Halloween: Harmless or Haram? An Islamic Perspective
Every year, on the evening of October 31st, millions of children across
North America paint their faces, dress up in costumes, and go door to door collecting treats. The adults often decorate their houses with ghostly figures, carve scary faces on pumpkins, and put candles in them to create “Jack-O-Lanterns.” Unfortunately, among the millions of North
Americans indulging in this custom, many are also Muslims. This article will shed some light on the significance and origins of Hallow’een, and why Muslims should not participate in it.
Origins of the Hallow’een Festival
The ancient Celtic (Irish/Scottish/Welsh) festival called Samhain is considered by most historians and scholars to be the predecessor of what is now Hallow’een. Samhain was the New Year’s day of the pagan Celts. It was also the Day of the Dead, a time when it was believed that the souls of those who had died during the year were allowed access into the “land of the dead”. Many traditional beliefs and customs associated with
Samhain continue to be practiced today on the 31st of October. Most notable of these customs are the practice of leaving offerings of food and drink (now candy) to masked and costumed revelers, and the lighting of bonfires. Elements of this festival were incorporated into the
Christian festival of All Hallow’s Eve, or Hallow-Even, the night preceding All Saint’s (Hallows’) Day. It is the glossing of the name
Hallow- Even that has given us the name of Hallow’een. Until recent times in some parts of Europe, it was believed that on this night the dead walked amongst them, and that witches and warlocks flew in their midst. In preparation for this, bonfires were built to ward off these malevolent spirits.
By the 19th century, witches’ pranks were replaced by children’s tricks.
The spirits of Samhain, once believed to be wild and powerful, were now recognized as being evil. Devout Christians began rejecting this festival. They had discovered that the so-called gods, goddesses, and other spiritual beings of the pagan religions, were diabolical deceptions. The spiritual forces that people experienced during this festival were indeed real, but they were manifestations of the devil who misled people toward the worship of false idols. Thus, they rejected the customs associated with Hallow’een, including all representations of ghosts, vampires, and human skeletons – symbols of the dead – and of the devil and other malevolent and evil creatures. It must also be noted that, to this day, many Satan-worshippers consider the evening of
October 31st to be their most sacred. And many devout Christians today continue to distance themselves from this pagan festival.
The Islamic Perspective
Iman (faith) is the foundation of Islamic society, and tauheed (the belief in the existence and Oneness of Allah) is the essence of this faith and the very core of Islam. The safeguarding of this iman, and of this pure tauheed, is the primary objective of all Islamic teachings and legislation. In order to keep the Muslim society purified of all traces of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and remnants of error, a continuous war must be waged against all customs and practises which originate from societies’ ignorance of divine guidance, and in the errors of idol worship.
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) issued a stern warning: “Whoever imitates a nation is one of them!” (Abu Da’oud). Muslims should heed this warning and refrain from copying or imitating the kufar in their celebrations. Islam has strongly forbidden Muslims to follow the religious or social customs of the non-Muslims, and especially of the idol-worshippers or those who worship the devil. The Prophet (s.a.s.) said: “By Him in Whose hands is my life, you are ordered to enjoin good and forbid evil, or else Allah will certainly afflict you with torments.
Thereafter, even your du’a (supplications) will not be accepted.”
(Tirmidhi). From an Islamic standpoint, Hallow’een is one of the worst celebrations because of its origins and history. It is HARAM
(forbidden), even if there may be some seemingly good or harmless elements in those practises, as evidenced by a statement from the
Prophet (s.a.s.) “Every innovation (in our religion) is misguidance, even if the people regard it as something good” (ad-Daarimee.). Although it may be argued that the celebration of Hallow’een today has nothing to do with devil-worship, it is still forbidden for Muslims to participate in it. If Muslims begin to take part in such customs, it is a sure sign of weak iman and that we have either forgotten, or outrightly rejected the mission of our Prophet (s.a.s.) who came to cleanse us from jahiliyyah customs, superstitions and false practises.
