So, tis almost the season. Christmas 2024 is just around the corner. After working my brain for hours to pick the best topic for the Holiday special, I choose to talk about my personal experience as well as my understanding of Christmas, influenced by the masterpiece “The Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens.
Do I celebrate Xmas? Can a Muslim celebrate Christmas? Well, that’s a tough question. Because considering the fatwa (Sharia ruling) from Muslim clerics, they don’t agree with the idea of December 25th being the birthday of Jesus Christ (PBUH).
So, celebrating the birthday of a Prophet (Jesus is a Prophet for Muslims too) on the wrong date is not acceptable in Islam. But, that’s the view of hardliner Islamic theologians who won’t budge and neither allow any relaxation in their verdict.
I don’t take extremist religious perspectives seriously. In fact, I don’t regard rulings that make no sense to be of any value at all. Yes, I am a Muslim. The kind who believes that to find the Truth that exists in all of us, you need to surrender to God or Allah or whatever name you want to address Him with.
Therefore, you could call me a follower of Rumi, hypothetically speaking (cos I don’t actually follow anybody). Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi was a mystic who found himself as one with God – and realized “I AM THE TRUTH!”
Back to the Question of Christmas!
Well, yes, as a little Muslim child in Pakistan, when we watched Cartoon Network during our winter vacations – the last ten days of December, the red and golden Yuletide spirit in cartoon shows used to enthrall all the children in our family.
I remember Tom and Jerry being telecast all day long, without a break, on the 25th and my mom would say, “See, these Christians, they run your favorite shows on Christmas because they wanna attract Muslim kids into their culture!” Hahaha.
Having said that, cartoons like Tom and Jerry and comedies like Mr. Bean would throw me into a hypnotic trance that would last so long as I sat before the telly. The Santa with his bag full of gifts (toys and candies!! That’s what we thought), or the Christmas trees lit with so many mesmerizing ornaments. Or, the scrumptious Turkey!
My Goodness, how could I miss mentioning the holiday classic Home Alone? On a crisp wintery night, watching Kevin vs. the Dacoits in my home with my siblings – in our cozy beds, sometimes with finger-licking snacks. Ah, memories!!
So, that’s what Christmas was to me when I was a child. Lights and colors, foods, stories and happiness! (Also, from my auditory memory, I recall there’s this monotonous but gripping accordion tune to Christmas. But, my olfactory organs have no history of how Christmas smells, LOL)
“A Christmas Carol” by Dickens Comes Into My Life
Though I was born into a Muslim family, my mom wanted me to be educated at a Catholic school. “They will teach you English.” She said. And she was spot on! So, I got my education at a Christian missionary school in Karachi, Pakistan.
The teachers were highly qualified and came from diverse backgrounds. For instance, Ms. Peppy was a Goan Indian. Sir Leonard was Canadian. Father Martis belonged to Sri Lanka. Sir Samuel was American.
Summer and winter vacations were mandatory for all. So, as December approached, we were supposed to choose and finish a book in the winter holidays. In grade 8, I chose “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. This seemed like a nice novel, with a bit of spooky material and lots of pictures (I had an illustrated and abridged version).
At that time, the only idea I had about Christmas as I mentioned was Xmas cartoons and sitcom shows from the West. So, I never had any other angle to look at Christmas. Well, I began reading the book…
Moreover, let me tell you that my English teacher, an old lady who had been employed at the school for nearly 40 years, and who was a firm Catholic, was quite thrilled that I took up a Christmas-related book for my vacation. So, she went the extra mile to help me out with each line that I couldn’t understand or wherever I required her guidance throughout the book.
I Finished the Book, Phew…
It took me a full month to finish the novel (My reading was damn slow, I admit). Reading the book, a new door on the meaning of Christmas opened up for me which I had never lent a thought to ever before.
So now, Christmas not only meant Santa adventure, Jerry diving into a jumbo-sized chocolate cake, or Rowan Atkinson’s hilarious Turkey dinner, but the Christmas season also stood for being good to others, being charitable, being caring, etc.
Since the main purpose of the project “Read a Book” was to summarize the book and present it to my class; That I did, successfully. Guess, how much I scored? 13 out of 15. Impressive, isn’t it? Teacher was proud and expressed with joy, “Zyad is one of my brightest students!” Haha, that made my day. Getting my name in the good books of a wise, pompous and aged teacher like her was quite a breakthrough!
