Halloween - What do you do?

Kids learn from their parents. If their parents allow them to do something, it automatically gets a stamp of approval for them regarding that activity.

If we allow our children to dress up on Halloween, just going along with everyone else, one day it will become ingrained in them that this part of the year signifies a time to celebrate….for what reason? Would they even know?

Every Muslim who is conscious of his identity would not give any importance to such festivals. It’s not a question of “Why not?” but of “Why do it at all? Is there a good enough reason? Just because everyone else is doing it?”

We teach our children this way, to either do as they see others doing, or conversely, to be confident and upright who are in touch with, and proud of, their own identity. They don’t grow up confused about their identity.

In the street I saw an Imam I make my mask
My Sheikh Salaam …my son Salaam
I meet a beautiful woman I put a Baum in face
In the office with the big rich boss good money Sir
In political party I am the incarnation of Aristotle and frankstein

With podium and microphone as microbe growth in a new mastodon
Flash flask taste say the truth … you the citizen ask
If I say the truth you will make me throw
Mortgage montage of mask age

I go to my home I see my face in mirror
It is not me… I am the mask of your mask
It is not like this the mirror in white snow
A mirror with mask

What is this masquerade I go to sleep
My conscious sinks in mask of subconscious
Wake up wake up
Stand up in face of your Lord and throw out the mask
You are not in hollow win
You are in mother earth
From me ..to me… on me
Be you only you man
Be you only you woman
I will change I am human
What is the beautiful face of Man
Now you can say I am a new Man
How is moonbeam the face of humanity
Smile

I think celebrations have the meanings we give them, as individuals and collectively as a community. To be able to live a spiritual paradigm means being able to bring your religious perspective when participating even in aspects of society that are not religious in nature. Halloween is obviously not a traditional muslim holiday, but it doesn’t have to be a celebration of old pagan religion, either. I doubt if most celebrants even know about the pagan religions that started it.

Since I have not studied Islam as much as some other religions, I will of course defer to better experts, but I don’t understand why Halloween could not be pursued as a social venue like a backyard cookout or a block party. This would give children an opportunity to learn that they should continue to be aware of their spiritual heritage even when they are engaging in social events that are not religious in nature.

I’d be interested to hear your reactions and perspective, though.

Thanks

Halloween is a celebration associated with shirk, the undead and basically unIslamic concepts. None of my children have participated in many of the activities that take place in our school system and township (a parade) although they all attended public schools. They were not alone as there were other non-Muslim children whose parents understood that this “holiday” was nothing to celebrate. Trick or Treaters who did knock on my door were always treated with respect and received an explanation that as Muslims we do not participate. Any child who asked for a donation for UNICEF, however, always received a contribution. To offset the fascination with the idea of dressing up in a costume, at some time during the year, generally in the summer or the dead of winter, often I would plan a party or get together for my children and their friends who would be invited to attend a “history” party or “character” party where guests were asked to come as their favorite historical figure or favorite TV or movie character. Parents were also asked to participate. I generally dressed up as Umm Khulthum or Billie Holiday, my favorite female singers.

I reverted to Islam several years ago, I am married with two small children (Al humdulillah) and we are the only Muslim family on our street, and the only African American family as well. With the exception of us and one Hindu family the rest of my 10 neighbors are White American Christians. And our next door neighbor (he has two young boys) he actually decorates more for Halloween than he does Christmas. However, that has zero influnece on our decision NOT celebrate a pagan holiday. This morning my son was watching “Super Readers” on PBS, it was a Halloween episode, I explained why we don’t watch this and we watched a video from his collection instead. Just for the record my family is Christian and my older sister’s church DOES NOT celebrate Halloween either. It is really not an issue if you speak to your children about it properly.

I deeply respect anyone’s decision not to participate in Halloween based upon religious convictions, besides Muslims, there are also many Christians and Jews who also refrain from allowing their children to take part in activities involving Halloween. I also am not inclined to persuade anyone from participating whatsoever, but offer this opinion for those who may be struggling with the idea.
Halloween is certainly not, especially in its prevalent form a religious holiday, obviously its origins are steeped in the traditions of “Samhain”, and “All Hallows’ Even”, but in America, the large majority of Christians and non-Christians see no negative significance to Halloween, but view it as a harmless holiday in which some of the old traditions are celebrated by the mainstream culture as a form of fun and entertainment, allowing children and adults to join together as a community.
Halloween is special for this very reason, because it is not a religious holiday, like Thanksgiving, and allows us to come together as one, crossing racial and religious lines.

