He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, also said:

“Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”

Al-Bayhaqī narrated with an authentic chain of transmission, in the chapter on the disapproval of entering the polytheists’ churches while they are there on their festival day, and of imitating them on their Nayrūz and Mihrjān, from Sufyān al-Thawrī, from Thawr ibn Yazīd, from ‘Atā’ ibn Dīnār, who said that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

“Do not learn the language of non-Arabs, and do not enter the polytheists’ churches while they are there on their festival day, for divine wrath descends upon them.”

Here ‘Umar forbade learning their language and even merely entering their church while they are there on their festival day. What, then, of someone who performs some of their deeds or deliberately pursues something entailed by their religion? Is not conformity with them in deeds more serious than conformity with them in language? Is not performing some of the acts associated with their festival more serious than merely entering their gathering during their festival? If divine wrath descends upon them on their festival day because of their deeds, has not someone who shares in those deeds, or some of them, exposed himself to punishment for that?

Furthermore, does his statement,

“Avoid the enemies of Allah during their festival,”

not prohibit meeting them and gathering with them on that occasion? What, then, of someone who celebrates their festival?

Ibn ‘Umar said in the course of a statement:

“Whoever observes their Nayrūz and Mihrjān and imitates them until he dies will be gathered with them.”

‘Umar said:

“Avoid the enemies of Allah during their festival.”

Imam Ahmad explicitly stated that