A R C H I V E S
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Halloween |
|---|
| Kathy |
| 10/17/02 at 15:21:28 |
| [slm] Tonight I am going to tell the Kids at the Masjid this story about Halloween. I did some research and thought maybe some of the parents who come to this site may benefit from this. It is a bit choppy- because it is going to be read out loud with a picture board. At the end I am going to discuss what life must have been like for Ibrahim (aas) and Muhammad [saw]at the pagan festivals.Ibrahim raa and the idols. "When it is said unto them, 'Come to what Allah has revealed, come to the Messenger,' they say, 'Enough for us are the ways we found our fathers following.' What! Even though their fathers were void of knowledge and guidance?" (Al- Maida, 5:104) Muhammad pbuh - festivities of the Kaba “Those who, witness no falsehood, and if they pass by futility,(some evil play or evil talk), they pass it by with dignity” [al-Furqaan 25:72 ] “Help you one another in righteousness and piety; but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is strict in punishment”[al- Maida 5:2] 1. Avoid it, it's a night of evil. Shaytan is our open enemy and we do not play with evil. 2. Trick or treating is really kids begging for candy. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) disliked and discouraged begging. 3. Explain that every one of our occasions has a meaning For Muslims, our holidays always have a good, positive meaning. For example, at Eid-ul-Fitr, we celebrate our joy in fasting during the blessed month of Ramadan, which is a time we strive to get closer to Allah and be better Muslims. Halloween, on the other hand, is celebrated partly as a reminder of Shaytan, who is evil, and from whom everyone should avoid and seek refuge in Allah from. 4.Emphasize that there is nothing wrong with being different. This is crucial because there will be other occasions later on in their academic lives when Muslim children must not participate in school activities (for example, the Prom.) This does not mean permanent exclusion from all activities, but it means that as Muslims, they can take what is good, but they also have to learn to reject what is bad in a wise manner./ 6. Don't send them to school the day of Halloween if there's a party. Then I will discuss all the physical dangers. [code]“It is the last night of October. By the light of the moon, a small group of costumed figures move from house to house stating their demands and dire threats. Guarding some doorsteps are grimacing pumpkin (sic turnip)heads glowing with burning candles, made from human fat. Other doors drip with Celtic blood. It is the night of Samhain, Celtic lord of the dead.” Schools, malls, and grocery stores are decorated for Halloween. What you see are the decorations, the sales of candy and pumpkins. Cute costumes of Princesses, Pokemon, Spiderman and Powder Puff Girls are on the racks, as well as vampires, devils and witches. Every year, on October 31st, children paint their faces, dress up in costumes, and go door to door trick or treating. Houses are decorated with scary figures, carved pumpkins, and spooky animals. Unfortunately, some of these kids are Muslims! From an Islamic standpoint, Halloween is one of the worst celebrations because of its origins and history. Behind this celebration there is a harram basis. It is really Shirk, a celebration of satan and evil. Even tho there may be some seemingly good or harmless elements in those practices, Prophet Muhammad (saws) said "Every innovation (in our religion) is misguidance, even if the people regard it as something good" (ad-Daarimee.) THE ORIGIN OF HALLOWEEN Halloween is about the Samhain. Samhain was the lord of the dead. On New Year's day, the pagan Celts celebrated the beginning of winter in the British Isles (in the 2nd century BC). They celebrated a joint festival for the sun god and the lord of the dead. The sun was thanked for the harvest. The pagans also made sacrifices of animals and crops in order to please the gods. They even demanded money from people to give thier devils. The Druids (a religious order of priests, soothsayers and poets) would light bonfires on Halloween, for the purpose of warding off all these spirits. Bonfires were originally bonefires. By observing the way one died they would predict the future. It was called the Day of the Dead. It was believed that on this night the dead walked amongst them, and that witches and warlocks flew in their midst. The devil, spirits and witches were also believed to be at the height of their power. The priests would leave food and drink to the partiers who were disguised in masks and costumes. When Christianity came to the British Isles, the church tried to take attention away from these pagan rituals by inventing a Christian holiday on the same day. The spirits of Samhain were now recognized as evil. Devout Christians began rejecting this festival. They had realized that the so-called gods, goddesses, and other spiritual beings of the pagan religions, were false. It was the devil who misled people toward the worship of false idols. So they began to reject the customs of Halloween, including symbols of the dead, the devil and other evil creatures. The Christian festival, the Feast of All Saints, acknowledges the saints of the Christian faith in the same way that pagans paid tribute to their pagan gods. The Christians just replaced one form of shirk with another. Many Satan-worshipers consider the evening of October 31st to be their most sacred. And many devout Christians today continue to distance themselves from this pagan festival. The Pope, in the eight century, decided to Christianize this pagan holiday since he wanted people to leave the pagan’s religion and the practices associated with it, and made November 1 All Saints' Day or All Hallows' (Holy) Day. This is now a day they remember all of the Christians who died for their faith. THE ORIGIN OF "TRICK OR TREAT" Celts tried to pacify their gods,spirits, and ghosts. They would leave out food, hoping that this would please them. If they did not leave a thing, they thought the spirits would play evil "tricks" on those living in that house. The priests required human sacrifices. They would go door to door and ask for a virgin daughter. A hexagram was painted on the door in blood to show the spirits where to go. There were actually deaths in some of these homes. During the Feast of All Saints, peasants