon His slaves is the blessing of Islam and guidance to the
Straight Path. By His Mercy, He has enjoined His believing slaves to ask Him
for His guidance in their prayers (salaah), so they ask Him to show them the
Straight Path and to help them to adhere to it. He has described this Path
as the Path of those on whom Allaah has bestowed His Grace, the Prophets,
believers in the Truth, martyrs and righteous people, not the path of those
who are misguided such as the Jews, Christians and all other kuffaar and
mushrikeen.
Once this is understood, the Muslim must
realize how great is the blessing of Allaah, and he must give thanks to
Allaah, may He be glorified, in his words, actions and beliefs. He has to
guard and protect this blessing, and do everything he can to keep it from
being lost.
Anyone who has an understanding of the
religion of Allaah, in today’s world where truth is confused with falsehood
in the hearts of many Muslims, will clearly see that the enemies of Islam
are striving to obscure the realities of the religion and to extinguish its
light. They are trying to distance Muslims from their religion and cut their
ties with it, by all available means. Not only that, they are also trying to
distort its image and to produce accusations and lies which will stop
humanity from following the path of Allaah and believing in that which He
revealed to His Messenger Muhamamd ibn ‘Abd-Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This is confirmed in the words
of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted (interpretation of the meanings):
“Many of the people of the Scripture
(Jews and Christians) wish that if they could turn you away as disbelievers
after you have believed, out of envy from their ownselves, even after the
truth (that Muhammad is Allaah’s Messenger) has become manifest unto them”
[al-Baqarah 2:109]
“A party of the people of the Scripture
(Jews and Christians) wish to lead you astray. But they shall not lead
astray anyone except themselves, and they perceive not. “ [Aal ‘Imraan 3:69]
“O you who believe! If you obey those
who disbelieve, they will send you back on your heels, and you will turn
back (from Faith) as losers” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:149]
“Say: “O people of the Scripture (Jews
and Christians)! Why do you stop those who have believed, from the path of
Allaah, seeking to make it seem crooked, while you (yourselves) are
witnesses [to Muhammad as a Messenger of Allaah and Islam (Allaah’s
religion, i.e. to worship none but Him Alone)]? And Allaah is not unaware of
what you do” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:99]
And there are other similar aayaat.
But in spite of all this, Allaah has
promised to protect His Religion and His Book, as He says (interpretation of
the meaning):
“Verily, We, it is We Who have sent
down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur’aan) and surely, We will guard it (from
corruption)” [al-Hijr 15:9] – all praise be to Allaah. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has told us that a group from
among his Ummah will continue to prevail and they will not be harmed by
those who let them down or go against them, until the Hour begins. All
praise be to Allaah. We ask Him, for He is Ever-Near and responds to our
prayers, to make us and our brothers in Islam among this group, for He is
the Most Generous Bestower.
The Standing Committee on Academic
Research and Issuing Fatwaas has heard of and seen the huge preparations
that are being made by Jewish and Christian groups, and those so-called
Muslims who are influenced by them, for the occasion of the Year 2000 and
the onset of the third millenium according to the Gregorian calendar. Having
seen and heard all this, the Committee feels obliged to offer sincere advice
and issue a clear statement to all Muslims about the real nature of this
occasion and the rulings of the pure Sharee’ah on this matter, so that
Muslims will have clear guidance from their religion and can beware of being
misled by those who have earned the Anger of Allaah and have gone astray.
We say:
Firstly:
the Jews and Christians are pinning great
hopes on this millenium, and are awaiting events which they believe, with
greater or lesser certainty, will come to pass because they are a result of
their research and studies, as they claim. Some of them have religious
beliefs that are connected to this millenium, claiming that it is something
which is to be found in their corrupted scriptures. Muslims should not pay
any attention to such things and should not accept them; rather they should
be content with the Book of their Lord and the Sunnah of His Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), to the exclusion of all else,
for the theories and opinions that go against them are nothing more than
illusions.
Secondly:
this and other similar occasions involve
concealing the truth with falsehood and calling people to kufr, misguidance,
promiscuity and atheism, and other things which are clearly unacceptable
according to sharee’ah. Examples include the call for unity of all
religions; regarding Islam as equal to other, false, religions and sects;
seeking the blessing of the cross; openly displaying the symbols and rituals
of the Christians and Jews; and other actions which imply either that the
superceded laws of Judaism and Christianity are regarded as means of
reaching God, or approval of some of their features which contradict Islam,
or other things which – according to the consensus of the ummah – imply
disbelief in Allaah, His Messenger and Islam. This is addition to the fact
that this occasion is one of many means of alienating the Muslims from their
religion.
