Halloween

Quran - Surah Al-Ma'arij (The Ascending Stairways) 70:71-92

They replied, “We worship idols, to which we are fully devoted.” Abraham asked, “Can they hear you when you call upon them? Or can they benefit or harm you?” They replied, “No! But we found our forefathers doing the same.” Abraham responded, “Have you ˹really˺ considered what you have been worshipping— you and your ancestors? They are ˹all˺ enemies to me, except the Lord of all worlds. ˹He is˺ the One Who created me, and He ˹alone˺ guides me. ˹He is˺ the One Who provides me with food and drink. And He ˹alone˺ heals me when I am sick. And He ˹is the One Who˺ will cause me to die, and then bring me back to life. And He is ˹the One˺ Who, I hope, will forgive my flaws on Judgment Day.” “My Lord! Grant me wisdom, and join me with the righteous. Bless me with honourable mention among later generations. Make me one of those awarded the Garden of Bliss. Forgive my father, for he is certainly one of the misguided. And do not disgrace me on the Day all will be resurrected— the Day when neither wealth nor children will be of any benefit. Only those who come before Allah with a pure heart ˹will be saved˺.” ˹On that Day˺ Paradise will be brought near to the God-fearing, and the Hellfire will be displayed to the deviant.

There's a persistent theme we see across the Prophets presented in the Quran. They are adamant in their stance in denying their fathers' and forefathers' traditions of worshiping Idols. We don't truly understand the gravity of what it means to deny our traditions and how dear they are to us. We're engrossed in a way of life, a perspective from our upbringing and it shapes who we are as human beings. Most of us ourselves are unable to give up any sort of traditions for the sake of our creator.

Why?

How many things do you do for the sake of tradition? How much thought and reason have you really put into what you do? Growing up in the West, I was enthralled with Halloween. From the eclectic mix of scary movies, decorations and school celebrations it was hard not to be excited whenever Halloween rolled around. We get to dress up as anything our heart desires and apparently my young heart desparately wanted to be a ninja. Despite much reluctantly from my parents, they let me go trick or treating a few times. Those experiences were great. A few friends and I walking around the neighborhood getting candy and being celebrated for our costumes.

But why?

I will always be programmed to feel nostalgia when Halloween roles around. I have accepted this fact and it has made rejecting the holiday as a whole much easier. I don't think there's inherently wrong for there to be a day every year where we all, children and adults alike, enjoy in celebrating the childlike imagination we all have. The issue is, this is no different than any other day for most people. I never felt the same excitement of going to the Masjid than I did when dressing up as a ninja. This is a perfect analogy for soceity today. Most people are bored of their regular day life and have a resenement towards their creator and would rather take any avenue to escape into a different life. The spoiler to thie story is, there's no story or life that would satisfy your urge to escape. This urge is built into time and the experience of life and if this feeling is unhinged, who better to complain to than your lord Allah swt?

These holidays that we celebrate in the west end up being nothing more than appendages to already heretical lifestyles. So when we ask should we celebrate Halloween or other similar holidays, i'd question why? What exactly is it that you are celebrating? Does what you're celebrating glorify Allah swt or is it another one of your indulgences? If you believe you have a good relationship with Allah swt, pray approriately, and still need an avenue that explores your imagination freely. I'd ask what practical purpose does dressing up as a character and celebrating it with sweets, serve? Why do you reserve a single day for your child to be what they want to be?

I hope for my children that they have the same sort of excitement and nostalgia I felt towards Halloween but towards something with substance. Perhaps that means sitting at nights as a family exploring the universe with our telescope or eating finger food and painting, or best yet going to the Masjid as a family. I will let my children explore what it means to be a ninja with a realistic attitude towards life. We will celebrate special days but those days are reserved for Allah swt. Despite how perfect we try to be we always find ways to err in the ways of our creator and my goal is to correct those errors before time is up.

The Messenger of Allah(s.a.w) said: 'When my Ummah walks in a proud march, and its servants are the children of kings, children of Persians and Romans, the evilest of them will be set over the best of them - Tirmidhi:2261

I have no need to take away anyone's holidays or the feelings they hold towards those holidays. I instantiate a question regarding your reasonings for your celebration. I have a clear understanding of what I consider a holiday or a special day with the only intention of glorifying Allah swt. Just be wary of the effects of deindividuation or you might completely lose yourselves in the volatility of society.