went from house to house asking for money to buy food for the upcoming feast. People dressed in costumes would play tricks on their neighbors and blame the "spirits and goblins." Today, when kids are offered treats by neighbors, this goes back to the time people would offer food to please the spirits so that the spirits would not harm them. THE ORIGIN OF THE "COSTUMES" ON HALLOWEEN The Celts believed that by wearing masks and costumes, they would confuse the spirits into thinking they were one of them and the spirits would leave them alone. They thought by wearing the costumes they could communicate with the spirits. The Druids would actually sacrifice animals and sometimes humans and dress in the animal skins. They would engage in fortune telling while wearing these clothes. THE ORIGIN OF THE "JACK O' LANTERN" If a virgin was given to the priests, the Druids would leave a carved turnip looking like one of their gods. The turnip would be lit up with a candle made from human fat. They would put it on the doorpost of the home that gave the virgin- "Treat.” They thought this would make the spirits pass by the house. The other tradition is based on the following legend: There once was a man named Jack, who was a stingy man who drank too much alcohol. The story says he played a trick on the devil, then made the devil promise not to take his soul. The angry devil promised to leave Jack alone. When Jack died, he was turned away from Heaven because he was stingy, mean and a drunk. So he went to the devil. The devil also turned him away. "But where can I go?" pleaded Jack. "Back to where you came from," said the devil. The night was dark, so the devil tossed him a lighted coal from the fire of Hell. Jack, who was eating a turnip at the time, placed the coal inside as a lamp to light his way. Since that day, he has traveled the world over with his Jack-O'-Lantern in search of a place to rest. Children carved out turnips and potatoes to light the night on Halloween (pumpkins didn't grow in Ireland). When they came to America, they found that a pumpkin made an even better lantern. THE ORIGIN OF "BOBBING FOR APPLES” The apple bobbing is a form of fortune telling. The pagans used this game to predict the future. The tub was filled with water and apples floated on the surface. The person dunks his head in the tub and tries to grab an apple with his teeth. The person is said to get good luck if he can do it. Some customs said the man would get the mistress of his choice. THE ORIGIN OF THE "BLACK CAT" The Celts believed that black cats communicated with the spirits of the dead. They were also believed to carry the souls of witches. Satanists believe the cat and other black animals had special powers. This is why that many black cats are in danger around Halloween. If you have a black cat, do not let them roam the streets at night, keep them inside. Also the local SPCA's won't even let anyone adopt a black cat around two weeks before or after Halloween, in fear that the cat might be harmed. Many say the celebration of Halloween today has nothing to do with devil- worship. Even if one decides to go along with the outward practices of Halloween without acknowledging the deeper significance or historical background of this custom, he or she is still guilty of indulging in this pagan festival. In a USA Today article, Washington Witch (Bryan Jordan) said “(Christians) don’t realize it, but they are celebrating our holiday with us....We like it.” Muslims should not take part in Halloween and its customs. It is a sure sign of weak faith and that we have either forgotten, or reject the mission of our Prophet (pbuh) who came to cleanse us from these worldly customs, superstitions and false practices. Muslims are not to imitate the behavior and customs of the non-Muslims, nor to commit their sins. Islam cleans the Muslims of all bad acts and habits. A Muslim should be a model for others in faith and practice. Finally, we must remember that we are fully accountable to Allah for all of our actions and deeds. If, after knowing the Truth, we do not cease our un- Islamic practices, we risk the wrath of Allah. Allah knows best. May Allah guide us, help us to stay on the right path, and save us from all deviations and innovations that will lead us into the fires of Hell. [/code] |
| 10/18/02 at 08:44:19 |
| Kathy |
| Re: Halloween |
|---|
| gift |
| 10/18/02 at 04:45:57 |
| [slm] jazakaallahu khairun for this sister kathy - it was very informative - and kind of scary really :( i think all of us - not just kids, tend to regard halloween as a 'bit of fun' - but it has serious foundations in practices which entail shirk [wlm] |
| Re: Halloween |
|---|
| Kathy |
| 10/18/02 at 08:26:47 |
| [slm] Here is a letter I am sending to my son's teacher...borrowed heavily from Sound Vision's site. [code]Dear Mrs. Shoemaker: Halloween is around the corner and I wanted to let you know that Ali is not permitted to celebrate or participate in any of its activities. If you have any plans for a Halloween party or parade will you please contact me. I will then take him out of school. This is not meant to exclude Ali from activities with his peers, since he will continue in other class exercises as usual. Rather, due to the nature of Halloween, its origins and its connection to non-Islamic beliefs, Ali's participation will compromise his beliefs and principles as a Muslim. Thank you for your time and attention. Do you have any questions or concerns about Ali now praying there at lunch time? As always, if you need to contact me you may reach me at ****** or e-mail *********** Sincerely, Kathy[/code] |
| Re: Halloween |
|---|
| Nafisa |
| 10/18/02 at 15:23:44 |
| [slm] okay, i'm sitting alone in my room and feel a bit scared having just read that! it was very informative and i always wondered about the origins of such wierd customs. i mean, i thought apple bobbing was just a game where you got to look like a prat in front of your mates. Oh wait hang on... for me, i think Halloween is really boring and didnt even see the appeal as a kid. and why do schools do the whole parading in costume thing? Even as a 5yr old i could tell i was being patronised. Oct 31st will be just another day for me. |
| Re: Halloween |
|---|
| eleanor |
| 10/22/02 at 06:42:06 |
| [slm] brownie points for those of you who can pronounce "Samhain" which is also the Irish word for October.... |
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board |