Dean of Islamic Science in Adıyaman University, Prof. Hamdi Gündoğar who talks to İLKHA about the New Year's Eve celebrations and the national lottery, stated that Muslims should stay away from such things that are not in Islam.
Saying that the New Year's Eve celebrations are a purely Christian phenomenon, Prof. Gündoğar said that these celebrations also take place in the Islamic world.
Gündoğar said, "On the other hand, there is no activity in Islamic culture such as the New Year's Eve celebration. A Muslim participated in New Year's celebrations shows: Muslims are under the influence of a conjectural culture that is dominated. Whereas, the duty of a Muslim is to place and live their own Islamic culture," said Prof. Gündoğar.
Referring to a hadith that the Prophet said, "Whoever looks like a tribe, he is with them," Prof. Gündoğar continued: "The thing that we have to do is not to participate in Christmas celebrations and entertainment that belongs to the culture of Christians. We have to evaluate it as a timely matter and to account what we have done in a year for Allah and for our nation. And to have good wishes for the future."
"Many Muslims are immersed in many events such as New Year's Eve, which is not from their own culture"
Gündoğar said that Muslims should spend their time with their-self-values while spending time with events that are not from their own culture, said: "But we see that many Muslims are immersed in many events such as New Year's Eve that are not from their own culture. So, we have to ask those questions to Muslims: Why do they participate in New Year's Eve celebrations that includes many sins? What happens to the Muslims that they buy a national lottery ticket and expect a help knowing that it is forbidden to him. What happens to Muslims is that he does not remember his eve of Hegira 1430 but celebrates Christmas and New Year's Eve as if it is his owns culture?"
ILKHA