Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi 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:
Muslims can join their Christian families and friends at Christmas festivals as long as they do not participate in specific religious rituals.
Responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
Christmas is a Christian celebration. Muslims have their celebrations.
Muslims, however, can join their Christian families and friends and partake of the feasts associated with Christmas and other festive occasions, as long as they do not participate in specific religious rituals associated with them.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.