Importance of 25th December and Christmas:

1.    Introduction:               Christmas is celebrated on December 25 and is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. Christmas as a holiday commemorating the birth of Hazrat Issa A.S. (Jesus Christ) is celebrated by a majority of Christians on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar. But early Christians did not celebrate His birth, and no one knows on which date HE was actually born. Some scholars believe that the actual date was in the early spring, placing it closer to Easter.

2.    A Tradition:                 The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world; centuries before the birth of Hazrat Issa A.S. Early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter. Many people rejoiced during the winter solstice, when the worst of the winters were ahead of them and they could looked forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight.

3.    An Old Custom – Pre-Christian:             The history tell us that it was a custom of the Pagans to celebrate birthday of the Sun on 25th December at which they kindled lights in token of the festivity. The pre-Christian god Mithras was called the Son of God and the Light of the World was thought to be born on the same day.

4.    A Fact:                Even before Hazrat Issa A.S. was born. In pre-Christian pagan belief, December 25 marked what was known as the Winter Solstice. Sol is the ancient Latin word for ‘Sun’, and Stice literally means ‘standing still’. It was celebrated by sun-worshipper as the day signaling the middle of winter, the shortest day of the solar calendar. This day was celebrated in different ways by different people all over the world.

5.    A Myth:              As Christians around the world celebrate Christmas; the historians and theologians question whether the holiday really celebrates the birth of the so called 'son of god' or the 'sun-god'!

6.    The Roman Reality:              Christians around the world celebrate Christians around the world, which is marking what in common Christian culture is believe to be the birthday of Hazrat Issa A.S. It is a fact that this festival actually dates back to the mid-fourth century when the Romans officially accepted the Trinitarian narrative of Christianity at the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. For the pre-Christian Romans, December 25 marked their most important holiday, Saturnalia. This was later renamed to ‘Sol Invicti’, which means ‘the unconquerable sun’, in honor of the Syrian sun-god Apollo. Ancient Egyptians also used to celebrate December 25 in worship of Ra, or Horus, the sun-god child of Isis and Orisis. In Mesopotamia, the mythical god Marduk, who was believed to fight against the cold and darkness, was also worshipped on this day. The Aztecs on this day would sacrifice children in worship of their sun-god, Huitzilopochli.

7.    Romans – Before Adopting Christianity:         Before its adoption, Christians were heavily persecuted by the sun-worshipping Romans, and was not so much seen as a religion, but rather a renegade sect of Judaism, which mainstream Jews themselves rejected. Trinitarian Christianity finds its roots in the teachings of Paul, an ex-bounty hunter of Jewish origin who used to persecute Christians under the command of his Roman masters. However, after he claimed to have a vision in which Jesus told him that 'he was the son of God' (a claim made and initiated by Paul), he began to preach Trinitarianism – the concept of three gods in one. His counterpart, a Jewish companion of Jesus by the name of Barnabas, who is believed to have preached the oneness of god, was against preaching to the non-Jews, unlike Paul. Meanwhile, the Jews in the Roman Empire were revolting. Barnabas himself was killed during one of these revolts in his homeland Cyprus.

8.    Christmas and Santa Claus:          A Roman Christian scholar by the name of Valentinus produced the first documentation of Christmas being celebrated on 25th December as a special feast in the year 354. Particularly, a Greek Saint from that era called Saint Nicolas, who lived in what is today known as Turkey, was also well-known for delivering presents to children on that day. His tradition continued, developing into the character of Santa Claus. Although in the past century, which has seen the rise of secular materialism and a decline in spirituality, it can be argued that Christmas has lost its significance as a religious holiday, but it is still nonetheless celebrated worldwide, albeit in a commercialized fashion.

9.    Was Hazrat Issa Born on 25th December?                  It is virtually impossible to find any evidence that Jesus and his disciples celebrated a festival on 25th December. In fact, it is highly unlikely that he was even born on that date. Christians of the East Orthodox Church traditionally celebrated Christmas on January 7, while Jeffery Sheler’s 1996 report ‘In Search of Christmas’ states that a document found in North Africa dated back to the year 243 suggests that Jesus was born on March 28.

10.    Reference from Two Holy Books:           Furthermore, Luke 2:7-8 clearly states that Jesus was born in a time when the shepherds of Palestine were out with their flocks. The above is not possible due to the cold or in the winter, especially in the night. Similarly, Al-Quran, chapter 19, verse no. 25; “And shake towards yourself holding the trunk of the palm tree, fresh and ripe dates will fall upon you”. While typically palm trees bear fresh date fruit in April or May, and are "ripe for the picking" around late August to September. Hence, the birth of Hazrat Issa A.S. cannot be in winter season.

11.    When Christmas Was Cancelled:               In the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way Christmas was celebrated in Europe. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. By popular demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the return of the popular holiday / festival, which continues today.

12.    Reference from Al-Quran on Oneness of Allah SWT:             

“Say you, He is Allah, the one” (112/1).

“He begot none' nor was He begotten” (112/3).

“For you, your religion. and for me my religion” (109/6).

13.   Conclusion:                 It will be worthwhile to appraise the facts & reality mentioned herein, and reconsider that aren’t we making a mistake and following a pagan tradition? which means denial of 'a complete supremacy of our Creator' and ‘associating His creation’ (Shirk); whether Sun or Son with HIM!