Halloween: Innocent Fun or Mortal Danger?

By M. Murad

"O You who believe protect yourselves and your families from Fire whose fuel is men and stones."

Soon, the festival season will come, the Halloween and Christmas. Some Muslim parents naively or ignorantly dress their children in funny or weird outfits, and send them out to go door-to door, collecting candies in the evening of Halloween. And in return, the same parents give out candies to other children who roam the streets, house to house for that purpose. Those parents think that there is no harm in allowing their children to participate in such carnivals, and that they should not deprive their children of innocent fun.

They may change their minds once they know what is Halloween all about. The Encyclopedia Britannica says:

"Halloween is the Eve of All Saints Day. The souls of the dead, the Saxon and the Irish who innovated it believed, were supposed to revisit their homes on the 31st of October, and the autumnal festival acquired sinister significance with ghosts, witches, hobgoblins, black cats, fairies and demons of all kinds that are said to be roaming about."

The article in the Britannica goes on to state:

"It was time to placate the supernatural powers controlling the processes of nature. A common symbol of Halloween is a hollowed-out pumpkin carved in the appearance of a demonic face and with a lighted candle fixed inside. "

The following points may be deduced from the foregoing:

1) Halloween is a festival innovated by the pagans
2) It is based on paganistic and demonic beliefs
3) It is based on polytheistic beliefs that were not held even by the Arab pagans in the pre-Islamic era.

How could a Muslim who believes in Allah as his Rubb, and Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, as His Messenger allow his children to participate in a festival innovated by the enemies of Allah, the Rubb of the world. Those enemies deny the existence of Allah and believe in the supernatural power instead. And they deny Allah's act of creation and believe instead, in the process of nature.

Those Muslims who participate or allow their children to participate in the infidels' festivals commit a grave sin that is tantamount to shirk in many cases. They should also realize that by allowing their children to participate in such festivals they expose them to a great danger; their children will grow up accustomed to sacrilegious festivals. A Muslim must never underestimate the negative effects of these festivals on the youth. Once children become accustomed to celebrating such festivals, it would be difficult for them to give them up, or to see anything wrong in participating in them. Participation in infidels' festivals leads to establishing intimate relationship with them, and consequently to friendship and love of the enemies of Allah.

Allah, the Supreme, and His Messenger, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, prohibit us from celebrating any holiday, festival, or carnival other than the two designated Islamic Eids, al Fitr and al Adha.