Can Muslims celebrate Halloween?

What Halloween is, in the scholars' terms

The ruling does not turn on the English name or on pumpkins and costumes. It turns on what the day is: a religious festival belonging to people who are not Muslims. IslamWeb describes it plainly as "one of the festivals of the polytheists," and lists it alongside Christmas as a celebration a Muslim does not join.

Once the day is identified that way, the scholars' ruling on the festivals of non-Muslims applies to it directly — this is not extending a ruling to a new case, it is the same case under a modern name.

Why the scholars prohibit it

Three strands of evidence carry the ruling.

The prohibition of imitation. The Prophet ﷺ said:

"Whoever imitates a people is one of them."— Sunan Abi Dawud, cited by the Permanent Committee

Ibn Baz leans on this heavily: since a Muslim is forbidden to imitate the disbelievers or adopt their character, he must leave their festivals alone.

The prohibition of assisting in sin. Allah says:

"And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression."— Qur'an 5:2

Ibn Baz's argument is that joining a festival of disbelief is a form of cooperating in sin and aggression, which is why he extends the prohibition even to trivial help — a cup of tea, a cup of coffee, lending dishes.

The meaning of the act itself. Ibn Taymiyyah, quoted by IslamWeb, explains why festivals are not a minor matter:

"Festivals are part of the law, the ways and the rites... agreeing with them in the festival is agreeing with them in disbelief."— Ibn Taymiyyah, Iqtida' al-Sirat al-Mustaqim

Ibn 'Uthaymeen adds that participation amounts to approving of the religion the festival belongs to and being pleased with it — and Allah is not pleased with disbelief for His servants (Qur'an 39:7).

What is included, and what is not

The prohibition is broader than attending a party. The scholars list:

• Attending the celebration: Ibn 'Uthaymeen rules it forbidden to go to the gatherings they hold for the occasion, and says accepting their invitation to it is worse than congratulating them, because it is actual participation.
• Congratulating them: Ibn al-Qayyim, quoted by both Ibn 'Uthaymeen and IslamWeb, says congratulating someone on a rite of disbelief is forbidden by agreement — "even if the one saying it escapes disbelief, it is still among the forbidden things."
• Dressing a child for it: IslamWeb was asked about buying an unusual costume for a child on Halloween and answered that buying it and wearing it indicate participation in the festival, even if the costume differs from the other children's — as long as the child wore it for that festival.
• Exchanging gifts, sweets, food, or taking the day off work: Ibn 'Uthaymeen lists all of these as imitation and therefore forbidden.
• Doing it to be polite: Ibn 'Uthaymeen is explicit that a person who does any of this is sinning whether he does it to be sociable, to show affection, out of shyness, or for any other reason — it is flattery in the religion of Allah.

The Permanent Committee was asked by students whose teachers were all Hindus and who felt embarrassed not to greet them on their festivals. It ruled that a Muslim may not share in their festivals, show joy or approval of them, or offer greetings and congratulations for the occasion.

Is it disbelief or sin?

IslamWeb draws the line carefully. A Muslim who joins in sins, but does not leave Islam merely by doing so — unless he knows the disbelief the festival contains and is pleased with it, or does it out of veneration for the days of disbelief. Ibn Taymiyyah is quoted saying that agreeing with them in this can end in disbelief, given its conditions, while "its beginning, at the very least, is a sin."

Al-Qari, quoted in the same fatwa, puts the practical distinction this way: if a person buys something on that day intending to magnify the day as the disbelievers magnify it, that is disbelief; if he buys it merely for enjoyment or out of habit, it is not disbelief but is disliked as imitation of the disbelievers, and he should avoid it.

In practice

• Do not join in — no party, no trick-or-treating, no decorations, no costume for the occasion.
• Do not congratulate anyone on it, and do not return their congratulations on it; Ibn 'Uthaymeen says we do not answer them, because it is not our festival and Allah does not approve of it.
• Do not help others hold it — not with food, drink, dishes or anything else.
• If you feel embarrassed or pressured, remember Ibn Baz's instruction: weigh your actions and other people's actions against the Book and the Sunnah, not against what people happen to do. What agrees with them is accepted even if people abandon it; what contradicts them is rejected even if people practise it.
• Ordinary kindness is not affected. Ibn Baz explains elsewhere that a Muslim may return a greeting, ask after a non-Muslim colleague's children, eat with him when there is a need, and accept an invitation — following the Prophet's ﷺ acceptance of a Jewish invitation. The prohibition is specific to their religious festivals, not to all dealings.

Key takeaways

• Halloween is a religious festival of non-Muslims, and a Muslim does not celebrate it — this is the position of Ibn Baz, Ibn 'Uthaymeen, the Permanent Committee and IslamWeb.
• The prohibition covers attending, congratulating, dressing for it, exchanging gifts or sweets, and giving any material help toward it.
• Doing it out of politeness, shyness or a wish to fit in does not change the ruling.
• Joining in is a sin; it becomes disbelief only if a person approves of the disbelief the day represents or venerates it.
• Ordinary courteous dealings with non-Muslims outside their religious festivals remain permitted.

Further reading

• Ibn Taymiyyah, Iqtida' al-Sirat al-Mustaqim
• Ibn al-Qayyim, Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimmah
• al-Qari, Mirqat al-Mafatih

And Allah knows best.