Thirdly:
there is a great deal of evidence in the
Qur’aan, Sunnah and saheeh reports that it is forbidden to imitate the
kuffaar with regard to things that are exclusively theirs. This includes
imitating them in their ‘Eids or celebrating those ‘Eids. ‘Eid (festival) is
a generic term which (in the context of these reports) includes every day or
occasion which is repeated and is venerated by the kuffaar, or any place in
which the kuffaar hold religious gatherings, or any action which they do in
these places or at these times – all of that is part of their ‘Eids or
festivals. The prohibition applies not only to their festivals, but to
everything that they venerate. The days leading up to and following their
festivals are also covered by this prohibition, as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn
Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) pointed out.
One of the texts which specifically forbid
imitating them in their festivals is the aayah (interpretation of the
meaning):
“… and those who do not witness
falsehood [al-zoor]…” [al-Furqaan 25:72]. This is listed as one of the
attributes of the believing slaves of Allaah. A group of the Salaf,
including Ibn Seereen, Mujaahid and al-Rabee’ ibn Anas interpreted the word
al-zoor (falsehood) as referring to the festivals of the kuffaar. It
was reported that Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
when the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to Madeenah, they had two days when
they would play. He said, “What are these two days?” They said, “We used to
play on these two days during the Jaahiliyyah.” The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has given you two
days instead of these that are better than them, the day of (‘Eid) al-Adhaa
and the day of (‘Eid) al-Fitr.” (Narrated by Imaam Ahmad, Abu Dawood
and al-Nasaa’i with a saheeh isnaad).
It was reported that Thaabit ibn
al-Dahhaak (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “At the time of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), a man vowed to sacrifice some camels in
Bawwaanah. He came to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, ‘I have vowed to
sacrifice some camels in Bawwaanah.’ The Prophet Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Were there any idols
there that were worshipped during the Jaahiliyyah?’ He said, ‘No.’ He said,
‘Did they hold any of their festivals there?’ He said, ‘No.’ The Messenger
of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Then fulfil your vow, for
there is no fulfilment of any vow which involves disobeying Allaah, or with
regard to something that the son of Adam does not own.’” (Narrated by
Abu Dawood with a saheeh isnaad).
‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: Do not enter upon the mushrikeen in their churches
on the day of their festival, for the wrath (of Allaah) descends upon them.
He also said: Avoid the enemies of Allaah during their festival.
‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr (may Allaah be
pleased with them both) said: Whoever lives in the land of the non-Muslims
and observes their Nawrooz (New Year) and their Mahrajaan (festivals), and
imitates them until he dies in that state, will be gathered with them on the
Day of Resurrection.
Fourthly:
we are also forbidden to join in the
festivals of the kuffaar for many other reasons, including the following:
Imitating them in some of their festivals
implies that one condones and approves of their false beliefs. Imitating
them and behaving like them with regard to external matters leads one to
imitating them and behaving like them with regard to internal matters such
as their corrupt beliefs, and being slowly and subtly won over to their way
of thinking.
One of the greatest evils that results
from this is that imitating the kuffaar with regard to external appearances
generates feelings of love and friendship towards them, which contradicts
faith, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“O you who believe! Take not the Jews
and the Christians as Awliyaa’ (friends, protectors, helpers), they are but
Awliyaa’ of each other. And if any amongst you takes them (as Awliyaa’),
then surely, he is one of them. Verily, Allaah guides not those people who
are the zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers and unjust).” [al-Maa’idah
5:51]
“You (O Muhammad) will not find any
people who believe in Allaah and the Last Day, making friendship with those
who oppose Allaah and His Messenger…” [al-Mujaadilah 58:28]
Fifthly:
Based on the above, it is not permissible
for a Muslim who believes in Allaah as his Lord, Islam as his religion, and
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) as his Prophet and Messenger, to celebrate any festival that
has no basis in the religion of Islam. This includes the so-called
millenium. Neither is he permitted to attend such festivals or take part in
them, or to help others do so in any way whatsoever, because this is a sin
and is transgressing the limits set by Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):
“… do not help one another in sin and
transgression. And fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is Severe in punishment.”
[al-Maa’idah 5:2].
