By: Khadija Nadeem Gr 10
What Halloween’s traditions were and what they have become now, are both very normalized in the western culture that we live in now. As young Muslims growing up in an environment that’s standards surround us, it becomes hard to recognize where the line needs to be drawn.
Despite the fact that dressing up or collecting candy on the 31st is distanced from the original customs of Halloween, these traditions are still connected to the day. So it turns into this gray area in which we are scared to step foot. If it’s not simply okay for us to do but also not straightforwardly forbidden, how do we make a decision on our participation? I don’t believe any of us are in a position to pass judgment but when I fall in doubt, I turn toward the Qura’n or the Hadith.
In Sahih Bukhari Hadith #52, I found this narrated by An-Nu’man bin Bashar: “I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, ‘Both legal and illegal things are evident but in between them there are doubtful (suspicious) things and most of the people have no knowledge about them. So whoever saves himself from these suspicious things saves his religion and his honour.’-”
Some of you may wonder where the gray area appears if the act is just dressing up or collecting candy but with a little dive through history, it is easily uncovered that Halloween and its traditions stem from ancient Pagan culture and parts of Christianity. Once again, I’m in no position t accuse or decide for anyone, but at some point, a firm decision with logical evidence to back it up needs to be made and if you are satisfied with your research and conclusions, then we have both done our parts.
