Dad, Why Does Allah Hate Fun?
The Quran teacher told my kids not to celebrate Halloween. This is how I responded.
When I picked up my children from Saturday’s Arabic school today, I could tell there was something wrong. I saw the sadness and frustration on their faces.
I hugged them tightly and kissed them.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Dad, why Allah hates fun?” my 9-year-old son said.
“The teacher said it’s haram (not allowed) to celebrate Halloween. I have been waiting for it for too long, Daddy”, my 7-year-old daughter added.
My kids have been talking about Halloween since the start of October — how much candy they would eat, where candy would be stored, the types of candy that they want, and so on.
This year, the Halloween decorations on my next-door neighbors’ front lawns made my kids more excited. They went up and beyond with their decorations by setting up an entire scene in their front yard, from a flying ghost to a skeleton riding a carriage to carved pumpkins.
Add to that the Halloween costumes that have started to pop up at the grocery stores.
Back at home, after I let my kids express their anger and frustration at the Quran teacher, we had a long and interactive discussion about the issue.
I started by asking the question, “On Halloween, you wear scary costumes and go to strangers’ houses to get candy. What do you say to get candy?”
“Trick or treat,” they answered excitedly.
And what does Allah command us to do when going to people’s houses?
My 9-year old told the verse; which he learned at the Arabic school:
O you who have believed, do not enter houses other than your own houses until you ascertain welcome and greet their inhabitants. That is best for you.
I then turned to the youngest and asked, “And what if someone doesn’t allow us to enter their house?
She recited the next verse,
And if you do not find anyone therein, do not enter them until permission has been given you. And if it is said to you, “Go back,” then go back; it is purer for you. And Allah is Knowing of what you do.
“Excellent!” I said. “Yes. We must go back. ‘Purer for you’ means that we should not feel upset or offended if people don’t allow us in.”
This is when I asked, “Is that the same as threatening people or doing tricks on them?”
The phrase: ‘Trick or treat!’ means: ‘Either you give us candy or we do a trick on you!’ So people give them candy.” Does Allah command us to do that with the people who open their houses to us?”
I noticed a change in my kids’ faces. Their fascination with Halloween went low.
My 7-year-old said indignantly, “That is not fair. It’s pushy. You can’t say or do that to someone!”
Kids have a strong sense of justice. The threatening associated with not getting the candy contradicts Allah’s orders of greeting and spreading peace. My kids were able to pick that up.
I then went on to explain the historical background of Halloween.
“Do you guys know how Halloween started? It was made up by some pagans. It is an old pagan holiday of the witches and the dead. Some Christians tried to Christianize it by calling it “All Saints Day.”
These pagans were scared of ghosts, witches, bats, skeletons, and dead people coming back to life. So they dedicated a whole holiday to these things to try to protect themselves from their irrational fears.
My 7-year-old interjected, “Why did they feel so scared of those things? We don’t have to fear anyone or anything except Allah. Dead people can never come back to life except on the Day of Judgment!”
“Because they don’t believe in Allah or the Day of Judgment,” I said. “Halloween represents the devil worshipper’s New Year. Today, those devil-worshipping people hide under the name ‘Freemasons.’
Besides, we have our own Muslim holidays! What are they?”
“Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr!” the kids answered excitedly.
“Yes. And we start those celebrations by giving to the poor. We give out money, not candy, so the poor can buy whatever they need. We celebrate for three days straight. We play, visit our relatives and neighbors, eat candy and all kinds of food.
Allah wants us to have fun. But at the same time, He wants us to be truthful. He doesn’t want us to lie, trick, or cheat people.
Allah doesn’t want us to fear fake things like witches or skeletons or ghosts. These are silly imaginary things that people made up themselves.
Our celebrations are based on actual events, not superstitions or imaginations of people who worship the devil.
Islam is like a cup that is filled with water. What would happen if we tried to pour something else into it?”
“It would run over and spill!”
“Exactly,” I said. “If we try to add anything new to Islam that isn’t a part of it, something else will spill out.
Let’s not ruin the perfect full cup by adding strange things to it that don’t belong. It is odd to see reasonable people acting silly and doing foolish things. We don’t celebrate other holidays other than the ones Allah has given us.”