Islam and Halloween: How to Navigate as Muslim Parents
It’s that time of year: ghouls, goblins and ghosts are popping up everywhere and Muslims start wondering how to navigate Islam and Halloween in the West.
If this is one of your worries and you’re a parent, you’re not alone.
Halloween has become one of those big seasonal holidays that everyone tends to celebrate as a bit of fun.
For Muslims, however, celebrating Halloween is problematic from an Islamic perspective. I break down exactly why in this article.
Challenges for Western Muslim parents dealing with Halloween
Halloween is a Western legitimised holiday
Halloween is a sanctioned holiday in Western countries like the Unites States and the UK. It’s widely accepted as a time for people to be foolish and silly. This gives the holiday legitimacy and makes it seem normal. Therefore, not engaging in or celebrating Halloween in some way may seem abnormal by Western cultural standards.
Halloween can seem appealing to children
On the surface, Halloween celebrations look fun. There are silly looking witches and ghosts. There are strange-faced pumpkins and full moons. Homes can be decorated with Halloween decor. It’s all a bit spooky yet frivolous – and it’s everywhere. The novelty of these things can be pretty exciting for children.
Halloween provides an escape from reality
Some people enjoy celebrating Halloween as a form of escapism. It allows them to enter a different world and experience the stuff of nightmares without any actual danger. For people who love the gothic world or fantasy in particular, Halloween is a perfect festival.
Trick or treating is highly problematic
Trick or treating is a problematic practice, even if you detach the symbolism of Halloween (more on this below) from it.
Children are taken to strangers’ houses and judged on their appearances. They are then rewarded with sweets and treats for doing nothing but dressing up in a costume and knocking on the stranger’s door. Isn’t this odd?
Sweets, lollipops, and chocolates are glorified on this day. The goal is to get as many as possible and at the end of the day, kids count all the treats they have amassed. A child might feel extremely accomplished by the size of their haul at the end of the night. Again, isn’t this extremely strange?
Halloween teaches children to fear the unreal
Halloween exposes young children to very scary concepts which are not appropriate for them.
Children up to the age of 6 think very literally. That means, they believe in the face value of things. They cannot understand the distinction between what is real and what is magic (and fake).
So if they see an evil cackling witch flying through the night sky on a broom on their TV, they may believe that is real and can happen in reality.
Associating Allah’s creatures with fear
Halloween festivities and decorations often use creatures like black cats, bats, spiders and even owls to incite fear.
These animals become representations of darkness, evil and fear. They are made to seem harmful, or at the worst, haram. But in reality, they are just some of Allah’s creatures and are morally neutral.
All of it is based on superstition, which holds no weight in Islam.
The conflict between Islam and Halloween
Many might wonder what the big deal is with having fun on Halloween. And indeed, it seems more or less harmless.
However, the Quran teaches Muslims to reflect and be critical thinkers.
So let’s understand the basic origins of Halloween.
Halloween’s origins
- It started from an ancient Celtic tradition called ‘Samhain’, a time when Celts believed the barriers between worlds were weakest and humans could communicate with other worldly beings.
- During the Roman empire, Celtic traditions merged with Roman traditions. One of these was a day in late October to commemorate the dead.
- Halloween was born in the 8th century when Pope Gregory III wanted to strengthen Christianity and distance it from pagan traditions.
- He co-opted the festival and made it a time to honour Christian saints instead.
- It was called All Saint’s Day (Nov 1) and the day before was known as All Hallow’s Eve (31 Oct).
- All Hallow’s Eve eventually became known as Halloween.
- Over time, some of the original traditions of Samhain became part of the Halloween festivities, such as lighting bonfires and wearing costumes to scare off ghosts.
Now, let’s understand why Islam and Halloween do not and cannot go together.
The core tenet of Islam
The Quran teaches Muslims the first and most important tenet or belief in Islam: tawhid.
Tawhid is a complex and multi-faceted concept. But its essence is having total belief in the oneness of God. This means associating no other partners alongside him and recognising no other power except Allah.
You can see that Halloween and its traditions are steeped in pagan origins and idolatrous beliefs.
This is haram in Islam because it suggests there are other beings worthy of the fear, worship or veneration that you would give to God.
