It’s my favorite time of year because it is the time of year that family and friends have time to gather around the table and be grateful for what you have. Now, there is some confusion about whether Muslims should celebrate Thanksgiving. I know that I offended some of you readers by explaining why I personally don’t celebrate Halloween, but in my house, we have always celebrated Thanksgiving. Why is that?

It is because there is no religious context to this national holiday. Since I am an American, I grew up with Thanksgiving. In fact, I celebrate Thanksgiving and see it as a valuable way for people to get together and share and learn about the beauty of our faith. For those of you who are still on the fence about Thanksgiving and Islam, here is Imam Suhaib Webb’s opinion along with the opinions of some different madhabs on the topic of Thanksgiving. If you are a revert to Islam, use this time to spend being a part of your family even if your faiths differ.

Also, it is always nice to count the blessings of having a warm hot meal when so many of our sisters and brothers are struggling in places like Syria and Gaza. At your table, please take a moment to pray for them. Here are my final thoughts, In the Quran, Allah (swt) says:

If you count Allah (swt)’s blessings, you cannot possibly encompass them. Allah (swt) is Forgiver, Most Merciful. (16:18)

So let’s use Thursday as a chance to attempt to be grateful for the blessings we can’t even account for.