Muslims are enjoined to neither imitate the behaviour and customs of the non-Muslims, nor to commit their indecencies. Behaviour-imitation will affect the attitude of a Muslim and may create a feeling of sympathy towards the indecent modes of life. Islam seeks to cleanse the Muslim of all immoral conducts and habits, and thus paving the way for the Qur’an and Sunnah to be the correct and pure source for original Islamic thought and behaviour. A Muslim should be a model for others in faith and practice, behaviour and moral character, and not a blind imitator dependant on other nations and cultures.
Even if one decides to go along with the outward practises of Hallow’een without acknowledging the deeper significance or historical background of this custom, he or she is still guilty of indulging in this pagan festival. Undoubtedly, even after hearing the Truth, some Muslims will still participate in Hallow’een, send their kids “trick-or-treating,” and they will try to justify it by saying they are doing it merely to make their children happy. But what is the duty of Muslim parents? Is it to follow the wishes of their children without question, or to mould them within the correct Islamic framework as outlined in the Qur’an and
Sunnah? Is it not the responsibility of Muslim parents to impart correct
Islamic training and instruction to their children? How can this duty be performed if, instead of instructing the children in Islam, parents allow and encourage their children to be taught the way of the unbelievers? Allah exposes these types of people in the Qur’an: “We have sent them the Truth, but they indeed practise falsehood” (23:10). Muslim parents must teach their children to refrain from practising falsehood, and not to imitate the non-Muslims in their customs and festivals. If the children are taught to be proud of their Islamic heritage, they themselves will, insha Allah, abstain from Hallow’een and other non-Muslim celebrations, such as birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas,
Valentines Day, etc. The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) said: The Final Hour will not come until my followers copy the deeds of the previous nations and follow them very closely, span by span, and cubit by cubit (inch by inch). (Bukhari). Islam is a pure religion with no need to accomodate any custom, practise or celebration that is not a part of it. Islam does not distinguish between “secular and sacred;” the shari’ah must rule every aspect of our lives.
“You must keep to my Sunnah and the sunnah of the rightly-guided
Caliphs; cling to it firmly. Beware of newly invented matters, for every new matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misleading.”
(Bukhari)
“When the people see a person committing a wrong, but do not seize his hand to restrain him or her from the deed, it is likely that Allah will punish them both.” (Abu Da’oud, Nasa’i, Tirmidhi)
“Whoever imitates a nation is one of them.” (Abu Da’oud)
What to do on Halloween.
We have established, beyond doubt, that the celebration of Hallow’een is absolutely forbidden in Islam. It is HARAM. The question arises as to what to do on this night. Muslim parents must not send their kids out
“trick-or-treating” on Hallow’een night. Our children must be told why we do not celebrate Hallow’een. Most children are very receptive when taught with sincerity, and especially when shown in practice the joy of their own Islamic celebrations and traditions. In this regard, teach them about the two Islamic festivals of Eid. (Eid-ul-Fitr is fast approaching, and this is the perfect time to start preparing them for it.) It must also be mentioned that, even Muslims who stay home and give out treats to those who come to their door are still participating in this festival. In order to avoid this, leave the front lights off and do not open the door. Educate your neighbours about our Islamic teachings.
Inform them in advance that Muslims do not participate in Hallow’een, and explain the reasons why. (Give them a copy of this flyer if needed.)
They will respect your wishes, and you will gain respect in the process.
“A person who calls another to guidance will be rewarded, as will the one who accepts the message.” (Tirmidhi)
Finally, we must remember that we are fully accountable to Allah for all of our actions and deeds. If, after knowing the Truth, we do not cease our un-Islamic practises, we risk the wrath of Allah as He himself warned us in the Qur’an: “Then let them beware who refuse the
Messenger’s order lest some trial befall them, or a grevious punishment be afflicted upon them!” (24:63). This is a serious matter and not to be taken lightly. And Allah knows best. May Allah guide us, help us to stay on the right path, and save us from all deviations and innovations that will lead us into the fires of Hell.
