Christmas Day refers to celebrating the birthday of Isa (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ), Jesus as Christians call him. Christians believe that Isa (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) was born on December 25th, so in this joy, they celebrate this day as a joyful occasion. In different regions of the world, Christmas is remembered by different names, and the major Christian sects celebrate this day as a sacred religious festival by the name of Christmas with great fanfare. Let’s look at all the myths that are performed in the name of the birth of Isa (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ).
Meaning of the Word ‘Christmas’
Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D., a retired Professor of Church History and Theology, at Andrews University, explains the meaning of Christmas:
“The term “Christmas” is not found in the Bible. It derives from “Christ + Mass,” that is, from the Mass Catholics celebrate in honor of Christ’s birth on the night of December 25. Surprisingly, there is no mention in the New Testament of any the celebration of the anniversary of the birth of Christ. The Gospels’ accounts of Jesus’ birth are very brief, consisting only of few verses.”
(The Date and Meaning of Christmas)
Professor Herbert W. Armstrong writes about the meaning of Christmas:
“The word “Christmas” means “Mass of Christ,” or, as it came to be shortened, “Christ-Mass.” It came to non-Christians and Protestants from the Roman Catholic Church. And where did they get it? NOT from the New Testament — NOT from the Bible — NOT from the original apostles who were personally instructed by Christ — but it gravitated in the fourth century into the Roman Church from paganism.”
(The Plain Truth about Christmas)
The Birthday of Isa (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ)
Although Christian nations around the world celebrate the birthday of Isa (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) i.e. Christmas day on December 25th with great enthusiasm, some Christian realism schools of thought admit that December 25 is not the Real day of his birth an innovation taken from other Pagan nations. Not only this, but the date of Christmas has never been the same in the Church’s history because the date of birth of Isa (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ). The actual date is not known with certainty from any source.
Isa (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) was Born in the Summer
According to the Qur’an and the Bible, it is proven that Isa (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) was born in summer. December is not the month of summer, but rather of winter. The authentic proof of this is that according to narrationt of the Qur’an, when Maryam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) sat under a palm tree after the birth of Isa (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ), Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) ordered her to eat ripe dates from the tree. Remember that dates ripen in summer, not in winter. Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) says in Surah Maryam:
فَأَجَاءَهَا الْمَخَاضُ إِلَىٰ جِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ قَالَتْ يَا لَيْتَنِي مِتُّ قَبْلَ هَٰذَا وَكُنتُ نَسْيًا مَّنسِيًّا ﴿٢٣﴾ فَنَادَاهَا مِن تَحْتِهَا أَلَّا تَحْزَنِي قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا ﴿٢٤﴾ وَهُزِّي إِلَيْكِ بِجِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ تُسَاقِطْ عَلَيْكِ رُطَبًا جَنِيًّا ﴿٢٥﴾ فَكُلِي وَاشْرَبِي وَقَرِّي عَيْنًا ۖ فَإِمَّا تَرَيِنَّ مِنَ الْبَشَرِ أَحَدًا فَقُولِي إِنِّي نَذَرْتُ لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ صَوْمًا فَلَنْ أُكَلِّمَ الْيَوْمَ إِنسِيًّا ﴿٢٦﴾
And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She said, “Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten.” But he called her from below her, “Do not grieve; your Lord has provided beneath you a stream. And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates. So eat and drink and be contented. And if you see from among humanity anyone, say, ‘Indeed, I have vowed to the Most Merciful abstention, so I will not speak today to [any] man.’ “
[Maryam: 23-26]
In addition to the Qur’an, the Bible also proves that Isa (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) was born in the summer or spring. Because according to the Bible, on the night Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) was born, some shepherds were grazing their sheep and goats around them. As mentioned in the Bible:
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
(Luke 2:8)
In Encyclopedia Britannica, Hans J. Hillerbrand writes about the origin of Christmas that:
“The precise origin of assigning December 25 as the birth date of Jesus is unclear. The New Testament provides no clues in this regard. December 25 was first identified as the date of Jesus’ birth by Sextus Julius Africanus in 221 and later became the universally accepted date. One widespread explanation of the origin of this date is that December 25 was the Christianizing of the dies solis invicti nati (“day of the birth of the unconquered sun”), a popular holiday in the Roman Empire that celebrated the winter solstice as a symbol of the resurgence of the sun, the casting away of winter and the heralding of the rebirth of spring and summer.”
The Reality of Christmas
An article on “Christmas” written in The Encyclopedia Americana, 1944 edition, explains the origin of Christmas as:
“It was, according to many authorities, not celebrated in the first centuries of the Christian church, as the Christian usage in general was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than their birth… A feast was established in memory of this event [Christ’s birth] in the fourth century. In the fifth century the Western Church ordered it to be celebrated forever on the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol [the sun], as no certain knowledge of the day of Christ’s birth existed.”
The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911 edition, published by that church says as follows under the heading “Christmas:”
“Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church…..the first evidence of the feast is from Egypt. Pagan customs centering around the January calends gravitated to Christmas.”
