Answer
Wa `alaykum as-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
2- Muslims are allowed, even urged, to make interfaith dialogues with people of all religions and backgrounds so that we can convey the message of Islam.
1- However, we are not allowed at all to observe the rituals or share the beliefs of the people of any religion or background.
In his response to your question, Dr. Mohammad Naim Saei, Member of the Permanent Fatwa Committee of the AMJA, states:
No, it is not permissible to observe the ritual acts of the people following other religions. You should be aware of the philosophy of the concept of interfaith dialogue.
In Islam, we are ordered to spread our message and to have dialogue with people of other faiths in a wise and kind way as Allah indicated in His Glorious Book; the Qur’an:
“Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is [rightly] guided.” (An-Nahl 16:125)
However, we are not permitted to share religious practices with the people of other faiths or to give them the impression that we agree with or approve their beliefs or practices which contradict our beliefs or practices.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.