-By Br. Feyoun Khan
Article2:
Islam, Muslims and Halloween
By Ebrahim Saifuddin

When one traces the history of Halloween, we find its origins in the ancient Celtic (Ireland) festival which marked the end of summer as well as the last day of their calendar. It was referred to by the name of Samhain. “Samhain” is to be pronounced as “sow-ane” where the word “sow” rhymes with the word “cow”. The Celts believed that the night before the end of summer i.e. the night between the last day of October and 1stNovember, the worlds of the living and the dead kind of merged together. These were purely superstitious beliefs that the Celts believed in.
According to the “Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry” the Celts believed that during this night the ghosts or spirits wandered around the land seeking bodies to possess or inhabit. Now as the people i.e. living people did not want to be hosts for these spirits and ghosts, they dressed up in costumes and would scream loudly in the streets in an attempt to create confusion or scare the spirits away.
Another source suggests that the Celts believed that these spirits wished to destroy the crops. However they believed that there was an upside to the situation. They believed that such a prominent presence of these spirits enabled the soothsayers to accurately tell people their future. The Druids would build a huge bonfire where all the people would gather wearing costumes in order to burn crops and animal as a sacrifice to the deities they believed in. Then they would tell each other their fortune.
Regardless of which version holds to be completely true, these beliefs are against Islamic teachings. Islam does not believe in a day where the world of the living and the dead merge together with the spirits roaming around looking to damage crops or inhabit bodies. Moreover the whole idea of fortunetelling is strictly forbidden in Islam.
Narated by Abu Mas’ud Al-Ansari: Allah’s Apostle forbade taking the price of a dog, money earned by prostitution and the earnings of a soothsayer. – [Bukhari Vol.3, Book 34, #439]
A belief that a human knows what lies in the future is a sinful belief according to Islam and the Bible. Both scriptures teach that the knowledge of the future i.e. unseen lies only with God and no one else. Following such traditions is not only against the Islamic teachings, they are also against the teachings found in the Bible:
When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. here shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.
Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. – [Deuteronomy 18:9-12]
Later Romans started to conquer the Celtic lands and by 43A.D. they had taken control of the major part of the lands which belonged to the Celts. Some suggest that the Romans incorporated two of their festivals with the Celts’ Samhain. One of these was honoring Pomona. Pomona, according to Roman mythology was the goddess of trees and fruits and the symbol used for Pomona is an ‘apple’. Thus, some explain, the “bobbing for apples” game played often on this day originates from this belief of the Romans.
This bit, if true, is yet against the teachings of Islam as Islam does not believe in multiple gods and goddesses but only in One God who is the Creator of everything.
Say: He is Allah, the One and Only;
Allah, the Eternal, Absolute;
He begetteth not, nor is He begotten;
And there is none like unto Him. – [Quran 112:1-4]
Soon after when Christianity seeped into these lands, another celebration was incorporated into this day. This was the “All Saints’ Day”. This day was to time when Christians would honor all the saints. This was carried out by the orders of Pope Boniface IV in the 7th century according to some sources. Another name given to the “All Saints’ Day” was “All Hallows Eve” and this further gave rise to another custom where people would go from one door to another asking for cakes in return of prayers for the relatives of the house who were no longer with them in this world.
Then there is an Irish tale about a person called Jack who supposedly tricked the devil into climbing a tree and then marked the tree with a cross. As a result the devil was stuck in the tree and could not return back down. The devil then made a pact with Jack that if he would erase the mark from the tree, the devil would not allow Jack to enter Hell after he died. The story goes on that when Jack died he could as a result not enter Hell neither Heaven. As he had no place to go, he was as a result forced to wander on earth with a single candle which was placed in a turnip so that the candle would burn for a longer period of time. It is said that when the Irish came to the Americas during the 1800s, they adopted the pumpkin instead of a turnip and the face carved out in the pumpkin serves to represent and mock the wandering soul of Jack.
