Salaam,
Please tell me more about Thanksgiving day because there are a number of Muslims in America celebrating that day. Is it right or wrong? What about black Friday sales?
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Your query is two-fold:
- Is it permissible for Muslims to celebrate Thanksgiving in America?
- Is it permissible to avail Black Friday sales?
The answer is as follows:
– Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. It is said that Thanksgiving had roots in religious and cultural tradition but today Thanksgiving is primarily celebrated as a secular holiday.
In principle, imitating the disbelievers in any of their religious festivals (holidays) is totally impermissible and intolerable. It is also impermissible to imitate non-Muslims by celebrating their national festivals (holidays). Therefore, even if Thanksgiving does not symbolize or represent any non-Muslim ideology, it is nevertheless a distinguishing mark of the nation, making its celebration impermissible.
As Muslims, Allah Taa’la has showered his mercy upon us by bestowing us with the wealth of Islam. Islam is the way of life that is perfect and complete. There is no need to look towards other avenues and roads when success of both the worlds is guaranteed in loyalty to Allah and His Deen. In conclusion, to celebrate Thanksgiving is totally against the sense of honor of a believer and impermissible.[1]
– It is permissible to purchase items on sale on Black Friday. Black Friday does not have any religious or cultural connotations. It happens to fall on the day after Thanksgiving but has no affiliation to it. It is simply a commercial related enterprise. [2]
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Abdullah ibn Mohammed Aijaz
Student Darul Iftaa
Baltimore, USA
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
[1] http://www.askimam.org/public/question_detail/23096 (Answered by: Mufti Abdul Azeem ibn Abdur Rahman Khan)
(This query has been answered multiple times; reaching the same conclusion)
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_(shopping)
(Companies make so much profit that their books come out of red into black)