Short answer
No. In the Hanafi school and the other three, a Muslim should not put up a Christmas tree, because it is a well-known symbol of the religious festival of another faith. A Muslim living in a Christian family's home is not to blame for their tree, and can stay part of the family with kindness.
Putting up a Christmas tree or Christmas decorations in one's own home is not permitted, as it adopts the symbol of another religion's festival (tashabbuh). Hanafi texts warn that honouring such a festival can endanger a person's faith. Being in a room with someone else's tree is no sin.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Evergreen trees were part of winter customs in parts of Europe, and in time the decorated tree became one of the main signs of Christmas. Whatever its distant origins, today it means Christmas to almost everyone who sees it. That is why scholars treat it as a festival symbol, not a neutral decoration. The Prophet ﷺ gave Muslims two festivals of their own and warned that whoever imitates a people is counted among them.
Real situations people ask about:
- New Muslims living with Christian parents: the tree belongs to their home and their faith. Do not argue about it or refuse to sit in the room. You simply do not decorate it yourself.
- The office tree: working near it is no sin. There is no need to protest.
- School: if your child's class decorates a tree, you can ask kindly for another activity.
- A holiday tree or winter lights: if they are put up at Christmas as part of the season, they carry the same meaning. A pine growing in your garden all year is just a tree.
Put your energy into Eid instead. Decorate the house, buy gifts and make the two Eids the brightest days of your children's year, so they never feel they are missing out. For the wider ruling, see is it haram to celebrate Christmas and can Muslims say Merry Christmas.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Furqaan 25:72
وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَشْهَدُونَ ٱلزُّورَ وَإِذَا مَرُّوا۟ بِٱللَّغْوِ مَرُّوا۟ كِرَامًۭا ﴿٧٢﴾
And [they are] those who do not testify to falsehood, and when they pass near ill speech, they pass by with dignity.
Several early scholars explained this as not attending the festivals of other faiths.
Sunan Abi Dawud 4031
Graded hasan sahih... من تشبه بقوم فهو منهم ...
"Whoever imitates a people is one of them."
Muslims avoid the distinctive religious symbols of other faiths.
Sunan Abi Dawud 1134
Graded sahih... قد أبدلكم الله بهما خيرا منهما يوم الأضحى ويوم الفطر ...
"Allah has given you something better than them: the day of al-Adha and the day of al-Fitr."
Islam has its own two festivals.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, Kitab al-Siyar, the chapter on the rulings of apostates. Warns that honouring the festivals of non-Muslims can endanger a person's faith.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.