Do Muslims Celebrate Christmas? Why not?

On the occasion of Thanksgiving this year, I wrote an article on how Ahmadi Muslims celebrate the day. Feedback from the readers reflected their appreciation of the article as being very informative. Now that Christmas is approaching, I feel that it is an opportunity to write about the Ahmadiyya Muslim community’s beliefs, and views about Christmas and it’s related celebrations.
Muslims do not celebrate Christmas. Many people know this but they don’t know why. If Jesus (peace be upon him) is so revered in Islam, why don’t we celebrate his birthday?

It is necessary to point out that Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) and his mother Hazrat Maryam (Mary), are revered highly by Muslims. The Holy Quran mentions the name of Jesus (peace be upon him), 25 times and that of Hazrat Maryam 34 times. In fact a whole chapter in the Holy Quran has been dedicated to Hazrat Maryam (Surah Marium, Ch 19) which gives a detailed account of the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him) and related circumstances.
As far as celebrating Christmas as the birthday of Jesus (peace be upon him) is concerned, we the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, do not celebrate it, just as we do not celebrate the birthdays of any other prophet. We believe that following and adopting the prophet’s teachings as a way of life, amounts to a celebration of his birth. If the teachings are not followed, the Almighty’s displeasure is invoked. To quote an example from the Gospel, Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), preached non-violence to his followers. He said if someone slaps you on one cheek, do not retaliate violently, but to turn the other cheek towards the attacker (Matthew 5:39) . If this policy of nonviolence, and humility was strictly adhered to by the followers of Jesus (peace be upon him), surely peace would reign on earth. This is just one example, there are scores of others related to everyday life.
The other question that needs to be addressed regarding Christmas is whether 25th December is the actual date of birth of Jesus (peace be upon him). According to the Bible, when Jesus was born, shepherds slept outside in the open to tend to their sheep and date palms were in fruit. When the baby, Jesus (peace be upon him) was born, Hazrat Maryam shook a date palm tree and ate the dates that fell down. She drank water from a nearby stream. It was the season of the ripening of dates, probably around August or September. Both the Quran and Bible (New Testament, Luke 2:7-8.) give evidence of the actual time of Jesus’(peace be upon him) birth as Fall rather than Winter. Winters, and especially winter nights in Bethlehem are too cold to sleep in the open. Christians themselves are unsure of the actual date of the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him). The consensus was to adopt the date of the ancient rituals related to the Winter Solstice, as the day of his birth (Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th ed., vol.v, pp642, 642 A). When the authenticity of the date of an event is doubtful, how can it form the basis of a celebration reflecting Christian faith and beliefs? And last but not the least, the Christmas spirit has become a business and marketing venture leading to wasteful expenditure and activities that negate the spirit and teachings of Christianity. Christmas these days has been all about getting, and not giving. Children expect adults to give them expensive gifts, rather than being content with what they have.
So in a nutshell the Ahmadi Muslims do not celebrate Christmas because:
The Quran and Bible both give evidence that 25th December is not the date of birth of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him).
People should follow the teachings of their prophets and take the time for reflection rather than make their birthdays occasions for merriment and enjoyment.
For further information, please contact and visit:
Imam Shamshad Nasir
Ahmadiyya Community Centre
1730, West Auburn Road
Rochester Hills, MI.
Or contact: 909-636-8332.