Sixthly:
it is not permissible for a Muslim to
co-operate in any way, shape or form with the kuffaar with regard to their
festivals. This includes publicizing and announcing their festivals –
including the millenium under discussion here; propagating them by any
means, whether through the media or by setting up clocks to mark the
count-down to the millenium; or by manufacturing clothing and other
commemorative items and souvenirs; or by printing cards and books; or
offering discounts and prizes to mark the occasion; or organizing sporting
events; or producing special slogans or logos.
Seventhly:
it is not permissible for Muslims to
consider the festivals of the kuffar – including the millenium – to be
auspicious events or blessed times for taking the day off work, getting
married, starting a business or beginning new projects, etc. It is not
permissible to believe that these days are any different to other days,
because these are just like any other days, and because this is a corrupt
belief that does not change the reality of these days in the slightest. Such
beliefs are nothing but sin upon sin. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and
sound.
Eighthly:
it is not permissible for a Muslim to
offer congratulations on the occasion of the kaafir festivals, because this
implies a kind of approval of their false beliefs and makes them happy. Ibn
al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “As for congratulating them
for the symbols of kufr that belong exclusively to them, this is haraam
according to scholarly consensus, such as congratulating them for their
festivals and fasts, and saying, ‘A blessed festival to you’ and the like.
Even though the person who says this might not become a kaafir by saying
this, it is still forbidden, and it is the same as congratulating them for
prostrating to the cross. Indeed, it is an even greater sin with Allaah and
is more hated by Him than congratulating them for drinking wine, killing
people and committing adultery, and so on.
Many of those who do not care about
religion do this, and do not realize how abhorrent their actions are.
Whoever congratulates a person for his sin, bid’ah (innovation) or kufr
exposes himself to the wrath and anger of Allaah.”
Ninethly:
It is a great honour for the Muslims to
follow the Hijri calendar which is based on the Hijrah (migration) of their
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him), upon which the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with
them) agreed and which they adopted without celebration. The Muslims
inherited this from them fourteen hundred years ago and it is still in
existence today, so it is not permissible for the Muslims to abandon the
Hijri calendar and adopt the calendar of any other nation on earth, such as
the Gregorian calendar. This is a kind of replacement which involves the
substitution of something in which there is no good for something which is
good.
We advise all our Muslim brothers to fear
Allaah and obey Him, to keep far away from sin and to advise one another to
do likewise and to adhere to that with patience.
Let every believer who cares for his soul
strive to save it from the wrath of Allaah and His curse in this world and
the Hereafter, by attaining true knowledge and faith. Let him take Allaah as
his Guide, Helper, Lawgiver and Supporter, for He is the best Supporter and
the Best Helper. Let him be content with his Lord as his guide and helper,
and let him pray as the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed: “O Allaah, Lord of Jibraa’eel,
Mikaa’eel and Israafeel, Creator of heaven and earth, Knower of the unseen
and the seen, You judge between Your slaves concerning that in which they
dispute. Guide me to the truth in matters concerning which there is dispute,
by Your leave, for You guide whomsoever You will to the Straight Path. And
praise be to Allaah the Lord of the Worlds.”
May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and
his family and companions, and grant them peace.
Standing Committee for Academic Research
and Issuing Fatwaas.
The following question was put to Shaykh
Muhammad ibn Saalih ibn ‘Uthaymeen, may Allaah keep him safe and take care
of him:
In the coming days, the world will be
preparing to welcome the third millenium, and we see the newspapers covering
this topic extensively. My question is: what, in your view, is the Islamic
ruling on this matter? How should Muslims prepare to welcome the new
millenium?
He, may Allaah preserve him, answered as
follows:
Muslims should not pay any attention to
this matter or attach any importance to it, because it is nothing to do with
them. The calendar of the Muslims is the Hijri calendar which is based on
one of the best occasions, the most appropriate occasion to mark the
beginning of the Islamic calendar, because it is the date which reminds
Muslims of the beginning of their glory, the establishment of their state
and the start of their power.
With regard to what people are saying
about what will happen, all of this is conjecture and has no basis, whether
in sharee’ah, reason or tangible proof – except for things which are the
results of their own actions and planning.
The knowledge of the unseen belongs to
Allaah alone, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say: “None in the heavens and the
earth knows the Ghayb (Unseen) except Allaah, nor can they perceive when
they shall be resurrected.” [al-Naml 27:65].
We ask Allaah to grant us pride in our
faith and victory over our enemies, for he is the Most Generous Giver.