Taking a day of work on a holiday of the disbelievers

Question:

What is the ruling of discontinuing work due to a celebration of the people of the hellfire?

Answer:

If the discontinuing was done by those in charge, then the sin is upon them.

As for if the man was to work in his own shop or a business from his own wealth; and then also discontinues working that day, then this is impermissible without any doubt.

Due to it containing participation in the celebration of the disbelievers.
And Allah, the Most High, said:

(والذين لا يشهدون الزور)

“And those who do not witness falsehood”[Al-Furqān:72].

And it has come from a congregation of the salaf that what is intended with (الزور – Falsehood) here is: the celebrations of the disbelievers.

And the proofs prohibiting the imitating of the disbelievers are plenty, from it the statement of the Most High:

(ولا تكونوا من المشركين)

“and be not of Al-Mushrikun (the disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, polytheists, idolaters, etc.).”[Ar-Rūwm:31].

(ولا تكونوا كالذين نسوا الله وأنساهم أنفسهم)

“And be not like those who forgot Allah and He caused them to forget their ownselves.”[Hashr:19].

And the hadīth:

(من تشبه بقوم فهو منهم)

“Whoever resembles a people is from them.” [Ibn ‘Umar, Abu Dauud, Albani -Sahih].

And the very least what we benefit from this hadeeth is: the prohibition of imitating them, as mentioned by Shaykh-Ul-Islām, may Allah have mercy upon him.

And this also contains:

• Increasing the ranks of the disbelievers and their celebrations.
• Deception of the ignorant people.
• Incitement towards this wrongful celebration.
• Veneration of the disbelievers through imitating them.
• Participation in this damages a person’s allegiance and disallegiance which is from the greatest of the foundations of Islaam, and Allah, the Most High, said:

(قَدْ كَانَتْ لَكُمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ فِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ إِذْ قَالُوا لِقَوْمِهِمْ إِنَّا بُرَآءُ مِنكُمْ وَمِمَّا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ كَفَرْنَا بِكُمْ وَبَدَا بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةُ وَالْبَغْضَاءُ أَبَدًا حَتَّىٰ تُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَحْدَهُ)

“Indeed there has been an excellent example for you in Ibrahim (Abraham) and those with him, when they said to their people: “Verily, we are free from you and whatever you worship besides Allah, we have rejected you, and there has started between us and you, hostility and hatred for ever, until you believe in Allah Alone” [Al-Mumtahinah:4].

• It is from directing love/ and harmonising with them, and Allah, the Most High, said:

(يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا عَدُوِّي وَعَدُوَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ تُلْقُونَ إِلَيْهِم بِالْمَوَدَّةِ وَقَدْ كَفَرُوا بِمَا جَاءَكُم مِّنَ الْحَقِّ)

“O you who believe! Take not My enemies and your enemies (i.e. disbelievers and polytheists, etc.) as friends, showing affection towards them, while they have disbelieved in what has come to you of the truth” [Al-Mumtahinah:1].

And other than this what you can find in the book (Iqtidā As-Sirātl Mustaqīm) by Shaykh-Ul-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy upon him.

And it is the best of what is written in clarification of this great subject, and what it contains of evidences from the book and the sunnah, would quench a person’s thirst in this subject, with the permission of Allah, the Most High.

Answered by:
Shaykh Abu Hatim Yusuf Al-‘Inaabi Al-Jazaa’iree – may Allah preserve him.

Source:
t.me/abouhatem/198
t.me/abouhatem/199

Answered on:
1th, Rabē’ Ath-Thaani, 1438H.

Translated by:
Abu ‘Abdirrahman ‘Abdullaah bin Ahmed Ash-Shingaani.