As Muslim parents, we are responsible for our children. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for those under your care. A man is a shepherd, and he is responsible for those under his care. The woman is a shepherd in her husband’s household and she is responsible for those under her care.” It is the duty of parents to get the knowledge one must have firm knowledge of the teachings and rulings of ones own religion and belief system. so they can teach their children about right and wrong.
In this blog , we will get to
know the origin of Halloween and tips that help parents to discuss with their children about it.
1-know about the subject:Halloween today is defined by children going house to house on the night
of October 31st, dressed up in a variety of costumes collecting treats.
Although Halloween may seem like a time for children to have fun carving
pumpkins and collecting candy, not many know the origins of this ‘festival’ and
its traditions that date back centuries.
Halloween was originated with
the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people wore costumes to ward off roaming
ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III changed "All Saints
Day" from May 13th to November 1st and incorporated some of the traditions
of Samhain into the
traditional Catholic holiday, hoping to replace popular pagan traditions with
church-sanctioned behavior. Over time other traditions and holidays were
absorbed into the mix, diluting the original purposes of each but culminating
in the unique and convoluted day of celebration. Even the term "All
Hallows' Eve," which referred to the night before the Catholic "All
Saints Day," gave rise through linguistic shifts to the modern word
'Halloween.
Dressing up in costumes: This
was done so that the ‘spirits of the dead’ would not recognize people. It was
also done by people imitating supernatural beings that were believed to roam
the earth at that time.
Trick-or-treating: The
Priests/Druids would go from house to house on October 31st and demand specific
types of food to offer to the spirits in order to calm them. If their demands
were not met, it was believed the people and their homes would be cursed with trouble, sickness,
and death. Prosperity was promised to those who generously donated (hence the
phrase, ‘trick or treat’, implying a demand for treats or else a certain
consequence would have to be given).
2-make children understand that:
*Halloween
has pagan roots
*It
is associated with celebrating superstition, black magic, and devil worship
*Costumes
are often inappropriate and immodest
*Trick
or treating can be seen as either blackmail or begging and Muslims are not
supposed to beg or extort people.
* Halloween
is a celebration that rejoices in all things magical and evil.
3- Teach them
to be proud of whom they are
4- Consider their school: Write a
letter or meet with the teachers explaining your stance on Halloween. You may
also want to consider picking them up early or even not taking them to school
on the day there is a Halloween party.
5- Islam forbids the Muslims to
imitate the kuffaar (disbelievers) . The prophet (peace be upon him) said: “You
will certainly follow the ways of those who came before you hand span by hand
span, cubit by cubit, to the extent that if they entered the hole of a lizard,
you will enter it too.” We said: “O Messenger of Allaah, (do you
mean) the Jews and the Christians?” He said: “Who else?”
and He
(peace be upon him) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”
Islam came to cleanse the pagan
practice and as Muslim we should stay away from such practice.
Bravo
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