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With the arrival of Christmas, each year the controversy begins about the permissibility of Muslims congratulating Christians on their Eid and participating in the celebration ceremonies, and this year it did not differ from its predecessors, since the light of this disagreement was thrown about the star of the English club Liverpool, Mohamed Salah, and one of the sheiks of the Lebanese Dar Al Fatwa.

Yesterday Friday, Salah posted a picture of his and family’s Christmas celebration, along with the Eid tree and a gift set at his home, and soon the post became a take-and-answer scenario by default, as many They accused the international player of having abandoned his religion and that it is not related to Islam except by name, according to their allegations, in exchange for the defense of some users, they consider him a victim of “intellectual terrorism”.

🎄🎄 pic.twitter.com/NrAP7tKUmM

– Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) Dec 24, 2020

The Deputy Inspector General of Dar al-Fatwa in the Lebanese Republic, Sheikh Dr. Hassan Ali Mireb, was also the target of a campaign by his followers after he published a Christmas greeting to Christians, through his account of Facebook.

After the campaign of criticism that Terrif faced, the latter dedicated the last prayer sermon on Friday to talk about the sentence to congratulate Christians, highlighting that this is not prohibited, with an emphasis on not participating in the rites of the celebration.

And between Muhammad Salah and the Sheikh of Dar Al Ifta, what does Islam say about Christians who greet the birth of Christ? Are Muslims allowed to participate in rituals?

Congratulations and greetings .. Halal

The Fatwa Center in Al-Azhar said, in a statement posted on its official account on the Facebook site, that “the permissibility of congratulating Christians on their holidays corresponds to the goals of the Islamic religion and highlights its eminence and mediocrity, and that this matter would strengthen the spirit of brotherhood in the homeland, preserve national cohesion and connect The neighbor is next to his neighbor, and the friend shares his friend on a happy occasion. “

The statement added: “Congratulations to Christians on their feasts fall under the door of kindness to them and justice to them, and it is also included in the door of the soft word and the good word, and all these matters have been ordained by Almighty God with all people without discrimination, especially with the People of the Book to whom Almighty God said in his right to Surah Mumtahinah: “God does not forbid those who have no religion nor casts you out of your homes, goodness and justice with them: God loves those “, and he also said in Surat Al-Baqarah:” and tell the people well. “

In the same context, Al-Azhar academic Dr. Ibrahim Reda considered in an interview with Al-Hurra that “the continuation of the controversy for congratulating Christians on their vacations is a kind of intellectual adolescence experienced by some groups closed who want to impose their ideas on society “. Adding that “Christian brothers are taking the initiative to call us back, so how can we not do that?”

Reda added: “We believe in all monotheistic religions, and no religion that allows marriage to a Christian or a Jew can prevent us from greeting Christians on the holiday of our Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him.”

The Al-Hurra website also spoke with Sheikh Hassan Mireb, when asked about the campaign to which he was exposed after the publication of his greeting, explaining that “greetings at Christmas and other occasions and holidays for non-Muslims are a An issue that is always controversial, and there is a hard-line and extremist party that refuses to salute it, and it is a thought that negatively affects Islam and Muslims. “

He noted that “his greeting was Islamic in terms of phrases, and Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and the Grand Imam, Sheikh Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, and the Egyptian House of Ifta unanimously agreed on the permissibility of congratulating on such festivities “.

In response to “the one who attacked and carried out the atonement,” he said, “I do not recognize the Christian faith when I congratulate and rejoice on the birth of Jesus.”

Muslims celebrating Eid … a “shocking” fatwa

Regarding the opinion on the celebration of Christmas, Dr. Reda considered that “Muslims can celebrate the birthday of one of the prophets without any shame”, explaining that “the basic principle is that it is lawful unless there is a text on the contrary, and whoever is prohibited must present a prohibitive text. “

He noted that “everything that evokes joy, pleasure and love is permissible without any doubt, since Islam carries the greeting of peace”, according to the narration of Aisha, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad, in which he says:.

Regarding placing the Christmas tree in the house, Reda said that “decorating and sharing Christian neighbors is not a punishable sin,” considering that “this is an intellectual frenzy and an anomaly of an enlightened understanding of the nature of the Islamic religion. “He added:” We need bridge builders to create a real intertwining between nations and peoples. “.

In response to the ruling on the celebration of Christmas, Egyptian Dar Al Iftaa responded in a recorded response to the question on Al-Hurra’s website, saying: “The celebration is permissible as long as it does not contain prohibited.”

On the other hand, the response of the Egyptian Dar Al Iftaa caused a stir in Murahab, who expressed his surprise at the existence of a fatwa issued by Al-Azhar or his scholars that allows the celebration of Christmas, and said: “The Christmas tree It is considered by some Christians as the tree of the Lord and this is contrary to our belief, and congratulations are only a matter of friendship. “.