Assalamoalaikum,
living in USA,it is difficult for young minds to understand why they have to be left out from something which to them seems harmless fun.I think that instead of saying ‘NO’,our children should be given an alternative.Everyone likes candy,both young and old,and there’s nothing like free candy.
This Ramadan,during Taraweeh,in the ladies section,the young kids as well as the teen age girls would make a lot of noise while we were praying,specially after the first 8 rakahs.After every two rakhas someone would shout at them to be quiet,but it only lasted till we resumed our salah.After telling one of the noisiest two year old to be quiet,I realized that they should be given an incentive.So,before going home I went up to the two year old,who by the way is really adorable,and asked him if he would be quiet if I gave him candy,he nodded and told me what his favourite candy was.So next day I bought a bag of mixed mini candies,and took it along and before the salah started went up to the noisiest kids and told them that if they were quiet,everyone would get a candy.Believe me it worked for the rest of the month.Not only did the smaller ones keep quiet,the girls too caught on,and even the mothers would ask me for a candy.On the last night I took small candy bags for all the kids,but ran short because ladies wanted to take bags for even those kids who weren’t there.
It was a bit expensive,but I got immense joy out of giving,it was for a good reason,so I hope Allah will accept it as a good deed.I have also decided that I will do it next year too,inshaAllah.
Why can’t our children receive candy in Ramadan or Eid?A Moroccan friend tells me that in their country kids go out collecting candy on the 27th of Ramadan.So,I think that if we told our kids the facts about Haloween,and instead gave them candy some other time,they wouldn’t feel left out.

My children and I used to celebrate Halloween like everyone else. Even our church had halloween activities.

One day I was reading the newspaper and they had an interveiw with the High Priest of the Satanic Church.

He said how great it was that almost everyone here in America celebrated the most Holy day in Satanism. Halloween!!!

I immediatly did a little research on this holiday. And from that day on, our family hasn’t participated. At first my children felt left out and were upset at not being allowed to go with their friends and “trick or treat”.

But they are grown now, and don’t let their kids celebrate this pagan holiday either.

interesting read

I’m a 61 year old American-born Muslim. When I was a child, Halloween had no religious significance whatsoever. We put on costumes and walked with our parents and friends to the homes of our neighbors, who gave us treats. It’s no different now for my 6 year old daughter (a covered Cinderella this year), who I will accompany to the homes of those with whom I shared an innocent youth. I celebrate being able to practice Islam openly in a society that accepts my religion and treats me equally under the law, where even those who engage in takfir and fitna are free to do so, albeit without leave to employ sectarian violence. You may choose to boycott the culture and revel in your separateness. I chose to have my non-Muslim neighbors over for Eid dinner.

The celebration of Eid el fitre is very nice in immigration:
The father is in his work out all the day, he has the hobby to open the city the morning, and to close it in the evening.
The mother is in her office, with a tone of papers and her nono the computer. For the children is a very nice, jewel Eid day, where they play, with there friends in the play-ground of school.

In the palace house (not a ranch), the Grandma and Granddad in photo(date 1830) celebrate the Eid with Teady bear, without the baby.
It is full of emotion as all days of Ramadan, when the fastfood is fool and bonded with hum and miam miam, after that is the fast foot for good diet of belly run running.

For us is alike, today is as yesterday and tomorrow, all are deduced by recurrence.
In that occurrence, a day before the Eid our home senate noticed that: we are so busy, and as solidarity, with Palestinians Orphans of Gaza. Our Eid will be transposed and retrospectively celebrated with prorate.
For that purpose the mom makes the gateau in the refrigerator for the promise day.

In our host country we are in Immigration, seeing as turban and djellaba, and barrel of petrol.
Over there in our last country we are in Emigration, with casquette and basquette, seeing as the nephew of Uncle Sam, as dollars, what color of dolor.
It is a symphony between brain drain, and bread drawing.
Good Eid for everyone.

I just finished reading your opinion on Halloween, and I have to say, I think that it’s sad that you feel that you are only allowed to have two celebrations a year. Sure, keep your faith and your culture, that’s great. But why only have festivals that are directly tied to the Koran? Is there nothing else in this world worth celebrating and having some fun over? Fun doesn’t necessarily equal sin, nor do the roots of things determine their role in present day society.

I am an american and the religious significance of Halloween died many years ago in England. Granted the United States has many holidays from other countries but that does not mean they are set in stone with the religious practices. To americans Halloween is a time to have fun with the summer ending. We enjoy the holiday to express our creative aspects with decorations and to enjoy the laughter it brings. I am sad that even muslims, which I am one. Can not enjoy a time of year that let children and adults come together and use their imagination in dressing up and scaring one another. Moroccans believe Euthopians are voodoo/ magic makers and are dangerous. Wow. Talk about backward thinking. What ever happened to respecting others holidays. If I lived in an arabic country should I shun and put down Eld, etc.?? I wonder how narrow minded people have become over the years over holidays. As a teacher I find that the one thing the United States has is the freedom to practice their own religion and not be guided by it in every aspect of their lives unless they choose to. Understand Choose to. If you have not tried dressing up to scare others and enjoy the holiday fun then you must be allah. Allsh wants us to enjoy ourselves. Allah puts things in our paths of life to try and then choose. GET IT TRY AND CHOOSE. NOt just state that is wrong and never try something first. If you are that narrow minded then leave the United States. You need to be more open minded. Maybe that will happen with your children children and they can still say then I am muslim and proud of it. But it does not mean I can not enjoy a holiday that does not have religious qualities about it. Americans do not go out devil worshiping during this time. I am a muslim, i am an american and I am proud to say Halloween is a fun time of year not just one day. I wish muslims would open up and stop trying to be so jewish in their thinking.

