{"fatawa":{"id":3563,"title":"Is saying to a kaafir \u201cI wish you well\u201d or \u201cI wish you all the best\u201d on his festival regarded as congratulating him?","slug":"is-saying-to-a-kaafir-i-wish-you-well-or-i-wish-you-all-the-best-on-his-festival-regarded-as-congratulating-him","order":"","question":"I know that congratulating the Christians and Jews for their feats is haram, as it means approving to their baatil (wrong) beliefs. Is it permissible for me to send to whom I know of them messages contain no congratulation? Like sending \u201c I wish you all good\u201d or \u201cI wish you the best\u201d with an intention of wishing guidance for them?.","answer":"
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Praise be to Allaah. <\/span>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

Congratulating the kuffaar on their festivals is haraam, as you say. Please see question no. 947<\/a> and 81977<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

It seems that sending a message to those of them who you know, on the day of their festival, saying “I wish you well” or “I wish you all the best” is a kind of congratulations. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

But if you send this message on a day other than their festival, with the intention of calling them to Islam and hoping that they will be guided, there is nothing wrong with that. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

It was narrated that Abu Moosa said: The Jews used to sneeze in the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), hoping that he would say to them, “Yarhamakum Allaah <\/em>(may Allaah have mercy on you).” But he would say, “Yahdeekum Allaah wa yuslihu baalakum<\/em>) (may Allaah guide you and reform you).” <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Narrated by Imam Ahmad (19089), Abu Dawood (5038) and al-Tirmidhi (2739); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Irwa’<\/em> (1277). <\/span><\/p>\r\n

It says in ‘Awn al-Ma’bood<\/em>: i.e., he did not say to them “Yarhamakum Allaah <\/em>(may Allaah have mercy on you)” because mercy is only for the believers; rather he prayed for them as was appropriate, that they be guided and enabled to believe. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

There is nothing wrong with praying for a kaafir to be guided aright, rather it is proven that this is the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). <\/span><\/p>\r\n

And Allaah knows best.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

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