Question Summary:
Attending Christian Funeral

Question Detail:

Hello,
I have two questions. I am a Christian woman and I am married to a Muslim man. He claims that he is unable to attend my parents' funeral as it is not permissible for him to do so. However, he will not be praying or partaking in anything that will compromise his religious beliefs. I would like to know if it will be okay for him to attend while wearing earpluggs and not listening to the service.
Furthermore, I would like to know if it is permissible for him to attend Christmas and Easter dinner at my family's house. There will just be dinner and nothing religious is being discussed.
Thank You for your time,

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salamu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullahi wa-barakatuh.
As Muslims, we are bound to follow and abide by the commandments of Allah whether we understand the logic and wisdom behind the laws of Allah or not. Hence, we are completely subservient to Allah. As Muslims, we vehemently guard our beliefs and protect our beliefs from any action that will compromise our (Eeman) faith and belief in Allah (Ta’ala).
In principle, it is impermissible for a Muslim to attend the funeral of a non-Muslim due to the various impermissible and anti-Islamic activities such as recital of polytheistic and anti-Islamic statements, intermingling of the genders, music and other impermissible activities. Hence it is impermissible for your husband to attend the funeral of your parents.
The same ruling applies to Christmas and Easter dinner as that would entail honouring the beliefs and history behind such festivities.
And Allah (Ta’ala) Knows Best
Ismail Desai
Darul Iftaa