Christmas Food

Many have asked concerning the permissibility or otherwise of Christmas food. This is a question that crops up every year, and I can understand why – among the celebrators are one’s parents, relations, neighbours, colleagues, friends etc cetera, and it is obviously not easy to say them no when the food is presented to us.

First, that Muslims are forbidden from celebrating with non-muslims isn’t controvatible. It’s a fact that is as glaring as the fourteenth-day moon. Christmas therefore being one of such festivities isn’t for the Muslim to celebrate. It is harām by consensus of scholars. Find detail in my article titled, “Christmas to a Muslim”.

But as regards foods prepared for their festivals, scholars seem to differ in their opinions. This to my best of knowledge is because of two reasons: that the Qur’ān (Sūratul Māidah Verse 5) explicitly indicates that foods prepared by Jews and Christians my be eaten by Muslims; and that authentic evidence have shown that some of the companions would accept ‘gifts’ from the unbelievers during their festivals. Let’s try out the analyses for better understanding.

Some scholars, premised upon the above verse, say Christmas food is permissible since Allāh allows foods prepared by Christians with no exceptions to their festivals. They hold that if He – Allāh – didn’t want foods prepared for their festivals consumed, He being the All-Knower, would have indicated it in the verse. They added that since some of the companions, including our mother ‘Āishah, would accept gifts from the unbelievers on their festival days, Christmas food too may be accepted as gifts.

Some scholars on the other way round – the majority I think – are of the opinion that eating Christmas food is harām. This – and Allāh knows best – is what I understand best of the issue. Food prepared by a Christian that has nothing to do with his disbelieving faith is what is being referred to in the aforementioned verse, and we are allowed to devour it and even ask for more. A Christian relation or neighbour invites one to a lunch, nothing stops a Muslim from doing justice to the meal and having the bones enjoyably broken. A Muslim is offered a food prepared for a Christian wedding, childbirth ceremony, convocation, housewarming etc, why should a Muslim deprive himself of such a succulent delicacy? All these, no doubt, have nothing to do with their faith, so a Muslim can enjoy himself with them.

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But where it involves their faith, especially one that has to do with falsification against Allāh: that He has a son, or that, that son is even Him, eating such a food will mean nothing but soft acceptance of the obnoxious ideology. Christmas is all about the birthday of the son of God, or of God Himself. This, indisputably, is against the fundamentals of Islām, where Allāh explicitly says He begot no son neither was He begotten. Even if such a food will not be considered harām, it should still be detested by a serious Muslim.

As regards gifts, yes, there are proofs that some of the companions would accept gifts from the unbelievers on their festival days. On this, scholars seem to have a consensus – that the gifts weren’t food but tangible items which would not promote the festival or the religion. Imagine a Muslim being given Xmas or fireworks (popular called banger). That should not be accepted because it promotes the festival. But a bucket, a hand-fan, a packer etc presented by a Christian for his festival may be accepted. Scholars say this was the understanding of the companions who would accept gift items from the unbelievers.

If a pagan’s food may be ordinarily eaten but should be rejected if it’s for his Agẹmọ, Orò, Ẹ̀yọ̀, Ọ̀ṣun, Ṣàngó festival, then that of the Christian too for his Christmas shouldn’t be accepted. Wallāhu a’lam.

Sanni Kay Yūsuf writes from Lagos, Nigeria.