Important Question about Holidays

“….Allah has replaced these days for you with that which is better…..”

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

The Brothers at RiMarket.Net posed the following question to Our Brother in Al-Islaam and Sheikh Badr Al-Utaybee:

As Salaamu Alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu wa Ahsan Allahu Ilaykum:
We are writing to you from America with a very important question and we desire that you, oh Noble Sheikh, elaborate in your response. The question: One of the Muslims, who is responsible for the affairs of the students at one of the Universities here in America, encourages the students to celebrate Halloween, which is a holiday of the disbelievers.

This holiday is distinguished by the fact its origin includes magic, devil worshipping, as well as men and women resembling one another, May Allah help us. So this individual said to the students, as he encouraged them to celebrate this holiday: “The Fundamental ruling pertaining to things is that they are permissible, and the Book of Allah nor the Sunnah mention this Holiday specifically, so therefore it is permissible to celebrate it, not as a means of worship, but merely as a custom or tradition.”
So what is the Legislative Ruling pertaining to this individual, and what is your advice to him, keeping in mind he will read your response?

Ash-Sheikh Badr Al-Utaybee responded with the following:

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الحمد لله رب العالمين، وصلى الله وسلم على نبينا محمد، وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين، أما بعد:

Know, May Allah make you successful, that there is nothing that exists which is outside of Allah’s legislation. Even the things which are merely permissible, they are only permissible because Allah has made them permissible. For this reason, the Scholars of Al-Islaam have included “Mubaah” (permissible/allowable) as one of the five legislative rulings: Obligatory, Recommended, Permissible, disliked, and impermissible. So nothing is allowable or permissible except after the legislation has made it permissible. The celebration of holidays, even if they be from the customs and common practices of the people, is restricted by the Islamic Legislation, because Allah did not leave the celebration of Holidays to be from the permissible affairs, but rather the legislation prohibits taking any day as an annual holiday except the two annual Eids: Eid Al-Adhaa and Eid Al-Fitr and the weekly Jum’aah.

Legislatively, it is not permissible to take any other day as a holiday based on the following evidence, and the impermissibility becomes more intense if these holidays are from the celebrations of the disbelievers and evil sinners. In such a situation there are two affairs that prevent taking these days as holidays:
• This Holiday is a newly invented celebration.
• It is giving life to and honoring the religion of the people of misguidance, and affirming the falsehood which they are upon.

It is reported by Abu Dawood in As-Sunan, as well as Ahmad, An-Nasaaii, and others on the authority of Anas bin Malik, May Allah be pleased with him, he said:


قدم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم المدينة ولهم يومان يلعبون فيهما فقال ما هذان اليومان قالوا كنا نلعب فيهما في الجاهلية فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إن الله قد أبدلكم بهما خيرا منهما يوم الأضحى ويوم الفطر


The Messenger of Allah came to Al-Medina and the people had two days that they used to take as days to play. So he said: “What are these two days?” They said: We used to play during these days before Al-Islaam, in the time of Al-Jahiliyah. So the Messenger said: “Indeed Allah has replaced these days for you, with that which is better: The Day of Al-Adhaa and theDay of Al-Fitr”

So reflect over the fact that the Messenger prohibited them from celebrating these days, in which they were not doing anything except playing. So what about a holiday that includes disbelief, disobedience, and intermingling between men and women, and much evil is spread?
Certainly this is much more dangerous and harmful, and more clearly impermissible.

Based on this, it is incumbent upon this individual who is responsible for the Muslim students to not approve of this behavior and to not celebrate this holiday, and to not bare the sin of these students and not to encourage them to engage in sin, and resembling the disbelievers. And I hope that he does not share the beliefs of the disbelievers, and that he does not support the non-Muslims in what they do and believe during this holiday, even though he made a fatal mistake when he thought that the fundamental ruling pertaining to holidays is that they are permissible. And he made another mistake, when he applied this principle to a holiday known as a holiday of the disbelievers, evil-doers, and devil worshippers.

So it is desired that the individual mentioned, fears Allah, the Most High, and that he becomes responsible, and cultivates the youth upon obedience to Allah, holding firm to Al-Islaam.
Allah’s knows best, May Allah send Peace and Blessings upon His Messenger.

Written by
Badr bin Ali bin Taamee Al-Utaybee
Member of the Committee of D’awah and Islamic Affairs, Taif, Saudi Arabia