Allaah (SWT) has favoured this Ummah (Muslim nation) with Islam, and commanded her to implement it. He (SWT) has made Islam a unique way of life, a distinct pattern in terms of its concepts and rules, and a complete and comprehensive system engulfing all of life's affairs.
Allaah (SWT) says:
"You are the best nation sent to mankind. You enjoin ma'rouf (good i.e. Islam) and forbid munkar (evil i.e. what is forbidden in Islam) and believe in Allah."
(EMQ 3:110)
However, since Islam was discarded from everyday life as a ruling system, the Ummah has gone from bad to worse; the rules of disbelief have been implemented upon her and the concepts of disbelief have become predominant over her.
The West’s invasion of rotten culture and its despicable libertarianism has succeeded in corrupting the Deen, its morals and values. The Western slogans have been adopted by the Muslims along with Western celebrations and festivals.
The West was helped in all this by the rulers who devoted themselves to distancing Islam from life’s affairs and fighting its thoughts and concepts, thus turning the Ummah into what the West had always wanted – secular individuals.
One of the many cultural concepts imposed by the West (i.e. non-Muslims) upon the Muslims is the celebrating of Christmas and the New Year. We supplicate to Allaah (SWT) not to let us see the day when Muslims celebrate the Jewish anniversaries in the way that they do with the celebrations of the Christians.
It is very painful and sorrowful to witness with our own eyes events and hear news about the mass killings, expulsions and humiliation of Muslims at the hands of the Christians of the West, the enemies of Islam all over the world, while some Muslims in this country invite the Americans and other Christians into their homes to celebrate Christmas and the New Year.
Indeed, this should not come as a shock to us since the Ummah has lost her guardian who runs her affairs by Islam and protects her against the concepts of kufr and safeguards the rules of her Deen, maintaining her as Allaah (SWT) ordered, a unique Ummah.
O Muslims! It is forbidden under Sharee'ah rules to take part in the celebrations of the disbelievers, and to imitate them in matters of Deen. Al-Bukhaari reported in his Saheeh on the authority of Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: "You shall follow the ways of those who came before you inch by inch and a step by step, even if they entered a lizard's hole you would follow them". We said: "O Messenger of Allah, you mean the Jews and the Christians?" He replied: "Who else?"
In this hadeeth the Messenger of Allaah (SAW) is mocking those who imitate the disbelievers, and is evidence enough that it is haraam (forbidden) to follow them and to imitate them in their celebrations and festivals. It is also evident that to celebrate the feasts of the disbelievers and their anniversaries is too an imitation to them which Islam has forbidden, and which the Messenger of Allaah (SAW) has warned us against.
At-Tirmidhi reported on the authority of Ibn 'Omar that the Messenger Muhammad (SAW) said: "He is not one of us he who imitates other people. Do not imitate the Jews and the Christians."
At-Tabaraani reported on the authority of Ibn 'Omar and Hudhayfah that the Messenger of Allaah (SAW) said: "He who imitates other people becomes one of them." It has also been stated in the Sharee'ah texts that it is forbidden for the Muslims to have any 'eids (celebrations) apart from the two 'eids of al-Fitr and al-Ad'hah.
Al-Bayhaqi reported in his Sunan on the authority of Anas bin Maalik who said: "The Messenger of Allaah (SAW) came to al-Madeenah while the Madeenans had two days in Jaahiliyyah [days before Islam] which they celebrated, so he (SAW) said: 'I came to you while you have two days from the times of Jaahiliyyah which you celebrate, and Allaah (SWT) has swapped these two days by two better days: The Day of Sacrifice and the Day of Fitr'."
Imaam Ahmed reported in his Musnad on the authority of 'Uqbah Ibnu 'Aamir that the Messenger of Allaah (SAW) said: "And we have the Day of Fitr, the Day of Nahr (sacrifice) and the days of Tashreeq are our 'Eids, us the people of Islam."
These texts serve as clear evidence that it is forbidden for Muslims to have days of celebration other than those decreed by Allah (SWT). They are therefore forbidden from taking part in the disbelievers' celebrations and from celebrating such occasions themselves, and are forbidden from attending such celebrations, even if they are invited.
Such occasions lead to corruption and dissolution, and they have become an opportunity for every faasiq (rebellious Muslim) to commit sinful acts, and consume alcohol and drugs. The media on these occasions tend to broadcast programmes of bad taste and of all types of immoralities and corruption. They pollute peoples' minds and kill off all kinds of high morals, dignity and chastity.
O Muslims! The Ummah will continue to be pinned under the concepts and rules of disbelief, and which will continue to dominate her. The mentality of the Muslims will continue to be shaped according to the Western viewpoint, unless we begin to rid ourselves of it all and work towards establishing the Khilaafah Raashidah (Islamic state), which will implement the Book of Allaah (SWT) and the Sunnah of His Messenger (SAW), and will shed off the injustice, tyranny and corruption which looms over the Muslims, who as a result have lost their might and their identity, and who have become casualties of the Kuffaar (non-Muslims) and their surrogates who implement upon them the rules of kufr which contradict their 'aqeedah (Islamic belief) and the rules of their Deen.
Therefore, it is to the khilaafah that we call you to work for, O Muslims! The Messenger of Allaah (SAW) said: "The Imaam is but a shield from behind which people fight and protect themselves." (Saheeh al-Bukhaari)
