The people of Medina were being playful on a day that commemorates a Jahiliyah celebration!
The Prophet (Sallah Allahu Alyhi Wasalam) said,
Being playful is mubaah (permissible).
Giving Candy to neighborhood kids is also mubaah (permissible).
When that permissible becomes a ritual to a non-Islamic pagan/Christian holiday, it becomes a major haram!
The Prophet (Sallah Allahu Alyhi Wasalam) prohibited us from celebrating any holidays other than the two! Holidays are celebrated through “rituals”! When the Prophet (Sallah Allahu Alyhi Wasalam) deterred us from celebrating their holidays, it means don’t enjoin in any of their rituals, don’t participate, and don’t promote.
The biggest and most essential rituals to Halloween is wearing costumes, giving candy and going trick-or-treating. Doing any of that is enjoining in rituals of holidays the Prophet (Sallah Allahu Alyhi Wasalam) forbade us from celebrating. Giving candy on that night originated from “Souling”, the custom of baking and sharing soul cakes for all christened souls. Halloween customs are influenced by Christian dogma and practices derived from it.
Halloween itself is a pagan festival of the dead (Samhain). It falls on the evening before the Christian holy days of All Hallows’ Day (also known as All Saints’, Hallowmas or Hallowtide). Halloween days referred to as Hallowmas are days Christians believe they should honor their saints and pray for the recently departed souls who they claim have not reached Heaven. They believe that the souls of the dead returned to Earth the night before. Even if it was not a pagan-Christian holiday but rather a mere traditional non-Islamic holiday, the Prophet abrogated ALL holidays and that includes both traditional and religious ones whether they have worship aspects or not. He replaced them all with the the two Eids.
Celebrating holidays is participating, or promoting in their rituals in any way!
If the Prophet (Sallah Allahu Alyhi Wasalam) put a stop to playfulness on a “traditional” Jahiliyah holiday. What makes anyone think he can observe {any} of the rituals of a pagan holiday that have religious significance and beliefs that conflict with Tawheed??!!
Preserve your children’s Islamic Identity by keeping them away from that filth.
For more detailed information on this matter read:
Iqtida al-sirat al-mustaqim fi mukhalafat ashab
~ By Sheikh Ahmad Jibril