Can I Go to a Non-Muslim University That Celebrates Pagan Festivals?
Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch
Question
Is it permissible for me to study in a non-Muslim university that celebrates pagan festivals if I remain disassociated with such practices?
Likewise, is it sinful to use “god-mode” in a video game or to accept an achievement called “god of war’?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
In short, neither of these things is impermissible.
Non-Muslim University
It is every Muslim’s (and every human’s) right to have a good education. Since this is your right, you have the discretion to attend a non-Muslim university.
The peripheral activities of the university or the individual activities of other students do not effect you as long as you are not associated directly with such things.
God-mode
Unfortunately, Western society uses the term god very frivolously. Terms like a god of war, the pop-gods, immaculate reception (in football), hail-mary (in football), etc… are all of that vein.
This is indicative of a tear in the tapestry of religious life and a bend towards secularism that no longer holds on to that which is sacred.
That said, just because a sacrilegious phrase is used, it does not make it impermissible for one to engage in something that is not in itself strictly prohibited.
Detaching
However, this is indeed a lesson for those who hold on to Islam as their way of life, that things in the secular realm, especially entertainment, will increasingly worsen. There may come a point that one must choose whether they want to partake or whether it’s time to detach and disassociate.
We were created for a lofty purpose: to know, love, worship Allah Most High, and emulate as best as possible His beloved Messenger (may Allah bless him and give him peace), aiming for the eternal life of the Hereafter.
Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Yusuf Weltch teaches Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom Seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences.
He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he studied for three years in Dar al-Mustafa under some of the most outstanding scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib.
In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Quran and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Quranic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.
