CELEBRATING NEW YEAR – IS IT FORBIDDEN?

CELEBRATING NEW YEAR –  IS IT FORBIDDEN?

Nowadays, New Year celebrations have increasingly become the custom of all people, including Muslims. According to the Oxford dictionary, celebrations means the act or occasion of doing something enjoyable because something good has happened or because it is a special day. Meanwhile, celebrating means to mark (a happy occasion or religious ceremony) by engaging in some pleasurable activity. On the other side, according to   Wikipedia, New Year is the time at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar year’s count is incremented. The New Year of the Gregorian calendar, today in worldwide use, falls on 1 January. There are numerous calendars that remain in regional use that calculate the New Year differently. For example, Islamic calendar ( Hijri calendar ) and Jewish calendar ( Hebrew calendar ).  The Western calendar ( Gregorian calendar ) is perhaps the most popular.

     According to the Islamic calendar, the New Year falls on the month of Muharram, which is the first month in Islamic months. More details about Islamic New Year will be discussed later.   Meanwhile, the first month of the Jewish calendar is the month of Nissan, in the spring when Passover occurs. However, the Jewish New Year is in Tishri, the seventh month, and that is when the year number increased. Rosh Hashanah (head of the year) occurs on the first and second days of Tishri.  Rosh Hashanah or commonly known as the Jewish New Year. This name is somewhat deceptive, because there is little similarity between Rosh Hashanah, one of the holiest days of the year, and the American midnight drinking bash and daytime football game. There is however, one important similarity between the Jewish New Year and the American one, many Americans use the New Year as a time to plan a better life, making resolutions. Likewise, the Jewish New Year is a time to begin introspection, looking back at the mistakes of the past year and planning the changes to make in the new year . No work is permitted on this day. Much of the day is spent in synagogue, where the regular daily liturgy is somewhat expanded. In fact, there is a special prayer book called the machzor used for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur because of the extensive liturgical changes for these holidays. Another popular observance during this holiday or eating apples dipped in honey, a symbol of our wish for a sweet new year. Another popular practice of the holiday is Tashlikh ( casting off ). They walk to flowing water, such as a creek or river, on the afternoon of the first day and empty their pockets into the river , symbolically casting off their sins. Small pieces of bread are commonly put in the pocket to cast off. This practice is not discussed in the Bible, but is a long-standing custom. Tashlikh is normally observes on the afternoon on the first day, before afternoon services. When the first day occurs on Shabbat, many synagogues observe Tashlikh on Sunday afternoon, to avoid carrying ( the bread ) on Shabbat.

With most countries using the Gregorian calendar, the New Year is assume to fall on 1 January every years, which is often celebrated by fireworks at the stroke of the midnight as the new year starts.   The Romans dedicated this day to Janus, the god of gates, doors, and beginnings. After Julius Caesar reformed the calendar in 46 BC and was subsequently murdered, the Roman Senate voted to deify him on the 1st January 42 BC in honour of his life and his institution of the new rationalized calendar. The month originally owes its name to the deity Janus, who had two faces, one looking forward and the other looking backward. This suggests that New Year's celebrations are founded on pagan traditions. Some have suggested this occurred in 153 BC, when it was stipulated that the two annual consuls (after whose names the years were identified) entered into office on that day, though no consensus exists on the matter.  Most countries in Western Europe officially adopted January 1 as New Year's Day somewhat before they adopted the Gregorian calendar. In England, the Feast of the Annunciation on March 25, was the first day of the new year until the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1752. The March 25 date was known as Annunciation Style; the January 1 date was known as Circumcision Style, because this was the date of the Feast of the Circumcision, considered to be the eighth day of Christ's life, counting from December 25 when his birth is celebrated.  This day was christened as the beginning of the New Year by Pope Gregory as he designed the Liturgical Calendar.

 On New Year Day 1577 Pope Gregory XIII decreed that all Roman Jews, under pain of death, must listen attentively to the compulsory Catholic conversion sermon given in Roman synagogues after Friday night services.  On New Year Day 1578 Gregory signed into law a tax forcing Jews to pay for the support of a “House of Conversion” to convert Jews to Christianity.  On New Year 1581 Gregory ordered his troops to confiscate all sacred literature from the Roman Jewish community.  Thousands of Jews were murdered in the campaign. Throughout the medieval and post-medieval periods, January 1 - supposedly the day on which Jesus’ circumcision initiated the reign of Christianity and the death of Judaism - was reserved for anti-Jewish activities: synagogue and book burnings, public tortures, and simple murder.

The Israeli term for New Year’s night celebrations, “Sylvester,” was the name of the “Saint” and Roman Pope who reigned during the Council of Nicaea (325 C.E.).  The year before the Council of Nicaea convened, Sylvester convinced Constantine to prohibit Jews from living in Jerusalem.  At the Council of Nicaea, Sylvester arranged for the passage of a host of viciously anti-Semitic legislation.  All Catholic “Saints” are awarded a day on which Christians celebrate and pay tribute to that Saint’s memory.  December 31 is Saint Sylvester Day - hence celebrations on the night of December 31 are dedicated to Sylvester’s memory.

