Halloween is a festival celebrated on the evening of 31st October every year in which children dress up in a variety of costumes collecting treats from neighbors. On the other hand, adults decorate the home with ghostly figures, crave scary face on the pumpkin and put a candle in it to make Jack-O-Lanterns. Due to the globalization, a number of Western festivals have been adopted worldwide and Halloween is one of them. It has been seen that from past couple of years Halloween is being celebrated in Pakistan.

However, Halloween celebrations have created a new debate among the masses about its credibility in Islam. Is it okay to wear ghostly costumes and scare other? What should we do when a child comes for a treat at our doorstep? We should know about the origin of Halloween first.

The Origin Of Halloween, Costumes, And Trick-Or-Treating:

Halloween was originated by the Celtic people over two-thousand years ago who celebrated the ancient pagan custom called Samhain. The Celts believed that a portal between the living and dead would be opened and Satanic spirits would roam the earth mixing with humans. Halloween attire was originated by the Celts who believed that by wearing frightening ‘costumes’ they would be able to ‘trick’ the Satanic spirits by portraying that the humans were ‘one of their own’, preventing harm. The Celts would also present ‘sweets’ to the satanic spirits to appease them.

What Does Quran Say About Celebrating Halloween?

Allah says in the Quran that,

Rather, We have brought them the truth, and indeed they are liars – Surah Mominoon, verse 90

Tauheed (monotheism) is the basic principle of Islamic society and safeguarding this belief is the primary objective of every Muslim. According to Islamic scholars, celebrating Halloween includes in ‘shirk’ because you are admitting the power of satanic spirits. They also say that Allah has blessed us with great festivals like Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Azha, celebrating such type of festival is like a ‘bidaat’.

For supporting their stance, scholars quote below-mentioned hadiths.

It was narrated that Jabir bin ‘Abdullah said: “When the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) delivered a sermon, his eyes would turn red, he would raise his voice and he would speak with intensity, as if he were warning of an (enemy) army, saying, ‘They will surely attack you in the morning, or they will surely attack you in the evening!’ He would say: ‘I and the Hour have been sent like these two,’ and he would hold his index and middle finger. Then he would say: ‘The best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. The most evil matters are those that are newly-invented, and every innovation (Bid’ah) is a going astray’ – Sunan Ibn Majah Book 1 Hadith 45

Another hadith says that,

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (PBUH) said, “The Hour will not be established till my followers copy the deeds of the previous nations and follow them very closely, span by span, and cubit by cubit (i.e., inch by inch).” – Sahih al-Bukhari Book 92 Hadith 421

And verily Allah knows the best!