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inter-faith harmony will be a positive progressive move to ensure serenity and patience worldwide. The Quran is the truth and is undeniable by anyone who possesses insight and a lucid and rational understanding of God.
Who then will be redeemed? Who inherits Paradise? Heaven belongs to God and we only judge in light of the Quran. We cannot profess to have some kind of guarantee. We cannot restrict the path to Heaven according to our whim and fancy. It is best to stick to what God says in the proven Scripture. [4:122-124] As for those who believe and lead a righteous life, we will admit them into gardens with flowing streams, wherein they live forever. Such is the truthful promise of GOD. Whose utterances are more truthful than GOD’s? It is not in accordance with your wishes, or the wishes of the people of the scripture: anyone who commits evil pays for it, and will have no helper or supporter, against GOD. As for those who lead a righteous life, male or female, while believing, they enter Paradise; without the slightest injustice.
[2:62] Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone who (1) believes in GOD, and (2) believes in the Last Day, and (3) leads a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve.
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[Matthew 7:21-23] None of those who cry out, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of God but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. When the day comes, many will plead with me, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? Have we not exorcised demons by its power? Did we not do many miracles in your name as well?” Then I will declare to them solemnly, “I never knew you. Out of my sight, you evildoers!”
This is supposedly “The Most Wonderful Time of Year” according to a song. Parties, roasting chestnuts, and caroling out in the snow.
More than 2 billion people in more than 160 countries consider Christmas to be the most important holiday of the year. In the United States, 9 out of 10 people celebrate the holiday—even if they are not Christian. I grew up Jewish and it was a challenge for me to get into the “Christmas spirit” with my Christian wife and our boys. As I came into Submission, I wanted them to understand the real story without feeling left out, as all their friends boasted about all the gifts they’d received. So, we decided to celebrate New Year’s as our ‘family holiday’. Being in the toy industry, December was a very exhausting month. We thought rewarding ourselves with a family gathering, good food, and presents on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day was a good compromise. We pretty much kept everything generic as far as decorations were concerned with the exception of stockings. I gave in on that one. We did have a mantel after all. So, we would host a party on New Year’s eve, and New Year’s day we’d have an elaborate brunch with the extended family and afterwards sit in the living room taking turns opening the presents stacked around the fire place. It was a nice family tradition that I have many fond memories of.
Here are some interesting facts that I found while researching this topic.
When Christianity first began, Jesus’s birth wasn’t celebrated—Easter was the main holiday. The Bible doesn’t even mention a specific birth date for Jesus, and some Christians believe the birth took place on January 6, not December 25. That date, according to some, still belonged to the Juvenalia holiday which was a Roman holiday.
After Jesus’ death many sects of Christianity emerged. It was the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD which attempted to homogenize Christianity so it would become acceptable to more people and pagans. In 381 the Council of Nicaea came out with its Creed declaring the divinity of Jesus. Even at this time there was no Christmas as we know it. Many people still celebrated the Solstice.
In the 4th Century Pope Julius I selected December 25 as the official birthdate of Jesus. It’s generally believed that this date was chosen to coincide with pagan traditions of the time, hoping to draw pagans into a different pagan ritual.
By the Middle Ages, the practice of celebrating Christmas had spread around the globe. Christ’s birth was celebrated on December 25, and January 6 became the date that people marked the Feast of the Epiphany, commemorating when the wise men arrived in Bethlehem and found Jesus in the manger. (The period of time between both dates would become known as the 12 days of Christmas.)
With religious reforms of the 17th century, Christmas fell into disfavor. It wasn’t declared a federal holiday in the US until 1870. But then it gained great momentum, and more and more traditions were added as immigrants brought their festive ideas with them. These include: Christmas trees—millions of live trees are sold each year in the US.
Parties—in the Middle Ages Christmas was celebrated much like Mardi Gras.
Poinsettia plants—brought from Mexico in 1828 and loved for their red and green colors.
None of the contemporary Christmas customs have their origin in theological or liturgical affirmations, and most are of fairly recent date. Christmas carols, such as White Christmas, I’ll be home for Christmas, Winter Wonderland, Silver
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