With Christmas just around the corner, a polemic surrounding the religious celebration in our country more often than not arises, with some Malaysians claiming online that it is allegedly haram or forbidden for Muslims to wish Christians a Merry Christmas.
Accordingly, the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) recently took to social media to put the record straight and elaborate on the matter based on Islamic law.
JAKIM elaborated on the conditions that make it permissible for Muslims to wish Christians a Merry Christmas
For illustration purposes
In a Facebook post, JAKIM asserted that it is Ibahah or permissible for Muslims to wish Merry Christmas to those professing Christianity, but only under 3 conditions.
Firstly, it is only permissible if the act of wishing Merry Christmas was made for the purposes of muhibbah or goodwill and to maintain a good relationship.
Secondly, it is also permissible if the Muslim wishes a Christian a Merry Christmas without the intention to recognise or believe in the faith of other religions.
Lastly, wishing Merry Christmas is only permissible if it is used without any religious symbols or emblems.
The full view on the matter by the Mufti of the Federal Territories Office
In the post, JAKIM said that it sourced the Mufti of the Federal Territories Office for the post. In fact, the latter has actually published several articles elaborating on Christmas according to the view of Islamic law.
For Muslims wishing Christians a Merry Christmas, JAKIM sourced the article by the Mufti of Federal Territories published in 2018, which goes in-depth on the matter.
You can read the article here.
So, what do you guys think of JAKIM’s post? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
Also read: Popular Malaysian F&B Chain Bungkus Kaw Kaw is Now Certified Halal by JAKIM
