At work, in stores, on hold on the phone, in the street, at school, and on the radio - Christmas music in the holiday season is inescapable. In America - between Thanksgiving and Christmas - carols, hymns, songs and other seasonal fare saturate the sonic environment.

Nowadays, every musical artist seems to have a Christmas album. Christmas music is big business. In the past ten years, the number of Christmas albums on sale has doubled to over 2100, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Everyone from Garth Brooks to Snoop Dogg cuts a Christmas release.

Even veteran or washed-up musicians see Christmas albums as opportunities to get back into the arena, if only for the possibility of a little December radio airtime. According to Inside Radio, almost 300 radio stations switch to all-Christmas formats for the Holiday Season after Thanksgiving. Some radio stations flip their programming to the Christmas format even earlier.

How do the savvy amongst us cope with the ubiquity of the Holiday Sonic Season? If we can't tune out, we make up our own lyrics! Having attended Anglican and Episcopalian schools, this author became adept at adapting what he heard each Yuletide.

Here are 10 Christmas melodies - probably already inexorably etched in your brain - with suggested lyrics for Muslim listeners:

1. Silent Night
Melody, based on Austrian folk music and Yodeling, composed in 1818 by Austrian headmaster Franz Gruber.

The Shahada can be cantillated perfectly to Silent Night:
La-ila-ha-Il-lal-la� Mu-ham-mad-Ra-sul-lul-lah�
There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.

2. Jingle Bells
Originally composed for an 1857 Boston Thanksgiving service.

Allah Hu, Allah Hu, Allah Hu Allah
Allah Hu, Allah Hu, Allah Hu Allah
Ey!

3. The First Noel
A Cornish/English melody from the 16th century.

Instead of�
Noel Noel, Noel Noel
Born is the King of Israel

�sing:
Allah Allah, Allah Allah
He is the Lord of the U-ni-verse

4. Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer
Melody by Johnny Marks; song based on a 1939 seasonal promotion for Montgomery Ward department stores in the US.

Hasbi Rabbi Jallallah
Ma fi Qalbi Ghayrullah
My Lord is enough for me, Glory be to God
There is nothing in my heart except God

5. Hark the Herald, Angels Sing
Melody, composed by Felix Mendelssohn in 1840, originally honored Johann Gutenberg and the invention of the printing press.

Tala'a al-Bedru 'Alayna
Min Thaniyyat Al-Wada'
Wajaba al-Shukru 'Alayna
Ma Da'a Lillahi Da'

6. O Come, All Ye Faithful
Christmas carol composed around 1743 by John Francis Wade, a Catholic layman.

O Come All Ye Pilgrims
Joyful and with Taqwa
O Come Ye, O Come Ye
To Holy Mecca!

Allah-Humma-Salli-Ala-Mu-U-Ham-Mad�
Allah-Humma-Salli
Allah-Humma-Salli
Allah-Humma-Salli-Alal-Mus-Ta-Pha�

7. We Three Kings
An Epiphany carol composed by Reverend John Henry Hopkins in 1857 for a New York City Christmas pageant.

Ya Habibi Ya Muhammad
Ya 'Arus Al-Khafiqayn
Ya Mu'ayyad Ya Mumajjad
Ya Imam Al-Qiblatayn

8. Rocking around the Christmas tree
A popular American melody that hit the top of the charts in Christmas 1958 when released by Brenda Lee, who was fourteen years old at the time.

We should be mindful of the creeping consumerism around Muslim holidays too:

Flashing a credit card with glee
Have a happy holiday
Everyone's spending merrily
In a new old fashioned way

9. Deck the Halls
Originally a Welsh melody for "Nos Galan", a winter carol that Mozart used in the 18th century for a violin and piano duet.

Ya-Nabi-Sa-Laam-Alai-Ka
Nabi Yun Nabi, Nabi Nabi

Ya-Rasul-Salam-'Alayka
Nabi Yun Nabi, Nabi Nabi

Ya-Habib-Salam-'Alayka
Nabi Yun Nabi, Nabi Nabi

Fa la la la la La la la la is also easily morphed into:
Allah Hu Allah, Allah Allah

10. A Challenge to Readers
I deliberately left this one blank to invite readers to submit suggestions for additional songs. How do you cope with the Holiday Sonic Season?

UUUUNNNNNNNHHH.
This sounds almost like a scary version of "Muslim Children's Greatest Hits: 1970-1990!"

Although I think it's kind of dumb to try to transform a christian holiday/christian holiday key points into muslim ones, I definitely understand the challenge of "ignoring" all of it.

So far what I've done is read some seera and made sugar cookies with green frosting in the shape of moons and stars. It made me feel better :)

you should be ashamed of yourself for making a mockery of the deen of Allah ,, fear Allah and have respect for your deen ,

These holidays of kufr are not for us muslims to celebrate why would you want to celebrate or even feel anything towards the holidays of the disbelievers when Allah and his prophet established for us the two great celbrations Eid al fitr and Eid aladh ha ??? !!!

why would you even make this time something special it means nothing to us, it is major act of disbelief to even celebrate this celebrations even greeting the disbelievers congratualting them on their occasion is an act of disobedience in Islam.. do you celebrate the birth of the supposed saviour??Eisa may Allah be pleased with him will say "myself, myself" on the day of judgement he will never save anyone on that day,, is that which Allah and his prophet allowed for you not good enough???
I know some of you will have your replies that this is extreme and that its the season and other ignorant statements ,, i say save them for yourselves and fear Allah!! christmas is nothing more than a day of announcing kufr disbelief and ascribing partners to Allah.. instead of trying make fun of the deen by remixing all those blasphemous carols ,, read the quran my friend.

