A new Muslim attending a Christmas family gathering

16-8-2009 | IslamWeb

Question:

Salam Alykum, i am a revert muslim 3 years ago and i have strong faith of ALLAH, i live in qatar alone and i visit my non-muslim parents just once a year, since i become a muslim i like to stay in arab country were every street and every corner thier is a mosque because its difficult to live in our city were no muslim people around. all my family are non-muslim, all my sisters and brothers are living in Europe with their family. this coming december they have plan to have a family christmas reunion with all family members, this is a first time i will meet all the family members since i revert to islam i have fear of ALLAH, my question is how can i join them just to please them as my mother ask this favor for me? i love my mom and i never say no to her i missed also my sisters and my only brother. and i bought also a new house for my parents but they want to have house blessing to that house were im going to stay (house blessing in christian practice the priest will come to that house to pray and put their holy water in every corner of the house) Is it permissible for me to perform Sallah/prayer in that house were their are crosses and picture of Jesus? i try to convince my father also to convert to Islam but the problem is i just have a little knowledge i cannot give him appropriate answer i really need someone who have good knowledge that can help my father to convert to Islam, i wish to bring him here to attend islamic Studies in Fanar center but the Immigration deny my visa application for him as he is now 75 years old. please advice me,JazzakAllah khair. may Allah bless us all
Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His Slave and Messenger.

First of all, we congratulate you for the favor of Islam that Allaah The Almighty has bestowed on you, and we ask Him to increase your faith, certitude and keenness on doing good. We advise you to seek, as much as you could, to do what helps you keep firm and avoid temptations, such as marriage. You should seek the aid of some of your righteous sisters, or your Muslim brothers who are in charge of Islamic organizations and Da‘wah centers to search for a righteous man to marry you, in order to help you in the matter of your religion.

As for maintaining kinship ties with your parents and relatives, through visits and all permissible ways that maintain kinship ties, this is permissible for you. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {Allaah does not Forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes - from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allaah loves those who act justly.}[Quran 60:8]

Furthermore, Al-Bukhari may Allaah have mercy upon him entitled in his Saheeh a chapter: “Maintaining kinship ties with the polytheistic parents”, under which he included the Hadeeth on the authority of Asmaa’ may Allaah be pleased with her in which she said: "During the period of the treaty made by the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) (with the disbelievers), my mother came to me desirous (of a gift from me), thereupon I asked the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ): "Should I maintain kinship ties with her?" He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) said, “Yes.”

However, if you fear to be harmed in your religion from visiting them, then, it is impermissible for you to visit them, for the benefit of guarding your religion should be given priority over any other benefit. But, at the same time, you may maintain kinship ties with them through other means such as phone calls, sending gifts to them, etc.

On the other hand, it is impermissible for a Muslim to join the disbelievers in their festivities, as shown in Fatwa 89869. We have also previously clarified the ruling of prayer in a house having crosses and statues in Fatwa 88699, so refer to it.

As regards calling your parents or anyone of your relatives to Islam, this is among the greatest forms of kindness that you do to them. So, you may seek the aid of some audio and written material produced by Da‘wah centers; and you could also benefit from our website where we advise you to read Fataawa 124327, 86091, 88906 and 85234.

Allaah Knows best.

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