Thus we get to learn that Halloween is really a blend of pagan beliefs laced with superstitious beliefs and the traditions of the early Catholic Church. To follow such customs that are against the spirit of Islam are certainly forbidden by God. A Muslim is supposed to primarily apply Islam to their lives and later on consider any cultural practices. Cultural practices that are contrary to Islamic beliefs should be rejected by a Muslim.
We should not allow our children to dress up in costumes going door to door shouting “trick or treat”. It does not fit a Muslim to become a slave to cultural practices especially those that are based on paganism and superstition. Some Muslim parents might suggest that it is okay for their children to celebrate this occasion as it is harmless and only for fun. This line of thought is very incorrect and we as Muslims should try to install in our children Islamic values instead of allowing them to follow a tradition just because their peers are celebrating it and ‘oh it is only for fun’. God has blessed us with our religious days and a Muslim should give utmost importance to these days and celebrate them.
Those who witness no falsehood, and, if they pass by futility, they pass by it with honorable (avoidance). – [Quran 25:72]
Article
Halloween in Islam
Should Muslims celebrate?
Do Muslims celebrate Halloween? How is Halloween perceived in Islam? To make an informed decision, we need to understand the history and traditions of this festival.
Religious Festivals
Muslims have two celebrations each year, 'Eid al-Fitr and 'Eid al-Adha. The celebrations are based in the Islamic faith and religious way of life. There are some who argue that Halloween, at least, is a cultural holiday, with no religious significance. To understand the issues, we need to look at the origins and history of Halloween.
Pagan Origins of Halloween
Halloween originated as the Eve of Samhain, a celebration marking the beginning of winter and the first day of the New Year among ancient pagans of the British Isles. On this occasion, it was believed that supernatural forces gathered together, that the barriers between the supernatural and human worlds were broken. They believed that spirits from other worlds (such as the souls of the dead) were able to visit earth during this time and roam about. At this time, they celebrated a joint festival for the sun god and the lord of the dead. The sun was thanked for the harvest and given moral support for the upcoming "battle" with winter. In ancient times, the pagans made sacrifices of animals and crops in order to please the gods.
They also believed that on October 31st, the lord of the dead gathered all the souls of the people who had died that year. The souls upon death would dwell in the body of an animal, then on this day the lord would announce what form they were to take for the next year.
Christian Influence
When Christianity came to the British Isles, the church tried to take attention away from these pagan rituals by placing a Christian holiday on the same day. The Christian festival, the Feast of All Saints, acknowledges the saints of the Christian faith in much the same way that Samhain had paid tribute to the pagan gods. The customs of Samhain survived anyway, and eventually became intertwined with the Christian holiday. These traditions were brought to the United States by immigrants from Ireland and Scotland.
Halloween Customs and Traditions * "Trick or Treating": It is widely believed that during the Feast of All Saints, peasants went from house to house asking for money to buy food for the upcoming feast. Additionally, people dressed in costumes would often play tricks on their neighbors. Blame for the resulting chaos was placed on the "spirits and goblins." * Images of bats, black cats, etc.: These animals were believed to communicate with the spirits of the dead. Black cats especially were believed to house the souls of witches. * Games such as bobbing for apples: The ancient pagans used divination techniques to foresee the future. There were various methods of doing this, and many have continued through traditional games, often played at children's parties. * Jack-O'-Lantern: The Irish brought the Jack-O'-Lantern to America. The tradition is based on a legend about a stingy, drunken man named Jack. Jack played a trick on the devil, then made the devil promise not to take his soul. The devil, upset, promised to leave Jack alone. When Jack died, he was turned away from Heaven because he was a stingy, mean drunk. Desperate for a resting place, he went to the devil but the devil also turned him away. Stuck on earth on a dark night, Jack was lost. The devil tossed him a lighted coal from the fire of Hell, which Jack placed inside a turnip as a lamp to light his way. Since that day, he has traveled the world over with his Jack-O'-Lantern in search of a resting place. Irish children carved out turnips and potatoes to light the night on Halloween. When the Irish came to America in great numbers in the 1840's, they found that a pumpkin made an even better lantern, and this "American tradition" came to be.
