A message to my Christian neighbor on the occasion of Christmas. For Muslims who believe this message represents them: send it to your non-Muslim neighbors and colleagues. ************************* Jordan Peterson's speech: https://youtu.be/SDyNIlUOjxg David C. Pack's segment on the topic - start at 5:10: https://youtu.be/ij5Nw--HNfI
This is a message I address to my Christian neighbor and colleague on the occasion of Christmas. You might expect me to say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Christmas," especially since you congratulated me on Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha, and also because I visit you when you are sick, and I congratulate you on social occasions.
Before we talk specifically about congratulating you on Christmas, allow me to remind you of some facts about my religion and about Christmas, and then you can tell me: Do you expect me to congratulate you or not?
Our Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Actions are but by intentions." So, anything I say or do as a Muslim must be done with the knowledge of why I say or do it, and my intention must be pure. When I congratulate you on Christmas, it is either that I do so as an act of worship to God (i.e., an act of devotion), or it is permissible for me to do so as a courtesy to you.
First, let us remember what Christmas is; to see if congratulating you on Christmas or participating with you in its celebration is something that can be done for the sake of God, or something that can be done for your sake as a courtesy.
Christmas is a day that began as a pagan celebration, as explained by Christian references, including the "Encyclopedia of the Bible" (Volume 4), written by four priests, which states: "It is not possible to precisely determine the day and month in which Jesus was born, as there was strong opposition in the early church to the pagan custom of celebrating birthdays."
The reference adds: "Perhaps the reason the Western Church chose December 25th is that the Romans celebrated the birthday of the sun god on that day." The Christmas tree is pagan, exchanging gifts is pagan, and every part of Christmas has a pagan origin that was converted into Christian rituals.
There is also the American priest "David Seebach" in a clip titled "Why Don't They Celebrate the New Year," who mentions texts from your book, which you call the "Bible," that forbid imitating other nations in their customs, such as what is mentioned in (Jeremiah - Chapter 10): "Thus says the Lord: Do not learn the way of the nations... for the customs of the nations are worthless."
Do you expect me, my Christian neighbor, to celebrate with you a pagan holiday, or to congratulate you on this holiday that is strange to your religion in the first place?
You may say: "This was in the beginning; we now celebrate it as the birthday of Christ." Okay, and who is Christ to you, my Christian neighbor? He is the "Son of the Lord," who is at the same time "the Lord incarnate in humans."
This doctrine, as a Muslim, I do not see it as something worth celebrating, but rather as the most dangerous thing for you, and I am afraid for you because of it, as I have mercy on you and wish you well and care for you; for I fear that you may die in shirk (associating partners with God).
I have mercy on you because my role model, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "My example and your example is like that of a man who lit a fire, and when it illuminated what was around him, the insects and animals that fall into the fire fall into it, so he pulls them out and they overcome him and fall back into it. I am holding you back from the fire, and you are falling into it."
My Prophet, peace be upon him, is the one who said: "The merciful will be shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Have mercy on those on the earth, and the One in the heaven will have mercy on you." If I saw your house on fire, I would not come and say to you "Merry Christmas," but I would try to save you.
As a Muslim, I love the Prophet of God, Jesus, peace be upon him, and I consider myself closer to him than you, as our Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "I am the closest of people to Jesus." Do you know why? Because according to the Quran that I believe in, Christ said: {O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Indeed, he who associates others with Allah has forbidden himself Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers.}
I address you with the same address of Jesus, peace be upon him, and I am afraid for you from the anger of Allah, who said: {And they say, "The Most Merciful has taken a son." You have done an atrocious thing. The heavens are almost torn apart from it and the earth splits open and the mountains collapse in ruins. That they attribute to the Most Merciful a son.}
As a Muslim, I am proud of my religion. Do not expect me to congratulate you on this holiday or participate in it and expose myself to the anger of Allah, betray you instead of saving you, just to appear socially integrated or to avoid being accused of backwardness and sectarianism. Believe me, my sincerity and my concern for your well-being are more important than all this talk, and I am not ready to laugh at you just to not hurt your feelings.
We have a proverb that says: "May Allah have mercy on those who cry for me, and may He not have mercy on those who laugh at me." I will not laugh at you because your feelings matter to me, yes, they matter to me, but saving you from the anger of Allah matters to me more.
Okay, my fellow Muslims, does not your book say to you: {Allah does not forbid you from those who did not fight you because of religion and did not expel you from your homes - to treat them kindly and act justly towards them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.}
Yes, and for that reason, I am good to you; if a relative of yours dies, I console you with legal words, and if you have a social occasion, I give you a gift, if you graduate or get married or rejoice in a social occasion (non-religious) I congratulate you with legal words.