Martin G. Collins comments on Christmas in the Forerunner Commentary:
“After Nimrod’s death (c. 2167 BC), Semiramis promoted the belief that he was a god. She claimed that she saw a full-grown evergreen tree spring out of the roots of a dead tree stump, symbolizing the springing forth of a new life for Nimrod. On the anniversary of his birth, she said, Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts under it. His birthday fell on the winter solstice at the end of December.”
Christmas Day in the Light of Christian Teachings
The Bible also forbids participation in the festivals, feasts, and Eid of polytheists. The Lord says:
“Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the LORD, “Do not learn the way of the [pagan] nations”
(Jeremiah 10:1-2)
Also, this festival was not in the true religion of Isa (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ), but later the Roman priests made it a symbol of the religion, so undoubtedly it is an innovation in Christianity. And innovation is forbidden in many places in the Bible. The commandment of the Lord is:
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
(Galatians 5:19-21)
It is also mentioned in the Bible that:
“But [in those days] false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will subtly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves.”
(2 Peter 2:1)
The Rulings of Christmas Day
Now I want to put in front of you the reality of Christmas Day, which is very important for every Muslim to be aware of so that he does not fall into ignorance and ruin his world and the Hereafter.
Disbelief and Shirk
December 25 is a religious festival for Christians which they celebrate as Christmas Day. According to Christian belief, Isa (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) was born on the 25th of December and according to their belief, Isa (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) is the son of God, as if according to Christians, a son was born to God on December 25 (God Forbid). While this is a very wrong belief according to Islamic teachings, calling someone the son of Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) entails disbelief and shirk, and it is the most severe word to offend Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ). Because when we subconsciously wish someone a ‘Merry Christmas,’ we are agreeing that Allah ﷺ has (Naudhubillah) begotten a son. Acknowledging this leads to disbelief and shirk. In Surah Al-Ikhlas, Allah Almighty rejects these false beliefs and says:
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ﴿١﴾ اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ ﴿٢﴾ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ ﴿٣﴾ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ ﴿٤﴾
Say, “He is Allah, [who is] One, (1) Allah, the Eternal Refuge. (2) He neither begets nor is born, (3) Nor is there to Him any equivalent.” (4)
[Al-Ikhlas]
In this Surah, there is a rejection of many religions i.e. Christians, Jews, polytheistic Arabs, philosophers, and Hindus because Christians consider ISA (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) to be the son of Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) while Jews consider Uzayr (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) to be His son. Arab polytheists consider the angels to be the daughters of Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) and Hindus consider millions of creatures as Gods. Whereas the philosophers say that the Ten Metaphysical Intelligences are derived from Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) and are running the system of the universe and the so-called Muslims, who say that the Prophet ﷺ and the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt were born from the personal light of Allah Almighty are also rejected.
Christmas Day! The Cause of Great Anger and Wrath of Allah
In other words, calling someone a son of Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) is so dangerous and terrifying that due to this, the system of the universe may be disrupted, the earth and the sky may explode and mountains may crumble. Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) says in the Qur’an:
وَقَالُوا اتَّخَذَ الرَّحْمَٰنُ وَلَدًا ﴿٨٨﴾ لَّقَدْ جِئْتُمْ شَيْئًا إِدًّا ﴿٨٩﴾ تَكَادُ السَّمَاوَاتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْهُ وَتَنشَقُّ الْأَرْضُ وَتَخِرُّ الْجِبَالُ هَدًّا ﴿٩٠﴾ أَن دَعَوْا لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ وَلَدًا ﴿٩١﴾ وَمَا يَنبَغِي لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا ﴿٩٢﴾
And they say, “The Most Merciful has taken [for Himself] a son.” You have done an atrocious thing. The heavens almost rupture therefrom and the earth splits open and the mountains collapse in devastation. That attribute to the Most Merciful a son. And it is not appropriate for the Most Merciful that He should take a son.
[Maryam 88-92]
Just imagine and think for a moment that will we not participate in their disbelief and shirk by offering Christmas greetings to Christians. By congratulating them, will we not commit the great crime of confessing their false faith?
The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
“None is more patient than Allah against the harmful saying. He hears from the people they ascribe children to Him, yet He gives them health and (supplies them with) provision.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari 6099)
Christmas Day is tantamount to blaspheming Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ)
The Prophet (ﷺ) said,
“Allah said: ‘The son of Adam tells a lie against Me, though he hasn’t the right to do so. He abuses me though he hasn’t the right to do so. As for his telling a lie against Me, it is his saying that I will not recreate him as I created him for the first time. In fact, the first creation was not easier for Me than the new creation. As for his abusing Me, it is his saying that Allah has begotten children, while I am the One, the Self-Sufficient Master Whom all creatures need, I beget not, nor was I begotten, and there is none like unto Me.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari 4974)
In essence, if you are still wondering whether you should be wishing your Christian friends and colleagues a ‘Very Merry Christmas’ on Christmas Day means to congratulate Allah for having a son. Are you ready to do this?
