Christmas—should Christians celebrate it?

“Sinners alone, not saints, celebrate their birthdays.” –Catholic Encyclopedia

Christmas is celebrated as the birthday of Jesus (pbuh) and we know that our Christian brothers and sisters maintain that Jesus is the son of Allah, to which Muslims sharply disagree. Allah tells them in the Qur’an:

O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers. And do not say, “Three”; desist – it is better for you. Indeed, Allah is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs. (Surah an-Nisa, Ch 4, ayah 171)

Origin.

The real origin of Christmas goes back to the ancient Babylon. In Egypt it was always believed that the son of Isis was born in December 25th. Paganism celebrated this famous birthday over most of the known world for centuries before the birth of Christ.

“During the later periods of Roman history, sun worship gained in importance and ultimately led to what has been called a ‘solar monotheism.’ Nearly all the gods of the period were possessed of Solar qualities, and both Christ and Mithra acquired the traits of solar deities. The feast of Sol and Victus (open unconquered Sun) on December 25th was celebrated with great joy, and eventually this date was taken over by the Christians as Christmas, the birthday of Christ.” (Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 11; page 390.)

Practice of observing Christmas is not a true Christian practice, but a Pagan custom—one of the ways of Babylon our Christian brothers/sisters have fallen into!

Christmas tree.

The Bible: “Learn not the customs of the nations, and have no fear of the signs of the heavens, though the nations fear them. For the cult idols of the nations are nothing, wood cut from the forest, wrought by the craftsmen with adze, adorned with silver and gold….” (The Book of Jeremiah: Ch 10, verse 1-4)

It seems that our Christian brothers/sisters are spending a lot of energy following a non-Christian tradition. Although the above mentioned verses picture the carved idols of Jeremiah’s time, they are also a precise description of the Christmas tree we are familiar with today. The practice Jeremiah wrote about was a custom (verse 3) and was associated with “the signs of heaven” (verse 2)—just as Christmas today is a custom and is associated with the winter, bringing to light its pagan origin. We must remember that the book of Jeremiah is mainly prophecy & was written for our time, to our people, and referring to the common customs of the modern world.

Was Jesus really born in winter?

Bible: The Gospel of Luke: Ch. 2, verse 6-8 tells us:

While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her first born son. She wrapped him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock”

This could never have occurred in the month of December. The shepherds always brought their flocks from the mountainsides and fields and corralled them not later than October 15, to protect them from the cold, rainy season that followed that date. (Refer to Song of Solomon 2:11 and Ezra 10:9)

Santa Claus
The name “Santa Claus” is a corruption of the name “St. Nicholas,” a Roman Catholic bishop who lived in the 5th century.

“St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra, a saint honored by the Greeks and Latins on the sixth of December. . . . A legend of his surreptitious bestowal of dowries on the three daughters of an impoverished citizen . . . is said to have originated the old custom of giving presents in secret on the eve of St. Nicholas [Dec. 6], subsequently transferred to Christmas day. Hence the association of Christmas with Santa Claus. . . .” (Encyclopedia Britannica, volume 19, pages 648-649)

I hope this will get our Christian brothers and sisters considering and not to mention our Muslim brothers/sisters who find no harm in celebrating Christmas. And in the end a reminder for the people of the Scripture:

[He is] Originator of the heavens and the earth. How could He have a son when He does not have a companion and He created all things? And He is, of all things, Knowing. That is Allah , your Lord; there is no deity except Him, the Creator of all things, so worship Him. And He is Disposer of all things. (Qur’an: Surah al-An’am, Ch. 6,aayat 101-102)