Abdur-Raheem McCarthy – Attending Annual Dinners and Christmas Parties

			Then what about the question that always comes each year, which is attending annual dinners, at the
Christmas dinners at the companies that we work in? And we're going there just to be part of the
team? You know, because it's part of the objective is not just for the celebration, but also to be
what to be to be part of the team and to build. So is it permissible for us to accept these
invitations and to attend them? The answer is that no, it is haram to accept invitations, because
this is actually worse than congratulating them because it taking part it implies that we we agree
with the celebrations, Imam even will pay mentioned concerning the festivals of the people that book
		

			and attending these he said It is haram and it's not permissible for the Muslims to help them
		

			and or to attend with them. According to the consensus once again, the Iijima the consensus of the
scholars, and then pay attention what He said He said, This was clearly stated by the football Ha,
who follow the 40 maps. We take our there's where we take our religion from, not from what I think
or how you feel or what I feel. He said this is clearly stated from the folklore who will follow the
four Imams who follow the great Imam Abu Hanifa Imam Malik, and Imam Shafi Ahmed, who follow these
four great Imams, he said it's clearly stated in their books, and then he went in detail on his book
cam, let them going into detail quotes from the emails from the MeV hubs, and the prominent scholars
		

			of Islam showing that it is the consensus that is not permissible to accept their invitations or to
attend during this time. Chef Edmund G. Breen Rahim, Allah Tala, he said it's not permissible to
accept their invitations to join them in their celebrations of those festivals, because this
encourages them. And it is equivalent to approving of their bidder or their innovation, which gives
them the wrong idea, or gives the wrong idea to the ignorant people. And it makes them think that
there's nothing wrong with it. People will see that if we go and celebrate at all the Muslims are
doing so there's nothing wrong with it. And then they even fall into issues of disbelief saying way.
		

			And he maybe it's not that bad, what's being celebrated. Maybe it's okay, what's being celebrated
because the Muslims celebrate and attend to them attend these events as well. Here it's important to
point out, as we mentioned before, that if we have strong relations with our non Muslim colleagues,
with our non Muslim boss at work, and they know who you are, we know we're somebody who works hard.
They say mashallah, as Brother I met, mashallah tuberculosis, the Fatima mustard, they're from our
best employees. They're always on time. They never leave early. They never make excuses. They get
the job done. But Masha Allah, when it's time to pray, Fatima
		

			ahmed, it's meeting time they say they're gonna go pray. There's their prayer. When they're when
it's Ramadan, they're fasting. Even though it's long hours, but they're devoted, when we have but we
have a good relationship. They know who you are. They know what good people they know, we care about
the company, they know, we're part of the team. Do you think that these people now we go to them, we
tell them, you know, John, my boss, I'm telling me oh, John, look, you know, I'm Muslim, I don't
celebrate Christmas. So I'm not going to come to the annual dinner. There's big Oh, you're fired,
you know, you're finished, you know, hit the road. Obviously, they're not going to have any issue
		

			that they're in fact, you're going to find as we we've seen them most most times, they support us.
Subhanallah, one of the brothers was telling me a story recently, he said that they had the
Christmas celebration, and he didn't attend. And they started to celebrate, they had a meeting. And
then they went to the celebration. So he said, You know, I'm leaving. I'm not saying I'm not with
you. And he supported him. One of the other Muslims was there. And he was like, you know, should
should I stay? Should I go? So the boss looked at me, like, what are you doing here? You're a
Muslim. You're not supposed to be here. You can go you don't have to stay. So he said, I understand.
		

			And he was like, should I stay? Should I go, your non Muslim boss is telling you now go, you don't
have to stay because he understood and he has nothing in his heart because he knows you're somebody
who's a good person, you're part of the team. But you just don't celebrate this. It's not really
that big of a deal. Unfortunately, I think we as Muslims, we make this more of a big deal than it
really is. But you have a good relationship with your non Muslim colleagues. They don't care if you
celebrate or not, unless you go do your thing. And they do theirs. As long as you both of you are
getting your job done and you're benefiting the company. There's not going to be any problems.