The story of Scrooge was a great read but NOT something that could compel me to question human suffering or sadness or loneliness or being angry at life for no reason.
Though it’s clear as day from the very first page of the book that Ebenezer Scrooge was the most miserable person imaginable, I didn’t dig deep into it and read only superficially – most probably because I was just a school-going teen with a project to get done hanging over my head.
Much Later in Life, the True Realization Happened
When I watched “A Christmas Carol (2009)”. Yeah, the animated one – dubbed (or voiced over, if you like) by the Hollywood legend Jim Carrey.
This animated movie I watched as a big boy, about when I was in my early twenties. So, the impact was not only much more profound but I then understood deeply that all religions have the exact same foundation and essence of humanity, compassion, love, happiness, and good for all.
“They are the people of the book!” Was the response of my mom, when years before I had asked her about Christians and why they celebrate Christmas. “Oh, what does that mean?” I had inquired. “Well, they are like Muslims, not much different, and if they follow the commandments of God and obey the teachings of Jesus Christ (PBUH), they will go to heaven.”
So, upon watching this movie years later and getting an insight into what goodness and God meant to Christians, those answers from Mom made good sense now.
Many pieces in my muddled, broken perspective of Christians seemed to fall into place; Why Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) asked Muslims to love Jesus. Why Muslims are required to venerate Jesus as a Prophet; Why Christians (and Jews) are described as similar to Muslims in the Holy Quran.
As I Drifted More Toward Spirituality…
The more I learned about higher consciousness, the more I began to relate with Ebenezer Scrooge! And why he behaved the way he behaved. And why most people, Muslims or Christians (or any people really) are so sad and pathetic and have no idea how to spend a jolly, lighthearted life that is focused on doing good and being good.
Why do most Mullahs or Priests keep a straight (angry, I would say) face that no child will want to look at? Just like Scrooge, why do most of us have no sense of love, when all scriptures teach love and compassion?
With analysis and study for years, I came upon some thundering realizations. One realization being that: although I am a Muslim by belief, I have no clue what it means to drop my ego and Be a Muslim. (Muslim means someone who kills his or her ego and surrenders to God).
I may be Christian, but the concept of selflessness which Jesus Christ epitomizes hasn’t even touched me. I want the beliefs to give me a cover and sense of fulfillment but deep inside we are ALL empty and being religious means nothing to us.
Scrooge Was Religious, Generally Speaking
Yes, in the general sense of the word. He looked bigoted, angry, high-browed, and matter-of-fact. Yes, he had his reasons not to celebrate Christmas, but overall he could make quite a Christian priest with all his strictness and “can’t take a joke” attitude.
Moving on, as I watched this Jim Carrey version of “A Christmas Carol” there were easily a plethora of scenes that truly moved me and struck right at my heart. For instance, as the Ghost of Christmas Past drops in and takes this grouchy old man back into the Christmas times of his childhood, I time-traveled with him back into my childhood, the time when nothing but having fun and living heartily was important.
I saw my past (childhood) with the same amazement as Scrooge witnessed his. Gosh, we didn’t even care about good looks, clothes, time, money, formalities as children…
All of that heavy rubble imposed on us bit by bit as we grew older. There, it dawned on me that this rubble (or baggage) is what takes away our smiles. Our carefree and spontaneous smiles that gradually turned into the manufactured smiles that we now “exchange with each other” in the hopes of gaining favor!
Then Arrives the Ghost of Christmas Present
In short, it taught me the value of living in the present moment happily. Forgetting about everything and living it up. To expand on that, what’s our present, anyway? Have you ever pondered? Our present is war. Within ourselves and, of course, outward wars.
45,000 human beings have been slaughtered in Palestine since Oct 2023 (the biggest number of human souls murdered in less than a year – in the last 50 years) and we casually carry on with our crazy lives – shopping, dance parties, feasts – as if all is normal.
If these starved and mutilated children were from my family (or your family) squirming with pain and terror, I know and you know that no amount of “humanitarian aid” and “analyzing the war on BBC” could bring us peace. But they don’t matter because they are not one of us. (Scrooge mindset in action!)
So, for me, that’s Present Christmas. I see people justifying the killings just like Scrooge justified not paying for charity. Indifferent to others’ pain, like Scrooge was to his clerk’s tears.
People Are Suffering.
Not just Muslims but all humans are suffering I would say; Suffering the imprisonment that we have created with our own beastly beliefs (my religion, my culture, my family, my people). And, as long as we do not take the message of the Ghost of Christmas Present seriously we will continue to suffer in the present moment.