My religion commands me to be just with you in financial transactions and all transactions; I am your colleague, I help you, and I do not compete with you in an unrighteous competition, and you are a student of mine, so I give you the best I can, and I am your neighbor, so I am with you in the utmost cleanliness and give you your right; because my Lord said to me: {Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due and when you judge between people to judge with justice.}
My religion commands me to be trustworthy and trust you, so that you trust me with your blood, your wealth, and your honor, so I do not betray you, deceive you, or violate your sanctity. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "The believer is the one whom people trust with their blood and wealth." Thus, absolutely.
My religion instructs me to fulfill my covenants with you, to uphold your kinship if you are a relative, and to strive to take your right and support you if you are oppressed, even if the oppressor is a Muslim? Yes, even if the oppressor is a Muslim; because the religion of truth revolves with the truth wherever it goes.
As a Muslim, I am proud of my religion and I am good to you, my Christian neighbor, and perhaps I am better to you than a son of your religion, and note that I do all this to draw near to Allah the Almighty, not out of hypocrisy or worldly interests or for the sake of "national unity"; because national unity does not have a paradise that I work for nor a fire that I flee from, but I do that to draw near to Allah who commanded me with all this and made paradise and fire upon it.
My greatest joy, my Christian neighbor, is when I convince you to enter Islam, just as I rejoiced when one of the Christians from your country embraced Islam in my home after discussions, kindness, and good treatment, praise be to God. As for congratulating you on the "birth of the Lord" as you see it, it is either that I partake in what I consider shirk (associating partners with God), or that I do not mean what I say and thus lie to you and deceive you; no, I do not lie nor deceive.
As for those scholars who say that such congratulations are an act of "kindness," their words are invalid. In Islam, we do not have a "priesthood" or religious men who can change what God has commanded. The Messenger of God ﷺ, upon whom the verse was revealed, {Be good to them and act justly when dealing with them}, and the Companions and scholars of Muslims throughout the centuries understood the verse and acted upon it. None of them understood that congratulating you on what you call the "birth of the Lord" is an act of kindness.
You may say, "O Muslim, why do you not celebrate with me, while you intend to celebrate Prophet Isa, and I celebrate Isa as Lord?" Of course not. My religion commands me to be an independent, influential person, not one who is influenced: {You are the best nation ever brought forth to humanity}. As Muslims, we must be a model for nations to follow in truth, not follow them, and this is the honor and dignity of Islam.
Our Prophet ﷺ said: "Every nation has its own festival" as reported by Bukhari and Muslim. Look at the wording: "Every nation has its own festival," similar to the composition of God's statement: {For each of you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way}, and His statement: {For each one of you, there is a direction to which he turns}. Just as we have our qibla (direction of prayer), our law, and our way, we have our own festivals.
Even if you say, "We celebrate with the intention that it is just a new year and we do not mean religious beliefs," this does not help; because even if you do not celebrate with religious intent, others celebrate it on this basis and raise polytheistic slogans. The Muslim must distinguish himself from these celebrations and dissociate from them.
The Muslim is distinguished by his personality and appearance, even in ordinary matters; Bukhari and Muslim reported that the Messenger of God ﷺ said: "The Jews and Christians do not dye their hair, so be different from them" (meaning, dye your gray hair). This is despite the fact that gray hair is a natural condition, so what about celebrations that have doctrinal origins? This distinction is not arrogance, but Islam wants Muslims to be a standard model and a pure example for nations, so that no matter how people's ways go astray, their customs change, and they are influenced by ignorance, Muslims remain with their purity and distinction as a beacon for nations that lights the way.
Before I conclude, I would like to mention to you a text that clarifies the reality of this holiday from your books; in the book "The Nativity: The Metamorphosis, the Divine Appearance" by "Tallis Al-Maqari," it is said: "The early church did not have a specific day determined for celebrating the birth of Lord Christ, and Origen objects to celebrating birthdays as he considers them a pagan custom."
Finally, my Christian neighbor: {Say, 'My Lord has guided me to a straight path, a correct religion, the religion of Abraham, a monotheist. He was not of those who associate partners with God.}. I invite you to "a word of equality" that will bring you to monotheism, because I hope that just as we were neighbors in this world, we will be neighbors in Paradise: {Say, 'O People of the Book, come to a word of equality between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate no partners with Him, and that some of us take others as lords besides God.' If they turn away, say, 'Bear witness that we are Muslims.}."
I ask God to guide you and to guide the Muslim youth who flatter you at the expense of deceiving you and their hereafter. Peace be upon those who follow guidance.