The question now, are we Muslims are allowed to participate in the celebration of the New Year according to Gregorian calendar which is on 1 January every year? This has become a major celebration in these times, which is celebrated by Christian countries. TV broadcasts of these celebrations are transmitted live to all parts of the world, they appear on the front pages of newspapers and magazines, and they occupy a large part of the news broadcasts on satellite channels. The Christian have many false beliefs and myths about New Year’s Eve, as is the case with all their festivals  According to Islamic Syariah, a Muslim is not allowed to participate in any religious aspect of a celebration that is related to non-Muslim. However, we should not forget that we still have a role in society. Islam urges us to be kind to everyone without any kind of discriminations due to the differences in faith and race. It is also one of the ways to attract non-Muslim converted to Islam. It is also following the concept of ‘birr’ that Islam has emphasized when it comes to Muslim-non-Muslim relations , which is congratulating non-Muslim on their feasts and exchanging gifts as a part of the good relations that we are commanded to keep.

  The Director of the Islamic Center of South Plains, Lubbock, Texas, named Sheikh Mohamed El-Moctar El-Shinqiti states that most jurists ( ulama that specialized in fiqh of Islam minorities ) tend to agree that celebrating non-religious feasts, such as Independence Day and Labour Day is not forbidden. However, most scholars forbid celebrating religious feasts, such as Christmas. While Sheikh Ahmad Kutty and Dr. Jamal Badawi, permit new converts to attend their family celebrations without participating in anything that is purely religious related to these celebrations. Dr. Usama Abdul Samie believes that Islamic Syariah does not forbid Muslims celebrating happy events as long as their faith is not affected by these celebrations. In order to tighten our faith, we must follow and believe all the characteristics of Islam which are, Rabbaniyyah ( Godliness ), Insaniyyah ( Humanity), Syumul ( Comprehesiveness) , and Wasatiyyah ( Moderation ).  Gamal Al-Banna, the Islamic writer said that celebrating New Year’s Day give people a good chance to evaluate what they did during the bygone year and plan for what they wish to do in coming year. 

On the other side, there are several hadith that show us that it is forbidden for us to participate in the New Year’s celebrations such as the hadith that   Al- Bukhari narrated from his saheeh through Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri that Rasulullah S.A.W said, “ You shall follow the practises of those before you, inch by inch, and mile by mile, to the degree that if they enter into the hole of a lizard, you will follow them” He was asked, “O messenger of Allah, are they Jews and Christians?” He replied, “who else?”In this hadith, Rasulullah scoffed people who imitate the kuffaar. It is an evidence that celebrating New Year is haram (repulsive), because joining in the ceremonial celebration of the kuffaar  means imitating them and Islam rejects it.  At-Tirmidzi narrated from Ibnu Umar that Rasulullah SAW said, “Not from us (Muslims) those who imitate a people, do not imitate the Jews and Christians.”

Besides, celebrating New Year is repulsive for Muslims who had their own feast days, which are Eidul Fitri and Eidul Adha.   Al- Baihaqi narrated from his ‘sunan’ from Anas bin Malik who said,“Rasulullah S.A.W arrived in Madinah at the time when the people of Madinah had two days in the time of jahiliah ( pre-Islam) which they celebrated, then he S.A.W said ‘ I come to you when you have 2 days from the time of jahiliah that you celebrate, and Allah S.W.T has replaced these two days with two better days : the feast day of Qurban and Fitri.’”

  Another hadith related to Eidul Fitri and Eidul Adha narrated from Imam Ahmad from ‘Uqbah Ibnu Amir that Rasulullah S.A.W said,“ And we have the day of Fitri, the day of Qurban, and the day of Tashriq as the big days of ours, the Muslims,”This indicates that we should not celebrate and participating in other religious ceremony when God had already gave us the biggest two-day celebration, Eidul Fitri and Eidul Adha. 

Whereas, Dr. Abdul Aziz Muhammad Farag, Islamic Jurisprudence professor on the faculty of Syariah and Law of the Azhar University states that a Muslim should not take part in spreading heresies. Celebrating New Year be a ban to Muslims because most of them tend to celebrate it by doing the bad things such as random mixing of men and women who are not mahram which can lead to zina and  may also lead to abortion and abandonment of innocent babies. They are also prefer to jumbled up with entertainment that is contrary to Islamic requirements.  In Ibn Taymiyah’s words, is that nothing should be done at all. This means that we, as Muslims should not do anything we do not usually do on such days.it should be just another day with nothing special about it, as if they ( people of the book ) are not celebrating. In this way Muslims make themselves different . 