I am still shocked when people put any significance on the “meaning” of Halloween anymore. One might as well get just as upset at Valentines Day, Boss’ Day, Teacher’s Day, Grandparents Day, Mother’s Day and so on. Halloween is JUST a reason for people (especially children) to play dress up (which they all do regardless of Halloween) and run around collecting candy in the dark. It’s the silly misconceptions of the parents that turn it into something else. It is the last night children can play outside before we all go indoors for winter. Here, it always seems to be the last decent night before the rain, frost and winter nights. I often find that people who have never allowed their children to participate in Halloween have the most misconceptions about this “Hallmark” holiday. I am often perplexed by those who say people don’t understand them because the community won’t bother to learn about their culture, yet they turn around and act the same way about some silly event where people dress up and laugh at each other and call it Halloween.

I celebrate a fest that is not in contradiction with my faith
In contrary case excuse me I can not
Please I do not want
Link every thing to its origin
To their meaning, do not forget the conceptual and structural
The reason first
The reason last

I do not want to be an automat
That only the reflex that act

The Labor Day is first
September Monday or May
Here is difference in reference
The matter of the worker is
You take SI or USA
The common is S as Salary

For one day of Boss (a)
I want only Rolls-Roys
I am not exigent I want
A bleu one in cellophane

I am a fun of feast
But I have not much cents
Then
The reason first
The reason last

I hope that every one is the happiest
Do not forget the thanks
Think is not a time waste

I hope that every one is the happiest
Do not forget the thanks

Thank you

As muslims,we should not celebrate halloween. Not only halloween, but even valentine,mothers day, new year and lots more. We should try and celebrate our own festivals to the fullest without imitating other religions and also teach our children the right things.

Halloween is a terrible thing.
It distorts the thinking of children the proper way. Their attention is being programmed to the devil and away from God.
No Moslem neither any Christian should ever observe Haloween.

Replying to Brenda Borer:
“I wish muslims would open up and stop trying to be so jewish in their thinking.”
What a terrible thing to say. Do you realize how bigoted you sound? And on a site that’s dedicated to open relations between religions? I can’t change how you may feel toward Jews, but perhaps you shouldn’t so openly air you ignorance on the web.

I, being a born-and-bred Muslim from Pakistan, albeit the civilian version of a military brat, have actually lived all over the world. To thus say that Hallowe’en is “pagan” should be considered erroneous, as even if it is the most-celebrated day in paganism (nauzobillah), we can always reform it. After all, Hajj was also done even in the days of jahilliyah [ignorance], was it not? Thus I heartily endorse the views of respondent Bruce, who merits that Hallowe’en can serve as a catalyst to bond modern-day Americans across religious, racial, ethnic and socio-economic boundaries.

The comparison between haloween and el hadj is wrong. In what concerns haloween its origin; I will let that question to the historian and anthropologist to light it.
To celebrate or no I let this question to American Muslims scholar, to be more objective.

In what concern el Hadj, it not a Pagan tradition, but Islamic one. How, the Kaaba was constructed by our father Ibrahim and his son Ismail (sourat el Hadj and sourat Ibrahim). with the revelation of the site.

And the Islam restored and maintained only the heritage of Ibrahim,and eliminated of pagan symbols as material or spiritual ones.

Some symbol to consider as Safa and el Marwa , is dedicated to the woman our mother Hadjer , because she accepted with resignation the decision of Allah by way of Ibrahim.

The sacrifice is the gift to Ibrahim and his son Ismail, for the rude test.
The animal sacrifice is for Allah, then God does not sacrifice a human life for Him.

All the hajj ritual are as memorandum for the first believer to the last ones, it is a spiritual liaison of Islamic nation in time.
And el Hajj is the symbol of unity of Islamic nation, from all the world.

The prophet Ibrahim and his family are the reference of unicity of God in Earth.

And Muhammed had restored the tradition of Ibrahim, Ismail , Isaac,Yacoub, Moise and Jesus.
And the mankind is in their adulthood or maturity intellect, then they does not need an other messenger, but a partial deviation still exists.

It is one tradition God is one and only one.

