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so nobody wants to talk about why birthday cakes are all okay?
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BP…you really think that a member making a comment that is actually coated in sarcasm will turn Halloween into a holiday rooted in Islam? If so then we have much more to worry about than pagan traditions…
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I dressed up my baby as a cat and we gave out candies to all the cute kids that came along…I took lots of pics and had fun 
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I think Islam has seen and is still seeing bigger battles than Halloween.
For people who think Halloween might become Islamic…what kind of Islam are you following that is so weak?
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because bday cake sneaked into our culture.
When kaddo always sitting at the door looking funny…
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Sorry guys , I read up on various Shaikhs on what and why they discourage from even such minimal activities. Other then it being a pagan event , Halloween encourages belief in superstition , there are some serious hadith’s on this issue , worth a bit of research and that will give us all an idea why its not right to dress up.
Halloween is associated with horror and not with beautifying yourself and horror depicts negativity , it can scare people or give people wrong ideas , brings out evil in people on a larger scale . Hence why again , this is discouraged.
About asking for candy, many Shaikhs believe that it represents begging , as in asking for a treat .. or Tricking , which is representing , Blackmail … as in i will trick you if you dont give me candy .. again negative traits that are being passed on generation after generation ..
For a believer to be able to celebrate an occasion , its to be ensured that the occasion has positive connotations and nothing goes against the Islamic belief at the Hakook Allah or Hakook Al ibaad level .. for example , I asked about fathers day or mothers day or teachers day and they said these all held beautiful connotations and represented positive elements so its ok to use these occasions to gel with the communities ..
Lighting a christmas tree or carving a pumpkin , even though we dont believe in Christmas nor Halloween , but we are in essence following the foot steps of the pagan events .. upon asking I was asked back what the difference is between the following :
1- Eating an Alcohol filled candy but never Drinking Alcohol
2- Accepting Interest at the bank and then donating it to charity
3- Having a christmas tree but not celebrating Christmas
4- Going to a betting center regularly though not taking part in it
I said , they are all first steps to achieving the bigger sin .. I was told exactly that is what is called “footsteps of satan” where , we believe in one thing but the things we are doing are the baby steps against our belief ..
Sorry , not wanting to hurt anyone here or their belief, just sharing what my research taught me over the years since I was so so so confused about why little things get equated to bigger sins ..
Diwana, I agree with the quoted bit. I intentionally stopped doing all the events .. no more Valentine, Halloween , Christmas, Easter etc .. and Alhumdullillah i feel the difference in my life , at muslim occasions I make food and share with the neighbours and they ask show so much interest in our events .. one of my neighbours came all the way to ask me if I would be interested in an Islamic mission group get together that she was invited to ..
Fact is , I dont miss these elements in my life anymore … I have a kid, I am still not sure how i am going to transfer this into him , dont want him thinking he is missing out on all the fun , but In Shaa Allah , Allah will carve the path and make it easy for me , I will think up of fun activities with his friends after or before the occasions so he wont feel left out
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CB…thanks for sharing the fruits of your research. At least you came back with logical reasoning…whether or not anyone chooses to agree is a different story.
In light of what you have learnt what do you think about birthday cakes and the tradition of celebrating the day of your child’s birth?
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Or basant…
Letter of the law vs spirit of the law
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to be perfectly honest I started this thread in a light-hearted manner…
I’ve been around here long enough to know that we have this debate every other year if not every consecutive one and the comments are pretty much the same.
I prefer not to attack anyone’s beliefs because I truly and sincerely believe that the strength of one’s faith can only be judged by Allah and until and unless we are able to see inside someone’s heart to gauge their intentions we simply are not in a position to criticize.
To diwana’s comment:
One could also suggest that these people are like rocks that remain secure in their position despite the strong flow of water in a stream…nothing moves them from their faith.
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Absolutely right and I completely respect ones decision to agree or disagree with matters .. purely because , hidayah comes from Allah , what makes sense to me , may not make sense to another .. at the moment I am convinced I am doing the right thing , if someone can convince me via Quran and Hadith and Islamic logic that I am going on the wrong path by believing this , I will correct myself ..
Regards the birthday , I have never celebrated Eid milad un nabi , and consider it a biddah in religion .. until one day someone said , why do you celebrate your own birthday then? that made me think and I started asking questions about what Islamic decree is on this .. some said we shouldnt be celebrating birthdays and I did stop all together .. ( i dont believe in huge parties anyways , but just cutting a cake with close friends or family is what we normally did , no expensive gifts etc ) but I stopped on getting a cake even ! then I read up more and realized that birthdays are a very individual thing , its not a mass event .. its not a religious event .. unlike celebrating Prophet SAW’s birthday which is a mass , religious event and that is why its considered Biddah ..
So I went easy on it , and, now I try to make charity on my birthday , go out on a dinner date with husband , bake a cake myself at home , get some flowers etc .. nothing too lavish .. My son is going to celebrate his first birthday In Shaa Allah in January .. I intend to do charity on his behalf and then bake a cake and just do a dinner dawat with his dada dadi and puphos ..
So far I havnt read anything as specific about this issue as what I have read about the mass celebrations of religious events … I might not be fully enlightened , so if there is anything in religion that mentions that celebrating a simple birthday has bigger consequences , I will be happy to research it.
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Our culture is full of superstitions that a majority of our people believe and follow in their every day lives. Halloween compared to that seems like a piece of cake to me. 
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CB, you are still celebrating a birthday, just on a different scale right? 
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Going slightly off track isn’t it funny how so many Arabs and Turks are ok with Xmas trees but it’s a huge no-no with us..
Not saying it’s right or wrong but interesting to note the difference in attitudes..
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How many Arabs and Turks do you know? I would say the ratio Pakistanis being ok with christmas trees and arabs and Turks being ok with it is even.
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It’s pretty common for Arab and Turkish families to have Xmas trees, not a small minority.. You would know this if you’d mingled in their communities.. When was the last time you came across whole families of Muslim Pakistanis with Xmas trees?
(From a purely personal standpoint one of my exes was Turkish and I have a best friend who’s Lebanese)
We take more symbolism from objects like Christmas trees and pumpkins?
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As with most things in our faith, it’s the intention that matters, I think. I would not think there’s anything wrong with celebrating the season with some carved pumpkins.
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I know a lot of people keep a tree, but they still do not make a majority.
When I was little I knew quite some desi families who had those in december. And the number has only increased since then. Especially the new generations.
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^Go to an Arab country or Turkey and see for yourself.. I already have..
Only a small minority of Pakistani Muslims will have Xmas trees so yes there’s a difference..
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Arabs (in particular Lebanon) and Turkey have a large Christian minority and a past that mainly evolved from Christianity, so it’s natural to see Christian/Victorian influences in their culture (since Middle East and Near East were also colonised) in their culture just like its so common to spot Hindu practises in our culture. But obviously cultural practices rooted in Hinduism are plain wrong and just not cool enough.
Even if there’s a difference, what difference does it make? Pakistan has its won history and different cultural influences.
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as if having a christmas trees is something very praiseworthy lol