If a man clothes his children or enlarges their allowances on one of the disapproved festivals, reverence for the sanctioned festival will inevitably diminish in their hearts. Should someone argue, “The heart has room for both,” the reply is: “Had it been devoted to just one of them, its devotion would have been more perfect.”

Fifth consideration: Imitating the unbelievers in any of their festivals gladdens their hearts over the falsehood they follow—especially when they live under the humiliation of the jizyah and social abasement. Seeing Muslims become mere imitators in the distinctive rites of their religion emboldens them, broadens their chests, and may even tempt them to seize opportunities and subdue the weak. This is a palpable reality that no rational person doubts. How, then, can an unwarranted act that amounts to honoring them be reconciled with a Law that has prescribed their humiliation?

Sixth consideration: Among the practices they perform during their festivals are deeds that amount to unbelief, deeds that are forbidden, and deeds that would be permissible were they not tainted by the evil of imitation. Distinguishing among these categories is usually clear, yet it often escapes the common people. Thus, when imitation occurs in matters whose prohibition is not apparent to the scholar, the layman is led to imitate them in what is actually forbidden—precisely what we observe in reality.