10th March 2023
A question was posed by a muslim brother regarding the permissibility of an interfaith activity that took place.
Question:
👆Salaaams , are we permitted to participate in this type of event ?
Are we imitating the disbelievers and Christians in taking photos and this going into newspapers, etc ?
Does this constitute an interfaith event ?
Can I please have your views , Jzk
Muslim lady can be seen in this photo on far left wearing Palestinian scarf posing in photo with candles lit… is this allowed ? As lighting of candles for prayer is a part of the Christian prayer.
Answer:
Short Answer:
So long as the gathering is
1- not based on the premise that all religions are correct
2- does not include mixed prayer sessions or participation in a form of worship of another religion.
3- is free from other haraam acts
It will be permissible technically. But due to the confusion around the word interfaith, would be best to weigh up the pros and cons.
The lighting of the candles is considered part of the religious experience in many churches and thus it is impermissible for a Muslim to participate in the actual candle lighting process in a church setting. Anything like that should be strictly avoided.
As for posing for photos and dress, then even if a Muslim lady were to be dressed as per shariah, it is hard to see how it would be permissible to pose for photos with non Muslim men. Islam emphasizes modesty.
Find below a link to an article explaining interfaith in more detail.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kaBJ9pAqCm2gQvUa9AF9XkjdK4cpyVl0/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=109909878999856919632&rtpof=true&sd=true