I agree with Sadaf Farooqi

To fight over who is right or who is wrong as far as celebrating Halloween is wrong all in itself. Just believe in Allah and follow the ways of the Qu’ran and you will be rewarded in the afterlife as Allah is most forgiving and is only concerned with making sure we teach our children the five pillars of Islam and making sure they follow through with them “IN SHALLAH”.

Were Having a Halloween Cookout/Party for all the community parents/children to enjoy this will be our 1st time doing so, and were seeing how this will work this year,we might cont. on during it years from now

I feel bad for all of your children. Halloween is, in fact harmless fun. Halloween in it’s modern form has NOTHING to do with religion. You are all letting your religious beliefs keep you and your children from a fun social tradition that’s about as evil as a birthday party.

Greetings everyone. I am a Muslim. I do not see Halloween as a Satanic holiday. Halloween now a day for children to dress up, have fun and get candy. That is all my daughter sees it as. She knows that we are Muslims and I do not encourage her to go out and “celebrate” any non-Islamic holiday (if you consider Halloween a holiday). If we lived in an Islamic society, we would not even be talking about this. However, we live in America and it is hard to shelter any child when the majority rules.

I am no expert on Islam, but a muslim struggling to practice with an open mind. So cannot say if its ok or not to celebrate from and Islamic point of view, but I have to say, having two small children, there are certainly aspects of this holiday that disgust me – mostly pertaining to the huge amounts of unhealthy sugar loaded toxins that people will allow their children to consume! No wonder diabetes is on the rise in American children.

This is a big debate among all the Abrahamic faiths as to whether or not it’s acceptable to celebrate Halloween given it’s pagan/Catholic roots. As a revert Muslim, I can see things from both sides. As a child (raised Methodist) we celebrated Halloween and I had a lot of fun. We didn’t treat it as a religious holiday, but did the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF with my church. I didn’t know anything about the history of the holiday at that time. As an adult, and a devout Muslim, I can see that the Islamic (and Jewish and some Christian’s) perspective on the holiday is, in my mind, correct. We should not celebrate it as it is full of haram (forbidden) activities and ideas ranging from divination and spirit worship to trickery and petty crime. Yes, it’s not celebrated the way it was in the past and does seem like harmless fun to many (although looking at the crime rates on Halloween harmless is a relative term!), but as Muslims we must be very careful what we follow. Allah wants us to stay on the right path and true to our deen and the concept of the one-ness of God and the unnecessity of other holidays aside from our own. We must take care not to commit shirk by placing anyone or anything else in as high a place as Allah and our Islam. If we start doing a “just” a little trick-or-treating here and a few Valentine’s cards there, then next thing we know we are putting up Christmas trees and lighting menorahs in our homes as we are trying to fast for Ramadan! Yes, it’s important to fit in with your society and the culture in which you live and show the utmost respect to others in their practice of their religions and cultures, but not at the expense of your own religious beliefs. So, my young daughters will not be celebrating Halloween, in fact we will be attending an Islamic movie and pizza night at my mosque instead…free food, candy, movie and halal fun, Inshah Allah (God-willing). My Christian neighbors do a similar activity at their church as well, since they don’t celebrate Halloween for much the same reasons we don’t. Take care all, regardless of how you do or don’t celebrate, and I enjoyed reading the posts.

Halloween is not religious in any sense of the word. Nor is modern “Trick or treating” based upon any rituals of souling

Website states
“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.”
This is false. The first documented usage of “trick or treat” was used in Blackie, Alberta The youths of the area went from house to house. Trick or treating and when they were turned away they did things mostly harmless. Like moving mailboxes or barrels out into the street or some other silly prank. So no, “Trick or treat” is no religous in any context.

Onto the Muslim Misconception of the Jack-O-Lantern

Website states
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.

Completely false.
although a quarter million Scots-Irish immigrated to America between 1717 and 1770, the Irish Potato Famine brought more than a million immigrants to North America in 1845–1849, and British and Irish immigration to America peaked in the 1880s, ritualized begging and decorations on Halloween was virtually unknown in America until generations later.

Way to see somthing neat Muslims and immediatly lable it Evil and Heretical are you people EVER going to have a renissance of any kind? The irish didn’t even IMPORT their celebrations to America much less pick up a pumpkin and apply some crazy myth to it. The Whole purpose of the Jack-O-Lantern is to carve a face into a Solid object apply lighting and then you have a scary floating face to put on a fence post or darkend area. Many people put their Jack-O-Lanterns on their porches which sort of defeats the purpose the whole thing anyway, But the reason they do is because of Pumpkin Vandalism. Most likley motivated by Bible thumping Evangelical Christians who view a simple day of Dress up, Walk around and meet your neighbors night the same way you people do.

I think all Muslims should participate in Halloween. its name might have been imported from some English folklore. but Trick or treating is nothing like “souling”. And Jack-O-Lanterns are not idols of Pagans throwing out coals of hell to lost souls. Get a grip people.