Jalees Ahmad, Al Hakam
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, as they say.
The streets are glowing with Christmas decorations; the familiar colours of the season spread across shop windows and city centres. Joy and smiles fill people’s faces, and of course, you can’t ignore the Christmas sales and advertisements. A single visit to Central London, or any busy London street, makes it clear that Christmas has arrived.
But what is Christmas? What exactly is being celebrated? Do Muslims celebrate it, and if not, why?
What is Christmas?
The word “Christmas” derives from the phrase “Christ’s Mass.” It appears in earlier forms like Christemasse. “Christ” derives from the Greek word Christos, meaning “anointed”, which translates to the Hebrew word Messiah, and “Mass” comes from the Latin word missa, which is a celebration of the Eucharist.
Christmas, as we know, is an annual festival celebrated on 25 December (or 7 January for the Eastern Orthodox Churches), marking, as they say, the birth of Jesus Christ.
It is a religious holiday, yet many people celebrate it with the main themes being family and togetherness, rather than strictly religious reasons. You may have seen many traditions, including decorating trees, hanging lights and giving gifts.
The actual date of the birth of Jesusas has not been recorded anywhere in the Christian Gospels. As Muslims, we do not believe that Jesusas was born in December. This notion is based on both the Bible and the Quran, which describe warm weather, shepherds in the fields, and the presence of ripe dates; it becomes clear that Jesusas was not born on 25 December, since winter in Judea, Bethlehem, could not have produced such conditions.
A brief history of Christmas, its connection to Roman holidays, and how it is celebrated today
It will be interesting to know that in early Christianity, Christians didn’t celebrate the birthday of Jesusas, possibly due to the fact that his date was not recorded. The focus was on, in their belief, his death and resurrection, not his birth.
However, by the 4th century, Christians in Rome began celebrating his birth and marking it on 25 December. “The Roman Christian historian Sextus Julius Africanus dated Jesus’ conception to March 25 (the same date upon which he held that the world was created), which, after nine months in his mother’s womb, would result in a December 25 birth.”
The Romans were a very interesting nation. In December, they celebrated two big holidays. The first was Sol Invictus, which means unconquered sun, in Latin. They celebrated this on 25 December, marking the sun’s return after the shortest day of the year. The second was Saturnalia. This festival lasted for a week, with food, gifts, and parties.
Over time, as we learn from history, Christmas traditions have grown into what we see them as today. The decorating of trees – known as Christmas trees, Christmas carols being sung, gifts, feasting and much more. Many of the customs we see today came from European pagan traditions and were later adapted into Christian practices.
So in December, Christians celebrate Christmas, believing it is the birthday of Jesusas, their saviour, who died for their sins on the cross. They use this time to attend special services, remember the story of Jesus’ birth, sing carols, and reflect on his sacrifice, among other things.
Why do Muslims not celebrate Christmas?
A common question asked is that if Muslims believe in Jesusas as a prophet, then why don’t they celebrate Christmas?
As Muslims, we believe that Jesusas was not the son of God, was not born on 25 December, and did not die on the cross. We believe that Jesusas was a noble Prophet of God, sent to the Children of Israel after Mosesas, with the same message and to revive those teachings. He was the Messiah.
The Bible does not mention the exact date of Jesus’as birth, and as Muslims, we believe he was not born in December. Both the Bible and the Quran describe warm weather, shepherds outdoors, and ripe dates, all of which show that Jesusas could not have been born on 25 December.
As Muslims, we follow the practices of the Holy Prophetas. We never saw or heard the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, who loved all prophets, celebrate the birth of any prophet, nor did he command his companions to celebrate his own birthday. Similarly, there is no record of Jesusas ever instructing his followers to celebrate his birthday.
The desires of the Prophets of God are very simple and close to their hearts. Their main wish is that we follow the message God sent them with. Therefore, as Muslims, we honour all prophets, including Prophet Muhammadsa, by following their teachings and the guidance they brought from the One God.
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