We’re living in a very confused time period. The last two centuries have seen large scales of migration of Muslims from Muslim lands into non-Muslim lands. This is something which has actually never happened in the entire 1400 year history of Islam. Muslims have for the most part stayed in their lands, unless the intention to move was for spreading Islam. The only circumstance in which Muslims emigrated in large waves to foreign lands was for spreading the deen, however in today’s world it is mostly due to political and economical reasons. Of course, with this large scale outward migration and increased globalization, the Muslims of the world are growing more and more confused about their own deen.
The month of October is one which in the west garners attention as a month which is shrouded in superstition and traditions revolving around devils and evil spirits. The hallmark of this month is the celebration of Halloween which is celebrated in many western nations. A strong Muslim will stay away from anything that has to do with this satanic festival. Unfortunately, many mainstream Muslims in the west find it perfectly permissible to partake in this festival of Shaytaan. They participate in ways such as having costume parties where they dress up, or taking children out for trick or treating. For Muslims in the west, there is a definite identity crisis. This is especially evident in the Muslim youth who grow up around liberal surroundings where these sorts of things are thought of as being permissible. However, many Muslims don’t realize that this is a very evil day and the origins of this “Halloween” are in fact very dark. Historians have linked Halloween to the medieval celebration of Samhain, the Celtic festival of the summer’s end celebrated in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. According to Celtic mythology, the veil between the “Otherworld” and our world thins during Samhain, making it easier for spirits and the souls of the dead to return. For a strong Muslim, this is a day we should seek protection from. Even today, there are groups of people in the western world who use this a holy day for their satanic beliefs. Satanists everywhere take great pride in this day and it’s wicked customs.
One doesn’t need to look far to find the Christian origins of this evil day. “Hallow” itself means holy person. This holy person or persons is in reference to the saints that are celebrated on All Saints Day which is November 1. The “een” in Halloween is a contraction of “eve” or evening before. Halloween is essentially an antiquated way of saying the night before All Saints Day – also known as Hallowmas or All Hallows’ Day. This comes from the fact that November 1 is All Saints’ Day, a Christian feast dedicated to celebrating faithful departed, including all the saints. In Christian tradition, people start celebrating major feasts the night before they take place — take Christmas Eve, for instance.
Trick or treating also has a very mysterious and vague background. Ancient Celts dressed up as evil spirits in order to confuse demons. In medieval England, “soulers” would go around begging rich folk for “soul cakes” on Halloween. Instead of threatening to play tricks, however, they’d pray for peoples’ souls in return for the cake.
Ultimately, it comes down to a Muslim having a strong identity and iman. We are blessed by Allah (swt) in that we have happy festivals such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, as well as Jumu’ah. Our traditions and beliefs are superior in every way to the ways of the disbelievers, yet we find it necessary to try and imitate them in as many ways possible. All because Muslims live in the west does not mean they have to imitate the people in their actions. How many non-Muslims are celebrating Eid? How many are celebrating Jumu’ah or Ramadan? I can guarantee that number is close to 0. Why do we as Muslims find it so necessary to imitate the disbelievers?
This celebration is nothing but a festival for Shaytaan and Muslims are increasingly becoming more open and receptive to it. Many masajid in the west will purposely try and host family nights on Halloween to try and keep the kids out of the trick or treating custom. Unfortunately, there will always be that group of Muslims who will ask, “What’s the harm in celebrating? What’s the harm in asking for candy?” The harm is that slowly but surely, by introducing these foreign concepts into our lifestyle, Islam will cease to exist in those individuals’ descendants. The next step after Halloween will be Christmas, etc. That question of “What’s the harm in celebrating” will always persist. It depends on the kind of identity a person wants their future generations to have.
Abdullah ibn Umar said: The Prophet (saw) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”
Narrated by Abu Dawood
The one who imitates the disbelievers feels that inferior and defeated, so he/she will make up for his/her feelings of inadequacy by imitating those whom he admires. If these people were to ponder the greatness of Islamic culture and traditions and understand how corrupt is that civilization they are running after, they would realize that they are doing wrong.
May Allah (swt) allow Islam to thrive in the non-Muslim lands. Ameen.
My Daily Deen 