In our country, Kenya, there are celebrations that imitate the festivals of the Christians, involving slaughtering and lectures, so that their children do not go to the Christians, and gifts are exchanged.
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The questioner : May Allah bless your knowledge, O Shaykh: We have a festival every year around this time.
The Shaykh : Where in your country is it?
The questioner : In Kenya.
The Shaykh : In Kenya, yes, I see, because we are currently in Unaizah.
The questioner : As is known, currently.
The Shaykh : What is it that you have?
The questioner : They do this every year, once a year.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : For example, the Christians celebrate the birthday of Isa every year. Now, the Muslims have made a custom of gathering for three days, slaughtering and giving lectures among themselves. They said: Instead of our children and our people going with the Christians, we will gather them in one place and feed them. What is the ruling on this slaughter? Is it considered imitating the disbelievers? And regarding the gifts exchanged among the Christians, is there any issue with that? May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Yes, there are two things, not just one. The first is accommodating these Christians by establishing a festival in Islam like their festival. This means that they have accepted this festival of the Christians. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his book *Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimmah*: "If it is not disbelief, it is certainly forbidden". Accepting the rituals of disbelief is not a trivial matter; it is not trivial. Therefore, this is forbidden and not permissible.
As for the second thing: If we establish such festivals, the young generation will believe that we celebrated just as they did, and they will not know that our parents' intention was to keep them occupied with this instead of the festivals of the disbelievers. Their zeal will leave their hearts based on this assumption they have made. Therefore, we see that it is never permissible to invent a festival to imitate these Christians. However, it is possible to teach their children that this is not our festival; it is a festival for the disbelievers, and we have no part in it.
As for exchanging gifts, this is a matter of consideration and scholarly disagreement. Some said: There is no harm in accepting their gifts if they give them to us on this day. Others say: No, because accepting their gifts makes them feel that we are pleased with their actions and their festivals. Undoubtedly, safety is safer; that is, not accepting their gifts on this occasion is safer for his religion and his honor. Yes.
The questioner : Okay, all...
The Shaykh : They did not slaughter it for other than Allah; rather, they slaughtered it for Allah, but it is an innovative slaughter. Yes.
The Shaykh : Where in your country is it?
The questioner : In Kenya.
The Shaykh : In Kenya, yes, I see, because we are currently in Unaizah.
The questioner : As is known, currently.
The Shaykh : What is it that you have?
The questioner : They do this every year, once a year.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : For example, the Christians celebrate the birthday of Isa every year. Now, the Muslims have made a custom of gathering for three days, slaughtering and giving lectures among themselves. They said: Instead of our children and our people going with the Christians, we will gather them in one place and feed them. What is the ruling on this slaughter? Is it considered imitating the disbelievers? And regarding the gifts exchanged among the Christians, is there any issue with that? May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Yes, there are two things, not just one. The first is accommodating these Christians by establishing a festival in Islam like their festival. This means that they have accepted this festival of the Christians. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his book *Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimmah*: "If it is not disbelief, it is certainly forbidden". Accepting the rituals of disbelief is not a trivial matter; it is not trivial. Therefore, this is forbidden and not permissible.
As for the second thing: If we establish such festivals, the young generation will believe that we celebrated just as they did, and they will not know that our parents' intention was to keep them occupied with this instead of the festivals of the disbelievers. Their zeal will leave their hearts based on this assumption they have made. Therefore, we see that it is never permissible to invent a festival to imitate these Christians. However, it is possible to teach their children that this is not our festival; it is a festival for the disbelievers, and we have no part in it.
As for exchanging gifts, this is a matter of consideration and scholarly disagreement. Some said: There is no harm in accepting their gifts if they give them to us on this day. Others say: No, because accepting their gifts makes them feel that we are pleased with their actions and their festivals. Undoubtedly, safety is safer; that is, not accepting their gifts on this occasion is safer for his religion and his honor. Yes.
The questioner : Okay, all...
The Shaykh : They did not slaughter it for other than Allah; rather, they slaughtered it for Allah, but it is an innovative slaughter. Yes.