Islamic Teachings
Virtually all Halloween traditions are based either in ancient pagan culture, or in Christianity. From an Islamic point of view, they all are forms of idolatry (shirk). As Muslims, our celebrations should be ones that honor and uphold our faith and beliefs. How can we worship only Allah, the Creator, if we participate in activities that are based in pagan rituals, divination, and the spirit world? Many people participate in these celebrations without even understanding the history and the pagan connections, just because their friends are doing it, their parents did it ("it's a tradition!"), and because "it's fun!"
So what can we do, when our children see others dressed up, eating candy, and going to parties? While it may be tempting to join in, we must be careful to preserve our own traditions and not allow our children to be corrupted by this seemingly "innocent" fun. When tempted, remember the pagan origins of these traditions, and ask Allah to give you strength. Save the celebration, the fun and games, for our 'Eid festivals. Children can still have their fun, and most importantly, should learn that we only acknowledge holidays that have a religious significance to us as Muslims. Holidays are not just excuses to binge and be reckless. In Islam, our holidays retain their religious importance, while allowing proper time for rejoicing, fun and games.
Guidance From the Quran
On this point, the Quran says:
"When it is said unto them, 'Come to what Allah has revealed, come to the Messenger,' they say, 'Enough for us are the ways we found our fathers following.' What! Even though their fathers were void of knowledge and guidance?" (Qur'an 5:104)
"Has not the time arrived for the believers, that their hearts in all humility should engage in the remembrance of Allah and of the Truth which has been revealed to them? That they should not become like those to whom was given the Book aforetime, but long ages passed over them and their hearts grew hard? For many among them are rebellious transgressors." (Qur'an 57:16)
Article 4:
Muslims celebrating Halloween and other non-Muslim festivals
Question:

What about celebrating non Muslim festivals like Christmas Day, Halloween, Valentine Day, etc? We have many Christian friends and colleagues at our work place. It looks rude if we do not greet them or send a greeting card to them on their festivals. My question is if we are doing this just to keep a good relationship with them, then is it not right? Fatwa: All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger. A Muslim should be thankful to Allaah for His great blessings upon him. He Who Guided him to the right path. So he should keep on supplicating Allaah to make him steadfast on this path which is the path of blessed people and to keeping him away from the path of those who deserve His Anger and of those who went astray. The non Muslims spare no efforts to draw the Muslims away from the straight path and to cut their relation with their true religion. Allaah says (what means): {Many of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) wish that if they could turn you away as disbelievers after you have believed, out of envy from their ownselves, even, after the truth (that Muhammad is Allaah's Messenger) has become manifest unto them. But forgive and overlook, till Allaah brings His Command. Verily, Allaah is Able to do all things.} [Quran 2:109] We the Muslims are proud of our religion that was revealed to us by Allaah and are thankful that Allaah has chosen us for his religion. Allaah says (what means): {… This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. …} [Quran 5:3] It is not permitted for Muslims to participate in the festivals of non Muslims because it is a kind of cooperation in the disobedience of Allaah. Allaah says (what means): {…Help you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression….}[Quran 5:2]. The Prophet said: "Whoever imitates a nation is but one of them." [Abu Daawood] Celebrating festivals such as Christmas Day, Halloween, Valentine Day, etc. comes under the falsehood that should be avoided. Allaah says (what means): {And those who do not bear witness to falsehood, and if they pass by some evil play or evil talk, they pass by it with dignity.