Greetings

Hello.

See?

Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato. Laws, peace and blessings beyond each and every one of you. We'd like to welcome you to another in our series, the best in Islam, where we're looking at prophetic guidance and divine revelation in the form of the Quranic verses, which identify for us what is best in Islam? What is best from the perspective of Islam. In our previous episode, we looked at what was best in terms of gatherings, that they be wide and spacious, inclusive, what is best with regards to the generations that we should depend on for understanding of the deen and they were the first three generations and we also looked at the importance of ghosal on the omo Juma

taking a full bath on the day of the congregational prayer known as Juma which is the day of Friday.

In this session, we'll be looking at greetings and what is best with regards to them. We have a verse from Surah Nisa, verse 86, in which Allah says, Why are you to be Tahitian for how you be absent? I mean, ha, our duha in a law cannot akula Shay in Hershey bar when you are greeted answer with an even better greeting, or at least a similar greeting. Certainly a lot takes account of all things. This is a basic principle amongst Muslims, we know somebody greets you. Salam aleikum, then you should at least respond. walaikum salam, it is better to respond to alaikum salam wa rahmatullah

wa barakato. To add on to it, to increase it, that is better, but it is perfectly okay just to respond with what was given. And this is understood amongst the believers. We do have narrations from the prophet may God's peace and blessings be upon him, in which he advised that if this believers have greeted us Salaam Alaikum we should respond by saying merely while

we don't complete waalaikumsalam Some people have raised issue about that, why isn't that

somehow

making them in inferior to Muslims, etc? No, it has nothing to do with inferiority. What happened in the time of the prophet may God's peace and blessings be upon him was that the Jews would come to him and say to him, Sam alikoum, which sounds very much like a Salam aleikum. But what they were actually saying was, may you be poisoned instead of May peace be upon you they were saying a Salam aleikum, as opposed to As salam o Allah.

So they were doing that in fun in just cursing the profit. So the prophet may God's peace and blessings be upon him, responded by nearly saying why Aleikum? Whatever you have

conveyed to me, same to you.

So he encouraged Muslims to use that as a general principle. Since we don't know sometimes what people are actually saying, or we don't know their intentions, the intentions behind what they're saying. So if their intentions are not good, we say walakum It's same to you. Wherever you're wishing for us. We wish the same to you. If it is good, then we wish good for you. It is bad and may that bad.

Go back to you. So that was the principle behind it. Not an issue of a person, as a Muslim looking down on other persons who are non Muslims, it's not a matter of that at all. Now,

going from this greeting amongst Muslims are responding to the Muslim greeting given by non Muslims. We could move on to the greetings of non Muslims themselves, when they wish us Merry Christmas, or their wishes, Happy New Year. Can we respond to them and kind?

There are many who say yes, this is what the verse says, at least give them what they gave you. They said Merry Christmas, you should at least go Merry Christmas. And if they say Merry Christmas, you want to give them more you can tell them even Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, give her more.

But others have said, we have to consider what is the meaning of this Merry Christmas is saying and wishing that one may have a happy day celebrating the birth of God,

then this is something abhorrent in Islam. It is against the teachings of Islam. So a Muslim should not celebrate or wish one to be happy on the day of the birth of God because we don't believe God was born. It's not an appropriate greeting. It's inappropriate. It is idolatrous and goes in the face of religion. There are two religion of God. So it's not really acceptable for Muslims, to greet Christians, either beginning or responding to Merry Christmas.

For some who can't understand some people raised the issue, saying that they wish us

happy eat

it mobarak

their wishes, you know, on our days, the law they don't believe. But the point is, are the principles of Eden fitter. And he would add ha

going against the teachings of their religion? No. They believe in the concept of a duel, haha. It's part of the religion, that Prophet Abraham

was to sacrifice his son, when God confirmed from him through his actions, that he was truly ready to obey God around was sent down and that Ram was sacrificed in the place of his son, and something shared. Christians, Jews and Muslims believe this incident took place. So to celebrate that great event is not against Christian teachings. Christians don't do it. Now.

Similarly,

a drill fitter, where we feed the poor, we celebrate the fast of Ramadan, we give the cattle fitter, and we have that day two fitter is a day in which we feast and invite others to eat along with us. Is that something against teachings of Christianity? No.

There's nothing in it against teaching. Prophet Jesus fasted. It's recorded in their own books for 30 days, days and nights. Prophet Moses fasted 40 days and nights, same thing. So fasting is not something looked down upon. Nor is the idea of feasting, afterwards, sharing with the poor, something which goes against the teachings of the religion. So their situation is not the same as ours,

in order to bring the story closer to them, for them to better understand why we cannot participate. You can give them the example of a religion in the US which is recognized. It's known as the Church of Satan. Now the Church of Satan and they have Satan's Bible, and they have rites and rituals which they follow and beliefs concerning Satan. Now, if somebody from that cult or that religion said to a Christian, happy Satan's day,

would that Christian feel comfortable saying back to them happy Satan's Day to you too? Of course not. They would reject it, they would not join in that they will not saying so in the same way that they would not repeat what was said because it contained in it a concept

It was against their religion, Christianity, like Islam, Judaism is against the satanic way against the followers of Satan. So how would they then celebrate through wishing, a merry

Satan's day to others? Not possible. So, for us

to say Merry Christmas is equivalent, because it contains such an abhorrent idea

condemned in the Quran in so many places, that it shouldn't come off the lips of a Muslim.

Similarly, New Year's Day, Happy New Year's Day. Happy New Year's Day is a pagan celebration from ancient Roman times. for January, from Janice, the God who is looked at as the god governing the year, the beginning of the year, is depicted as a two headed man, a man with a face on the front in the back of his head, not two headed but two faced one looking forward to the new year one looking backward to the passing year. This God was worshipped at the beginning of then you hear January, January is named after this God.

And furthermore, the principle that they had was the New Year's Eve night was the night of revelry and

drunkenness, and a free for all everybody and anybody could do anything. Sexual abandonment. On that night, before the entering that was the way of celebrating the entering of the new year. And until today, people on New Year's Eve usually go crazy. It's that tradition has maintained itself. And then of course, there is the greeting of Happy New Year's Day. So as a Muslim we cannot participate in that. We cannot say Happy New Years. And what is involved in it is so abhorrent to Islamic teachings. Now,

the first of Muharram, which is the beginning of the new year in the Islamic calendar.

Also we don't celebrate that day. That day,

is just another day. It varies around the year. We call it it's still looked at as the first of Muharram. But there is no celebration connected to it. There's no reason to celebrate it. for Muslims, we don't engage in its celebration. With that, we're going to take a brief break, and we'll see you after

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