The message is simple: the more ego you nurture, the more self-centered you become, the more you’ll be unhappy, the more you’ll suffer – and the more you will kill. As Scrooge says, “… then they had better die!!” Remember?
The Third Spectre Enters the Scene
Now, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come emerges. He’s death, as far as I understood him. He shows Ebenezer Scrooge how people will remember this pathetic penny-loving man once he’s dead.
Although now I don’t agree with the idea of caring about how people will talk of you after you’re dead, at the time I watched this film, it left a lasting impression on me. I don’t agree with the idea because I don’t see any substance to the adage “Your name survives your death”.
Death means ending, so whether people praise you or curse you posthumously, it’s not going to affect you in the slightest. Moreover, what people think of you will totally depend on the way their collective consciousness works.
If you die as a Jew in a Hindu society, people will believe God will resurrect you for a million more lifetimes before you come back into this world as a Hindu and then die to reach eternal Nirvana.
On the other hand, if you die as an idol-worshiper Hindu in a Jewish society, you are doomed for eternity as well.
What truly matters and what I extracted from The Ghost of Future Christmas is this: death is always at your front door and it can come in at any time to collect you. So, with this truth firmly embedded in your mind, how can you ever lead a viceful life? How can you EVER hoard money blindly when you know you are here only for a short while?
The Message of Jesus and Muhammad Is the Same
Selflessness is what Christianity teaches. That’s exactly what Muhammad (PBUH) said time and again. “Every Soul Shall Taste Death.” – The Holy Quran.
You see the point? All three Ghosts of Christmas taught Ebenezer Scrooge to drop his ego and be a good Christian. That’s what being a good Muslim is all about too. (Surrendering to Allah, remember?) They didn’t ask him to close himself to the world, hold on to his meaningless beliefs and negate happiness to himself and others. That’s what he was already doing.
The Spirits came to knock down his ego and open him up to life. To shine a ray of passion and compassion in his heart. Throwing away his bigotry, freeing up from the illusion of “I have got a long life” and seeing everybody as himself (embracing non-duality) was what transformed Scrooge into a man of God.
We are all the same. We come into this world exactly the same!!
As we grow up, society divides us up into Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Communists, Atheists. The society being clerics, liberals, right-wing and left-wing. For them, it’s necessary to create schisms because if they don’t divide then they can’t perpetuate their own existence (think about it!).
The Purpose of Every Religion Is…
According to me, every religion has the mission is to bring back the innocence with which every single child is born – selfless, loving, laughing.
It’s NOT to hammer on the idea, “We are better!” “We are God’s chosen people, so let’s kill everybody else!” But that is what most of us are doing. Because we have got zero idea what the essence of being religious and having faith is. Period.
Huh… Sigh. That was a long read, ain’t it? Yes, it was quite a challenge writing this article, knowing that people from all backgrounds will be reading this and I was definitely expecting some backlash. Other than that, my fingers started to ache as I typed word after word, sentence after sentence and poured my heart out into this piece.
(My fingers? Yeah, they are perfect now).
So, a very happy Christmas to all my Christian brothers and sisters celebrating the birthday of Jesus Christ this year 2024.
I pray that all of us can stick true to our faith and REALLY understand the beauty of the Holy Quran, Bible, Geeta or whatever book we read. Believe me, if we read with all our heart and soul, we will meet each other on the same page and at the same destination which offers nothing but purity and bliss.
Get it: Truth is Truth
It’s not Muslim truth or Christian truth. No Ghosts will come to make us realize that. Scrooge was lucky. We are not. We will need to find the Truth like Rumi (and Mansur Hallaj, Sham Tabrezi, Eckhart Tolle, Alan Watts, Jiddu Krishnamurti) ourselves!
Umm… Well, nobody wished me back. Oh I see, it’s not a “Happy” Christmas? Merry Christmas, that’s how you greet traditionally, right?
Merry Christmas Everyone – and a Happy New Year!
P.S. Just wanted to say..
Don’t let the tradition of Christmas die. I am aware “rationalists” are trying hard to put a stop to it. But, it’s lovely – don’t let them spoil it. Plus let the children believe in Santa a little longer, it’s better to believe in Santa as a child than an adult believing in Martian aliens. Hahaha.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave comments. Of course, I would be more than delighted to read your thoughts!
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(Authored by Zyad Al Haka)
