What are the drawbacks to worshipping in a church for a Muslim in Noel celebrations?

- I am a Muslim and I am married to a Christian. Is it appropriate or is it a sin for me to go to church with my Christian relatives and worship there for the birth of Hz. Isa (Jesus), which they celebrate on December 25?

Dear Brother / Sister,

It is not appropriate for a Muslim to go to church and worship like Christians; it is haram. We are prohibited from imitating even their traditions; it is a bigger sin to go to the temple of another religion and to worship like them. Something like this may cause a person to forget his religion in the course of time and adopt the other religion. 

The Prophet (pbuh) says,

“A person who tries to resemble a nation becomes one of them.” (Abu Dawud, Kitabul-Libas, hadith no 3512)

A person can go to a church with two aims: 

1. Those who go to church because they are Christians.

2. Those who go to a church for visiting and touristic purposes.

After this classification, let us explain the decree of going to church:

a. The first group is virtually Christian since they know and accept themselves as Christians. They are regarded as non-Muslims. That is, they are not Muslims.

b. The second group goes there in order to see how the church was built and arranged. When a Christian goes to a mosque to visit it, he does not become a Muslim; similarly, when a Muslim goes to a church to visit it, he does not become a Christian.

Questions on Islam