Do the People of the Book participate in their festivals, celebrations, and mourning, and do Muslims offer them condolences and visit them?

The questioner : The question regarding the treatment of the People of the Book: Do they participate in their festivals, celebrations, and mourning, and do Muslims offer them condolences and visit them?

The Shaykh : Absolutely not, this is not permissible.

The questioner : If you would be so kind, could you give a brief summary regarding the treatment of the People of the Book?

The Shaykh : It is not permissible to mix with the People of the Book in their acts of worship or their rituals, especially if they contain disbelief or disobedience. That is one thing. Visiting them on occasions other than their festivals, and visiting their sick, is a different matter, distinct from mixing with them in their festivals.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : The difference is very clear. Our Lord says: . So, associating with these people who are unjust to themselves in their festivals and their invalid acts of worship is not permissible for a Muslim. And he (peace be upon him) said: . He is not drinking, but he is sitting with them, so his sitting with these people who are unjust to themselves is sufficient for him to be sinful, even if they were Muslims, because they are disobeying Allah (Mighty and Majestic) by drinking the forbidden intoxicants. As for visiting sick disbelievers and visiting them while staying away from the festivals and acts of worship we mentioned: We believe this is permissible, indeed recommended. This is for two reasons. First: It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he used to go to the Jews, until it came in the hadith: . Indeed, it is established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) visited a young Jewish man who served him; he visited him, indeed visited him in his illness. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the Jewish boy: . His father was at his head, so the boy raised his eyes to his father, as if consulting him! What is your opinion of this request? This is part of the cunning and stubbornness of the Jews that he said to him: Obey Abu al-Qasim. He is telling his son to obey Abu al-Qasim because he saw him in the illness of death, but he himself does not obey Abu al-Qasim. This is what applies to them in the previous verse: . Indeed, the other verse is explicit: . So when he saw his son on the path to death and parting from this life, he said to him: Obey Abu al-Qasim. So he said: There is no god but Allah, and then he died. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . Therefore, we say that visiting the People of the Book is permissible, because this is established from the Messenger (peace be upon him). Second: This visit must not be a form of flattery, nor a form of hypocrisy toward them, nor an attempt to get close to them. Rather, it should be a means and a preparation for conveying the call of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to them. In that case, this visit becomes one of the prescribed matters. You are not unaware of the difference between such a visit and participating in their festivals.