What is the ruling on congratulating the Christians on their festivals, and is that considered an affirmation of their falsehood?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, what is the ruling on congratulating the Christians on their festivals? And is that considered an affirmation of their falsehood?
The Shaykh:
Yes, it is not permissible to congratulate them on their festivals because they are false. He says:[Al-Furqan 25:72] and falsehood is the festivals of the disbelievers; one does not attend them, nor congratulate their people, nor give them gifts on the occasion, because this is aiding them and affirming their falsehood. It is not permissible to congratulate them on their religious festivals. Yes.
The questioner:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, a man.
The Shaykh:
Meaning, like the Mawlid festival, the festival of the celebration, and Nowruz; the festivals of the disbelievers, it is not permissible to congratulate them on them; because if one congratulates them, he has affirmed what they are upon and encouraged them in what they are upon. Yes.
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, what is the ruling on congratulating the Christians on their festivals? And is that considered an affirmation of their falsehood?
The Shaykh:
Yes, it is not permissible to congratulate them on their festivals because they are false. He says:
And [they are] those who do not testify to falsehood
وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَشْهَدُونَ الزُّورَThe questioner:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, a man.
The Shaykh:
Meaning, like the Mawlid festival, the festival of the celebration, and Nowruz; the festivals of the disbelievers, it is not permissible to congratulate them on them; because if one congratulates them, he has affirmed what they are upon and encouraged them in what they are upon. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، [99 -1024] ما حكم تهنئة النصارى بأعيادهم، وهل يعتبر ذلك إقرارا لهم على الباطل؟ - الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.