Yasir Qadhi – Ask Shaykh YQ – Episode 38

			Sister I don't know how to pronounce this Mary Lee Mary Lee from Finland emails, Mashallah we have
people watching in Finland. I've never been to Finland. We have a sister from Finland, saying that
she is the only Muslim convert in her family. And all of her family gathers on Christmas. And is the
only time of the year that her family meets, she is the only convert, apparently, from what I
understand, she doesn't have a large community or whatever. And she goes online to do her photos.
And she finds a website. I'm not going to mention it. But it is a website that I'm not too fond of.
In particular, though, she goes on to this website. And she says the scholar sitting 5000 miles away
		

			in the land very far from Finland has said that it is sinful for a convert to go to her family or
his family, whatever, on the day of Christmas, because it is a pagan festival. And she is saying, If
I don't go, I will be very sad because my family has accepted my Islam and is the only time I can
meet the extended family. And if I do go I'm going to feel guilty because this fatwa has said that
I'm sinful for going and she has emailed me asking what is my opinion on this? One?
		

			No D him
		

			the response to this question. What is prohibited in our religion is to worship other than Allah
subhana wa Tada. Right now, I will admit that Buddha and Tarragona ma but what is prohibited is to
worship other than Allah subhanho wa Taala
		

			those fatawa that you're referencing in those websites with the respect that they deserve, they
don't understand what exactly a family gathering at Christmas is. They have never interacted with a
Christian civilization. They are living in a very different world than the ones we inhabit. And so
their understanding is skewed. We all know that a family gathering together on the day of Christmas
or that night of Christmas Eve, and they come together is more of a family event. Generally
speaking, there's zero religion. And if there is it'll be one or two phrases at the beginning in the
very religious families and then they'll move on from that. So the claim that attending a family
		

			gathering on the night of Christmas is the same as worshiping other than Allah subhanho wa Taala is
a claim that can only come from somebody who is not aware of the realities of the cultures that we
are living in. And of course, this is the case here. In my humble opinion. We as Muslims do not
celebrate Christmas, that is true. But your case is different. You are not celebrating. Your family
is gathering together, as is the culture. And she actually mentions in her in her email that in
fact, my family don't even believe in Christianity. And I say even if they did believe in
Christianity, it doesn't matter. You are not celebrating Christmas, when you go to a family event in
		

			your mother and father's house, and they're having a family get together the uncles and aunts are
coming. You are the only Muslim of your extended family with my utmost respect to those scholars who
say otherwise. If you're going to tell this only Muslim lady, the one time she can meet her family
Don't go, then you have no clue what Dawa is in the Western world. You don't understand what it
means for a mohajir lady or a Muslim lady, a man or woman the only one to go and act in a positive
manner. Show them the beauty of Islam, humanize Islam to your uncles and aunts and second cousins.
And third. Well, nobody's going to come together on this day from all over. Except on this day,
		

			excuse me, and the one day the family is going to come somebody 5000 miles away says oh it has had
on for you to go. No It has not had on for you to go not at all. You are not celebrating Christmas,
you are going to fulfill the ties of kinship, that's your Nia, make that your Nia, I'm going to meet
my extended family on the one day where the whole family comes together. Now, if your family is
going to do a religious ritual, before the meal, they're going to invoke a prayer they're going to
say something at that point in time you step back, you excuse yourself beforehand, you tell them
look because I'm a new, you know, convert or whatever. I'm not going to participate if you know
		

			them. In this case, she is saying there is no religion whatsoever. They don't even have is as you
know, the remnant I mean Finland 70% agnostic Anyway, these people 80% you know as this as we know
in these lands, more Muslims go to Juma than Christians go to church on Sunday.
		

			Muslims are 234 percent, there's more Muslims in Juma 234 percent of the population then the 70%
nominal Christians on Sunday, look at the statistics going on here. So even if they were practicing
Christians, when they do something that is related to worshiping Jesus, you do not participate in
that, after they're done with that, to sit on the table, to eat with them to be happy with them.
Obviously, you do not you know, drink Haram, you do not do anything. Obviously, you avoid anything
that is haram to consume pork or anything but other than that your participation in the family
festival does not constitute worshiping other than Allah subhanho wa Taala. And there is no hint of
		

			servitude to other than a law in a generic festival of this nature. So make your Nia to give Dawa.
And by that what I don't mean you have to pass pamphlets out to your family, I mean, your presence,
your dignified presence, your luck, your manners, whoever you were pre Islam, they're going to see a
new view. And that new you will be 1000 times a million times better than the old view. That is your
power right there. And so your participation, far from being How long? I actually think it is, Mr.
hub, go, go and participate. And your new year should be I'm participating to present what it means
to be a Muslim in this society. And insha Allah with either the Silvia stepping stone for others to
		

			ask you more and more so that inshallah many of them will be sympathetic to Islam and maybe even
beyond this and convert to Islam. So that is the next question. No problem to go to a and this is
for the Convert obviously, the Muslim should not have any Festival on their own. That's not what
they should do. And the Muslim should not for no reason go to a friend's house on this day. What's
the purpose of doing that? You're we have our culture we have our civilization. This is the photo
I'm giving to the Convert whose whole family is Christian in that scenario is different and Eliza
widow knows best
		

			in a feed.
		

			Leah,
		

			Leah to Gemma