How should an Imam and preacher act when the Ministry's directives to speak about national holidays, such as "Conqueror's Day" (Eid al-Fatih), which coincides with the date of the Battle of Badr, conflict with his fear of public backlash and its negative impact on his da'wah, especially knowing that the responsible authority punishes those who refuse?
There is no harm for the preacher to talk about the battles that occurred on similar days, for remembrance and to draw lessons and derive benefits.
As for national occasions, if people take them as a feast, the preacher should not participate in them. However, if the ministry punishes those who do not speak about them, the preacher should weigh the benefits and harms. In such a case, he can address them with beneficial speech that emphasizes the causes of victory and defeat, God's established ways (sunan Allah), the concept of loyalty and disavowal (al-wala' wal-bara'), and the necessity of returning to religion. For attracting benefits and averting harms necessitates committing the lesser of two evils.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 27022
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy