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I always get a chuckle from hearing the cries of the \u201cwar on Christmas\u201d from some people in our country. They claim that there are forces that are actively trying to extract \u201cChrist\u201d out of Christmas, making it a secular holiday. They may point to the fact that many people choose to say \u201cHappy Holidays\u201d to their friends and neighbors, rather than \u201cMerry Christmas,\u201d out of political correctness. Yet, when someone tells me \u201cHappy Holidays,\u201d it also gives me a chuckle as well.<\/p>\n
I know they mean well: they do not want to offend me if I am not Christian and do not celebrate Christmas. Yet, if a friend, colleague, or patient tells me \u201cMerry Christmas,\u201d I would not be offended in the least. I would deeply appreciate it, because that person is wishing that I have a happy day on December 25. It is a very nice gesture.<\/p>\n
That is because, throughout my life, Christmas Day is quite boring for me. I do not celebrate Christmas as my Christian friends and neighbors do. Thus, there is basically nothing for me to do, although this year I am taking call, so that will help pass the time at least. Growing up, my parents would attend religious conferences during the Christmas holiday, but, I would rarely attend the lectures. I would rather have fun with my friends and cousins. But, the problem was there was nothing to do: almost every store and attraction was closed for Christmas.<\/p>\n
Last year, I took overnight call duty on Christmas night, and I was looking for something to eat before my shift started: the city was a ghost town; not even the Dunkin Donuts or Chinese restaurants (previously my saving graces) were open! Thank God, the Muslim-owned business was open, and I was able to eat something before I started work. So, when someone wishes me a \u201cMerry Christmas,\u201d I am very happy.<\/p>\n
Yet, even though I do not celebrate Christmas, that does not mean that I do not have Jesus in my life. Jesus Christ is very prominent in Islamic belief, and one cannot be a true Muslim if he or she does not love and believe in Jesus. He is mentioned more by name in the Quran than the Prophet Muhammad himself. There is an entire chapter of the Quran named after his mother the Virgin Mary.<\/p>\n
The story of his birth is told twice in the Quran (3:42-47<\/a> and 19:16-33<\/a>). In addition to the story of the birth, the Quran recounts how Jesus spoke in his infancy (3:46<\/a> and 19:29-33<\/a>), healed the blind, those stricken with leprosy, and raised the dead back to life (5:110<\/a>). The Quran even mentions that Jesus used to fashion birds out of clay and breathe life into them, all by the permission of God Almighty (3:49<\/a>). In addition, the Quran recounts the story of what seems to be the Last Supper (5:112-116<\/a>).<\/p>\n The Quran describes Jesus as being \u201chonored in the world and the hereafter, and one of the intimates of God\u201d (3:45<\/a>) and \u201cin the ranks of the righteous\u201d (6:85<\/a>). He is also described as \u201ca word, from God, which God sent down to Mary, [and] a spirit from him\u201d (4:171<\/a>) and that Jesus was \u201cstrengthened with the Holy Spirit\u201d (2:253<\/a>, 5:110<\/a>). Classical commentators have interpreted the \u201cHoly Spirit\u201d to mean either divine inspiration or the Angel Gabriel. Yet, with all this, Muslims still do not believe Jesus to be divine:<\/p>\n \u201cPeople of Scripture [i.e., Christians], do not go into excess in your religion, and do not say anything about God but the truth. The Messiah Jesus, the Son of Mary, was only a messenger\u2026\u201d (4:171<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So, no one should worry about wishing me a \u201cMerry Christmas,\u201d because if their prayer is answered, Christmas Day will be a very good one for me. I am also very happy to wish my Christian friends and neighbors a hearty \u201cMerry Christmas\u201d as well, for, even though we see Jesus through different religious lenses, our love for Jesus is one. And it is my hope that this can bring Christians and Muslims together in our country and our world.<\/p>\n (Photo: Materials Aart via flickr<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. This article was previously published at Middle East Online<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago physician and writer. He is the co-author of \u201cThe Beliefnet Guide to Islam<\/a>,\u201d published by Doubleday in 2006. His blog is called God, Faith, and a Pen<\/a>. <\/i><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I am very happy to wish my Christian friends and neighbors a hearty “Merry Christmas”, for, even though we see Jesus through different religious lenses, our love for Jesus is one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":520,"featured_media":5084,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,6],"tags":[457,2002],"class_list":["post-3481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","category-hesham-hassaballa","tag-christmas","tag-muslim-newsletter"],"yoast_head":"\n