Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatuillah;

This question is presented in our masjid every year around the hoilday season.What do I say when someone tell me "Happy New Year"?How to answer them knowing that these are not our holidays?..Jazaka Allahu Khayra

AA All praise are due Allah. May His peace and blessings be upon His last and best prophet Muhammad " Happy new year " is like "Good morning" or any other greeting people might use. It is not a part of the Christmas celebration. It is not more than a beginning of a new solar year, in which Allah SWT pointed out in the Quran that the Sun could be used for calculating the calendar. Eventually,there is nothing wrong with responding by saying "Happy new year" It is not the case with "Merry Christmas", because this greeting relates to the religious occasion itself, and we-as Muslims- do not celebrate it, nor we agree with celebrating it So, if a Muslim is greeted by saying "Mary Christmas" to him, he could say : thank you (for example). If it is possible to explain to the other party why he does not believe in Christmas holyday, he should do so in a very kind and nice way, and without injuring others` feeling Allah knows best. Dr.Main Al-Qudah Islamic Da`wah Center www.islamicdawahcenter.org