Happy New Year!!!
Should he respond to non-Muslims when they wish him a Happy New Year?
Q: Is it permissible for me to say to non-Muslims “And the same to you” when they wish me a Happy New Year or say Best Wishes?.
A: Praise be to Allaah.
It is not permissible to greet or congratulate the kuffaar on the
occasion of Christmas, New Year or any of their other holidays, and it
is not permissible to respond to them when they greet us on those
occasions, because they are not festivals that are prescribed in our
religion, and returning their greeting is an affirmation and approval of
them. The Muslim should be proud of his religion and its rulings, and
he should be keen to call others and convey to them the religion of
Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about the
ruling on greeting the kuffaar on the occasion of Christmas and how we
should respond when they greet us on this occasion. Is it permissible to
go to the parties that they hold on this occasion?
Is a person sinning if he does any of the things mentioned without
intending to, and he only does it to be nice, or because of or shyness
or embarrassment or other reasons? Is it permissible to imitate them in
that?
He replied:
Greeting the kuffaar on the occasion of Christmas or any of their other
religious holidays is haraam according to scholarly consensus, as was
stated by Ibn al-Qayyim in his book (Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah), where he says:
"Congratulating the kuffaar on the rituals that belong only to them is
haraam by consensus, as is congratulating them on their festivals and
fasts by saying ‘A happy festival to you’ or ‘May you enjoy your
festival,’ and so on. If the one who says this has been saved from kufr,
it is still forbidden. It is like congratulating someone for
prostrating to the cross, or even worse than that. It is as great a sin
as congratulating someone for drinking wine, or murdering someone, or
having illicit sexual relations, and so on. Many of those who have no
respect for their religion fall into this error; they do not realize the
offensiveness of their actions. Whoever congratulates a person for his
disobedience or bid’ah or kufr exposes himself to the wrath and anger of
Allaah." End quote.
Congratulating the kuffaar on their religious festivals is haraam to the
extent described by Ibn al-Qayyim because it implies that one accepts
or approves of their rituals of kufr, even if one would not accept those
things for oneself. But the Muslim should not accept the rituals of
kufr or congratulate anyone else for them, because Allaah does not
accept any of that at all, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"If you disbelieve, then verily, Allaah is not in need of you, He likes
not disbelief for His slaves. And if you are grateful (by being
believers), He is pleased therewith for you..." , {إِن تَكْفُرُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنكُمْ ۖ وَلَا يَرْضَىٰ لِعِبَادِهِ الْكُفْرَ ۖ وَإِن تَشْكُرُوا يَرْضَهُ لَكُمْ},
Transliteration: 'In Takfurū Fa'inna Allāha Ghanīyun `Ankum Wa Lā
Yarđá Li`ibādihi Al-Kufra Wa 'In Tashkurū Yarđahu Lakum
[al-Zumar 39:7].
"This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour
upon you, and have chosen for you Islaam as your religion...", {الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا},
Transliteration: Al-Yawma 'Akmaltu Lakum Dīnakum Wa 'Atmamtu `Alaykum
Ni`matī Wa Rađītu Lakumu Al-'Islāma Dīnāan [al-Maa’idah 5:3].
So congratulating them is forbidden, whether they are one’s colleagues at work or otherwise.
If they greet us on the occasion of their festivals, we should not
respond, because these are not our festivals, and because they are not
festivals which are acceptable to Allaah. These festivals are
innovations in their religions, and even those which may have been
prescribed formerly have been abrogated by the religion of Islaam, with
which Allaah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
to the whole of mankind. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Whoever seeks a religion other than Islaam, it will never be accepted
of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers", {وَمَن يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا فَلَن يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ},
Transliteration: Wa Man Yabtaghi Ghayra Al-'Islāmi Dīnāan Falan Yuqbala
Minhu Wa Huwa Fī Al-'Ākhirati Mina Al-Khāsirīna [Aal ‘Imraan 3:85].
It is haraam for a Muslim to accept invitations on such occasions,
because this is worse than congratulating them as it implies taking part
in their celebrations.
Similarly, Muslims are forbidden to imitate the kuffaar by having
parties on such occasions, or exchanging gifts, or giving out sweets or
food, or taking time off work, etc., because the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: «Whoever imitates a people is one of them» [Narrated by Abu Dawoud & Classified as Shaheeh by Al-Albany], Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyah said in his book (Iqtidaa’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem Mukhaalifat Ashaab al-Jaheem):
"Imitating them in some of their festivals implies that one is pleased
with their false beliefs and practices, and gives them the hope that
they may have the opportunity to humiliate and mislead the weak
End quote from (Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 3/44).
And Allaah knows best.
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