} [Quran 25:72]. Many scholars of Qur'an like Ibn Seereen and Mujaahid interpret "falsehood" as the festivals of unbelievers. Anas reported: "The Prophet came to Madeenah while they had two days they celebrated. The Prophet asked, "What are these two days?" They said, 'These are two days we used to celebrate in our pre Islamic era. The Prophet said: "Allaah has replaced them with two better days: 'Eed Al-Adh-Haa and 'Eed Al- Fitr." A person came to the Prophet and said: "I have taken a vow to sacrifice a camel at Buwaanah.” The Prophet asked: “Did the place contain any idol worshipped in Jaahiliyyah (pre-Islamic times)?” They (the people) said: “No.” He asked: “Was any pre-Islamic festival observed there?” They replied: “No.” The Prophet said: “Fulfil your vow, for a vow to do an act of disobedience to Allaah must not be fulfilled, neither must one do something over which a human being has no control." No doubt celebrating such feasts is actually imitating disbelievers. Abdullaah Ibn Amr Ibn al-'Aas said: “Whoever celebrates the Persian New Year's Day or their carnival and imitates them till his death he will be resurrected with them on the Day Judgment.” Therefore, a Muslim is neither allowed to celebrate such festivals nor is he allowed to congratulate non Muslims for their feasts because congratulating them for their feasts is synonymous of accepting their wrongdoing and disbelief in Allaah. It is also accepting their rites and rituals, which are nothing but disbelief. Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim reported the consensus of all scholars that congratulate non Muslims for their religious occasions is forbidden. He said: “As for congratulating the unbelievers for their rituals, it is forbidden according to the agreement of all scholars like congratulating them for their feasts and fast by expressing good wishes: happy feast or enjoy your feast… etc. If the Muslim who says this does not become a disbeliever himself, he, at least, commits a sin as this is the same as congratulating him (a non Muslim) for his belief in the Trinity, which is a greater sin and much more disliked by Almighty Allaah than congratulating him for drinking alcohol or killing a soul or committing fornication or adultery…etc.” Therefore, no Muslim is allowed to participate in the festival celebration of non Muslims or greet them on this occasion. Know that partially participating in such occasions is enough to involve one in sin even if one does not intend to participate wholly in the celebration. Finally, if they congratulate us for our feasts, we do not congratulate them for their feast as we are on the right path and they are in error. Allaah says (what means): {And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers} [Quran 2:85]. As regards your statement that it is rude not to congratulate them, then the answer is that if a Muslim behaves in a good manner with them throughout his stay with them, they would certainly have known that he is not rude and he is not a person of a bad character even if he does not congratulate them on the day of their celebration. Indeed, being rude is when one disobeys Allaah. It is an obligation on a Muslim to fear Allaah and endeavour in calling the non Muslims to Islam but not be kind to them at the expense of his religion and creed. It should also be noted that pleasing Allaah comes in priority over pleasing His creation, and that whoever pleases people by ensuing the wrath of Allaah, Allaah will be angry with him and He will make people be angry with him. Allaah knows best. Fatwa answered by: The Fatwa Center at Islamweb Article 5:
More and often we listened that many people mostly the teenagers celebrate the Halloween Day once a year. This concept has been simply derived from the British Society. But have we ever thought about it that what is the concept of Halloween in Islam? Did Islam allow us to get underway with this celebration? What is actually festivity in view of the Islamic teachings? There are many people who search for this answers whereas there are very less who celebrated this day and they don’t even bother to capture the answers of these questions.

Well for all such people let’s have a look that what actually Islam think about the Halloween Day. Halloween Day has been basically a false misconception of the British regarding the ghost. They think that hundreds of years back the entire ghost attacked at the earth and try to break the human world with their powers.