Shaikhul Islam Ibn Taymiyah has proved the prohibition of celebrating others festivities by stating that they all come under same ruling. Since we should not imitate them in festivities, Muslims who do this must be forbidden from doing so, let alone approve and support them. We should not answer invitations from Muslims who invite us specially on such occasions. If a Muslim holds an unusual celebration that coincides with one of the People of the Book’s festivities we do not have to answer the invitation although otherwise a Muslim should answer an invitation from a fellow Muslim as in the Prophet ( pbuh) ‘s tradition.

  In light of the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah, the jurors in Islam have listed four categories which would make the participation of any celebration forbidden. Firstly, the celebration should not be a pagan religious festival. Secondly, the celebration should not involve any syirik. Next, the celebration should not involve or encourage  indecency or any of the things absolutely forbidden in Islam (alcohol, gambling, etc.). Lastly, the celebration should not indulge in excess spending.

In addition, in the Islamic calendar itself there is a “New Year’s celebration” which is on 1 Muharram since it is the first month in Islam. Muslims do not traditionally "celebrate" the beginning of a new year, but we do acknowledge the passing of time, and take time to reflect on our own mortality.  The New Year itself is known to Muslims as Maal Hijra. Compared to Western calendars, the Islamic year goes 11 days backwards every year. The marking of the beginning of the new year is usually quiet, unlike New Year's celebrations associated with other calendars. Muslims gather in mosques for special prayers and readings. A major part of the holiday is the telling of the hijra, Muhammad's flight from Medina to Mecca. Muslims also reflect on the passing of time and their own mortality.  Muharram is one of the four sacred months of the year in which fighting is prohibited.  Since the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, Muharram moves from year to year when compared with the Gregorian calendar.  Some Muslims choose to fast during this month, although fasting is not obligatory. Many Muslims engage in voluntary prayer, including evening prayer, in Muharram.

The Muharram is the first month in the Islamic year and a time of mourning and peace. It is forbidden for Muslims to fight during this month. A number of important events in Islamic history have occurred during this month. These include, The Battle of Karbala (currently in Iraq) in the year 680 CE, which enabled Husayn ibn Ali, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammed, and his army to enter the city on the first day of the month. Next, the restriction of Husayn ibn Ali's access to water on the seventh day. Last but not least, the death of Husayn ibn Ali and the defeat of his army on the 10th day of the month. The Shi'a and Sunni denominations of Islam attach different weights to these events and mark them in different ways.

 As for celebrating the New Year according to the Islamic calendar which begins with the month of Muharram, this is also not permissible from a number of perspectives. First and foremost, if one does so believing that it is pleasing to Allah to do so, thereby transforming it into an act of worship, it becomes a  Bid‘ahor cursed innovation in the religion about which the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Every innovation in religion is misguidance and all misguidance leads to the Hellfire.” If one does so merely as a custom, it is still impermissible as it falls under the prohibition of imitation of pagan customs about which the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Whoever imitates a people becomes one of them.”

Some of us tend to celebrate New Year by just setting new goals and resolutions for personal transformation and improvement.  Although, setting resolutions and goals is a powerful tool to help you potentially shape your destiny, you should note that there is no concept of “New Year Resolutions” within the teachings of Islam. Instead, as Muslims you should constantly be assessing your lives and setting goals and making resolutions, rather than waiting for special days during the year to perform the exercise.

 If a non-Muslim greets a Muslim, “Happy New Year”, the Muslim is not allowed to respond in a similar manner or say, “Same to you.” Instead, in order not to offend or hurt the feelings of non-Muslim friends or acquaintances, one may say instead, “Happy holiday.” As conclusion, it is difficult to categorize certain feasts like Thanksgiving and New Year as religious. Generally speaking, we can say that it is forbidden for the Muslim to participate in any religious aspect of a celebration, except the Islamic celebrations of the two `Eids, and it is allowed to take part in the general, non-religious aspects of the celebrations of other feasts

REFERENCE

1. WEBSITE

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year

• http://www.jewfaq.org/calendar.htm

• http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday2.htm

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year's_Day

• http://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/newyearshistory/

• http://www.onislam.net/english/ask-the-scholar/dawah-principles/dawah-to-non-and-new-muslims/176329-celebrating-the-new-year-an-islamic-perspective.html?New_Muslims=

• http://theunjustmedia.com/Islamic%20Perspectives/Dec11/It%20Is%20Haram%20To%20Celebrate%20Christmas%20&%20New%20Year.htm

• http://sachiidosti.com/forum/islam-hadith-quran/115718-forbidden-celebrating-christmas-new-year-islam.html

•  http://www.makepakistanbetter.com/why_how_what_forum.asp?GroupID=3&ArticleID=4674

• http://dmhblogging.weebly.com/2/post/2012/01/what-does-the-new-year-mean-to-me-and-from-an-islamic-perspective.html

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muharram

• http://islamgreatreligion.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/celebrating-the-new-year-not-for-muslims/

• http://www.iqrasense.com/muslim-character/new-year-1429-hijri-message-setting-goals-for-personal-transformation.html