Why it’s not advisable in Islam for Muslims to celebrate Halloween
Islam advocates critical thinking
One of the reasons why the Quran revelation was such a big deal in pre-Islamic Arabia is because it focused on truth and fact over falsehood and superstition.
Islam brought forth enlightenment. Allah commanded that we should start using our logic. The Quran tells us to reflect on the signs in the creation – this is miraculous in itself.
And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the diversity of your tongues and colours. In that surely are Signs for those who possess knowledge.
The Quran, 30:23
Dangers of false belief in the unreal
I’ve already mentioned that tawhid is the foremost belief in Islam.
Attributing any power to things which Allah has not given power is a form of shirk (idolatry) which is never permissible.
Islam values honesty over trickery
Trick or treating, wearing masks and playing pranks – these are all part of Halloween festivities and these types of acts place value on dishonesty, trickery and sneakiness.
Islam values honesty and truth above all else.
Islam has its own beautiful festivals
Allah has given us our own celebrations in the form of Eid and some say every Friday is an Eid too.
Just as we would not actively celebrate another religious festival, we should not celebrate Halloween in the same way, especially considering its origins in the religon of paganism.
It is fine to acknowledge other religions and be kind and civil to those who choose to follow their own beliefs, without having to be an active participant in their celebrations.
Halloween waste!
Pumpkins in their thousands are wasted every Halloween in order to create jack-o’-lanterns.
Stores sell cheap synthetic costumes which have a terrible shelf-life and are disposable.
Shops sell cheap Halloween decorations in abundance and then throw them out once the season is over.
Islam does not support wastefulness, and that’s enough for me to not support these practices.
Muslim children’s exposure to Halloween
It’s hard to avoid Halloween in the Western world because it’s everywhere as soon as October begins.
Nurseries and schools will often incorporate Halloween into their learning or use it as a theme for activities.
Your children will probably be involved in Halloween-related activities in one way or another. It’s unavoidable.
But if that worries you, you can be proactive about how much Halloween factors into your family’s life.
How to talk to your children about Islam and Halloween – some ideas
- Acknowledge the appeal of Halloween for the reasons I have already listed above.
- Do not be hostile about the celebration. This may teach your children that it is fine to be derogatory about other people’s beliefs which is not permitted in Islam.
- Explain that Halloween practices are part of another religion and we do not follow other religions’ beliefs and practices. Halloween is based on pagan beliefs and some cultures believe that with this holiday allows them to get closer to their ancestors and deceased loved ones.
- Explain that we are Muslim and Islam teaches us that we cannot see people again when they have died and we are still alive.
- You could also explain that some people do not see Halloween like a religion and like to join in with the festivities, believing it is harmless fun.
- For Muslims, we do not do things which would not be pleasing to Allah, so we avoid such celebrations. For example, we do not create negative associations with Allah’s creatures, like cats and spiders.
- We have our own halal celebrations in Eid and these are special enough. We don’t have to compete with other religion’s holidays.
- For older children or teenagers who seem interested, you could even discuss how a holiday like Halloween is actually a consumerist day which serves capitalism.
- Explain that fear is normal. But when we feel afraid, we act on that by making dua to Allah for help. ‘Adam’s Halloween Situation’ is a fantastic Islamic podcast story from Once Upon a Crescent which deals with this topic superbly.
Focus on Autumn/Fall activities, not Halloween
It doesn’t all have to be doom and gloom!
Autumn is a noticeably beautiful time of year. It is another one of Allah’s miracles! You can create positive associations with this season for your children without worrying about them missing out on Halloween festivities with their friends.
There are lots of wonderful autumn-related activities you can do to help your children feel in tune with the season which are not haram:
- exploring the life cycle of pumpkins
- learning real facts about ‘Halloween animals’ such as spiders, cats, and bats
- taking nature walks
- doing leaf activities such as leaf collecting, leaf rubbing, or leaf art/collages
Common criticisms against Muslims not celebrating Halloween
Final considerations
As a Muslim parent, I know I have lots to contend with when it comes to raising my children in the West.
It is an ongoing part of my parenting to reflect on Islamic teachings and how I want to raise my children as Muslims.
Insha’Allah, this article helps to guide you to make a decision that fits your beliefs and priorities.
Only Allah knows our struggles. May He view us with mercy and accept our sincere efforts. Ameen.
Salaam x