But the supernatural powers of the humans defeated them. In this anger each year all such ghost visit the earth and make the people afraid. This day symbolizes the arrival of the winter season as it is celebrated on the first day of New Year. They also think that on 31st October the God of death will gather up all the souls that have been died last year and will come up on the earth.
On this day all the people undertake the parties at goes late at night. They make horrible faces and wear up the costumes of ghost and make the people afraid from them. According to the Islamic Concept there are just two main festivals that are celebrated in the Islamic history and they are Eid ul Azha and Eid ul Fitr. There is no other event like Halloween to get place in the blessed festivals of Islam.
Islam has strongly forbidden celebrating this event because it is useless and has been just intended for making the people misunderstood regarding the falsehoods of death concept. In this Islamic Viewpoint once the person has died he or she can never get the chance to witness the earth once again until the Day of Judgment.
In the Holy Quran as well there are many guidance verses that have been accompanied for the easiness of the Islamic followers. It has been stated that: “When it is said unto them, ‘Come to what Allah has revealed, come to the Messenger,’ they say, ‘Enough for us are the ways we found our fathers following.’ What! Even though their fathers were void of knowledge and guidance?” (Qur’an 5:104)
Article 6:
A Muslim at Halloween
I'm no fanatic, but Islam is strictly monotheistic--and, for me, any holiday having to do with worshipping other gods is wrong.
BY: Hesham A. Hassaballa
- See more at: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Islam/2002/10/A-Muslim-At-Halloween.aspx#sthash.gYGcbQM9.dpuf
Halloween is upon us, and scores of children dressed up as everything imaginable will soon hit the streets, going door-to-door for candy. This year my five-year-old daughter is old enough to go. Alas, I will not let her. This is not because I am afraid for her safety, or I do not want her to eat her body weight in candy (though these are legitimate concerns). My decision is based on Islamic principles.
Islam accepts the cultural traditions of a people as long as those traditions agree with Islamic values. Thus, blue jeans, baseball caps, hot dogs, and other quintessential American items are wholeheartedly accepted by Islam. I am perplexed when some American Muslims wear Arab dress and pass this off as "Islamic" attire. Nonsense. A pair of jeans and a T-shirt is as Islamic as it gets. A similar argument can be made about such holidays as Mother's or Father's Day. Honoring our parents is so strongly stressed in Islam; Muslims should have no problem commemorating such holidays.
And this is why I will not send my daughter trick or treating this year or any other year. Halloween honors Celtic and Roman gods. Islam is strictly monotheistic, and anything having to do with the worship of any other god besides the Most Holy One is out of the question.
Many will see this stance as "fanatic," but I take exception to that accusation. I will not parade the streets trying to prevent trick-or-treaters, Muslim or otherwise, from getting their candy. I will not put a sign on my door saying, "No candy here--Halloween is a pagan holiday and you will all burn in hell." My family and I simply will not participate in Halloween festivities.
While it's true that Halloween is not, as I once thought, based on devil worship, it nevertheless mixes Celtic, Roman, and Catholic influences. The Celts, inhabitants of Great Britain and Northern France, celebrated their New Year on Nov. 1, which marked the end of the "season of the sun" and the beginning of the "season of darkness and cold." On Oct. 31, the cooking fires would be extinguished after all the crops were harvested and stored. The Celtic priests would light new fires and offer sacrifices to the gods.
The next morning, they gave an ember from their fires to each family to take home and start new cooking fires. These fires, it was believed, would keep their homes warm and free from evil spirits. This festival was called Samhain ("sow-en"). Many people would parade in costumes made of animal heads and skins. The Roman festival Pomona Day, named for their goddess of fruits and gardens, was also around Nov. 1 and was brought to Britain after the Roman conquest. Pomona Day and Samhain were eventually melded into one fall holiday.
- See more at: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Islam/2002/10/A-Muslim-At-Halloween.aspx#sthash.gYGcbQM9.dpuf

The Prophet in Madina (622 A.D.)