Actually ridhwaan,
I'm a convert whose family is Christian, and this time of year has always been very hard for me. Not only do I have to deal with trying to ignore the huge and long parade of the so-called celebration of Christmas when I really would rather not have it at all, I have increased tensions with my family around this time of year. It's very difficult for them even to accept that I don't go to church on Christmas eve, let alone that I don't want to celebrate the holiday at all.

Is that an ignorant statement? As much as I try to pull away from the whole atmosphere of this insane holiday, if I don't see my relatives on that day and surrounding days my family would explode, and my motherwould be terribly, terribly hurt. I buy presents for my family on that day for my family members to ease tensions and promote dialog, not out of the celebration of that holiday or the worship of Christ, or any such thing. And no, I don't say Merry Christmas.

Tell me, is this still such a terrible thing? I made myself those cookies to remind myself of who I was and as my own personal distraction from the enormity of the Christian and otherwise celebration constanting surrounding me out in the world. I've also found myself reading the Qur'an and other religious texts more during this time to keep myself focused on what's important and not to get caught up and the patterns of my old life. Though the song suggestions here may be corny, if a person were having a really hard time keeping their head during this Christo-mania, I think they would help. Keep in mind, you can't read the Qur'an all the time.

I agree that we shouldn't join in the celebration of Christmas, and try not to in as many ways as possible. But really, it's pretty hard in this society, more so for some of us than others. I do very much fear Allah ridhwaan, but please keep in mind ALL members of the ummah when you make statements - yours only makes this time harder for me, not easier.

Dear Living,

On the contrary, what you do is actually wise and blessed. Forget about Ridhwan and his beligerence. There are SOUND opinions that render his stand very weak. Please be good to your parents. I've never seen boycott work, not in global politics nor family dynamics. Just remember who you are and remember God's blessings and your intentions toward Him. May God may your path easy. There's nothing like love.

salaams

did i say not to visit your family at this time?? i didnt say anything about that there a certain situations where you have to do things,, if all of a sudden you become a muslim and you shun your family what will they think of you and even more so what will they think of islam??? visit your family at this time if they get together but dont join them in any acts of kufr or disbelief,, you want the best for your family so you want to be an example for them and let them know that you still have them in your heart and so on ,, i dont know how you brought that issue with what i was talking about ,, iwas talking about the so called nasheeds that were in the original topic i never ever said boycott your parents ,, or loved ones ,, that would be a sin because you would not be a proper muslim by doing that ,, migocup you are an instigator you seem to hate the true deen of Allah by what you say makes one think about what kind of muslim you are.. this isnt a personal attack its just an observation from this post and many of your previous posts remember the deen is not what we want it to be it is what Allah made it to be , so dont play with it. have fear in your heart and may Allah guide us all. livingthreed may Allah make your life easier in this dunya and the hereafter.

Salaam to all,

reading unbiased all posts,
I congratulate Ridhwaan by his right and just postings, first of all giving the right direction what is right what is not, and later clearing the nakis (not competent enough) intervention by Migocup.

Let's say, u can listen yr nasheed's anytime u wish so, n u can read yr Qoran anytime,

U can deal with yr parents in righteous borders, as long as they do not require u to denounce Islamic belief n practice, n be careful not to bend yr life for the sake of relatives.

They have rights, n they have borders as well.

Sahabe, may Alaahu teala be pleased with them all, if they had to , they faced their father n sons in the war against kufr for this religion.

So, at least, u have to draw yr Islamic border lines, n keep everything well balanced.

Wasalam,
Murat

Assalamo Alaikum,

I became muslim 4 years ago Alhamdulilah, and I know how difficult can be to deal with a non-muslim family. However, now that I am muslim, i know that I must obey and respect my parents at all times, with one exception: I will not do anything that will go against the religion of Islam or my belief.

My family has suffered a lot every december because they consider that I have betrayed them, but inside of me I know that what I do is because I love and I fear Allah swt and the most important thing in my life is to please Him swt.

We can read in the Quran many stories about the Prophets whose families saw them like a shame in the family, but that didnt make the Prophets practice, enjoy or even greet them in their festivals.

I consider unaceptable to adapt songs that were created to entertain festivals of desbelief to islamic words. Nobody said it would be easy to be muslim at these times, but the victorious will be those who will sacrifice and be patient in hardship and will keep their deen no matter what family, friends or the society can say.

Dont we have enough with our religion? with the Quran, amazing hadeeth, stories, islamic songs?, Do we want to please people, or to please Allah?

May Allah swt make us strong and patient and make us understand that what people say doesnt matter, what matters is Allah swt.

May Allah reward you for that mujahida and may Allah make our lives easier in this life and the hereafter and guide us all to the straight path and inspire us to follow it.. ameen ya rubb

Now, Ridhwaan, we can all give ourselves new identities and post. Can't think of a better name than "Murat"? Let me try: "Now, I've read all the posts without prejudice, and I have to say that Migocup is a savior. God bless such a wise person of amazing acumen. Love, Migoplate"

Assalamo Alaikum.

At the end of the time (which we all know we are experiencing now), only a few people will have the true knowledge of Islam and there will be a lot of innovation in matters of Ibadah or Worship. There will also be a lack of knowledge and union between the muslims, and that's why we should strive hard to be humble and to learn as much as we can of our religion.

Brother Ridhwaan, yes may Allah make our lives easier and guide us and inspire us. Ameen.