IN TERMS OF NEW YEAR

IN TERMS OF NEW YEAR

-Muaz  Ahamed Fathahullah-

 2013! And I am just peeped in to it as all. Midnight crackers, E-mail wishes, Personal messages and so and so began to over flow, disturbing my deep sleep. I am not at all here to blame those who did those things, but exactly having still a bit of disappointment, as they killed my short time which I get to rest. Any ways it’s apart.

Moving on! January 1^st, commonly known as a new year, is just another day for me and really this situation is same for all, because only a celebration can’t create a new year and a custom can’t be the only reason for a celebration. It’s just like another festival without a mean! In fact how it can be special if it doesn’t has mean or else a theme at least? So it’s just a day again. And as to me a festival can’t be just a celebration or party without a concept.

Well! I am here not to argue like an extremist, but to share what I feel. But of cause Hijri is my new year and I am not celebrating the first of January. Because I fear, I will be a part of those who do it.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said.

“Those who follow or imitate a certain party or religion on a certain matter (although they aren’t act upon it completely) are belong to that party or religion as they becomes one of them”

I remember once Dr. Bilal Phillips said,

“If one does so merely as a custom, it is still impermissible as it falls under the prohibition of imitation of pagan custom”.

As I said before I am not here to stop those who celebrate the January 1^st as a new year! because although we have our new year from Muharram, for worldly needs or else to say like officially, always and almost everyone used to start or to gain a change from January 1^st. But remember, we Muslims must not forget that 1^st of Muharram is our new year according to Hijri year and it is too not permissible for Muslims to celebrate the Hijri new year due to some perspectives.

According to my point of view, Schools are reopened on January, Companies start their official year on January, A state’s budget implemented from January. And of cause we change our calendars on January. Also we change our diaries on this date. These are some common practices which everyone does and which evidenced that the January 1^st can be considered as for a common understanding and for schedule between several people from different part of the world.

Knowingly or unknowingly, I too sometimes prefer this as my new year, as I said before. Which I meant it’s not wrong, because I took it not for celebration not as it’s a custom. I didn’t waste my money on crackers and I didn’t waste my time there on shopping or by disturbing others. Other way round, when entire world moves on targeting January 1^st, why should I ignore them? Why should I oppose them? And why I alone or with a gang, try to change schedules as we wish? It’s nonsense. It’s just to create a common platform.

Celebrating and wishing on this day can be written as sin according to above noted Hadees. But there is nothing noted that starting a cause or else a project or a mission on this day targeting a whole twelve month is Haraam (Prohibited) or something like that.  If it’s noted so, I can’t at least change my diary on this day. And if it’s so, I can’t make a year plan considering January 1^st as the first day.

So that’s what I am trying to say that, it’s an opportunity to all of us to start something new, or else to move little advance from where they are. That’s what I meant as a concept or a theme or a mean in my early paragraph.

31^st night! As I felt that 2012 is gone, first thing cracked to my mind was, what I am going to do on this 2013? What are my plans? What are the things should be done during this year? And especially where should I be when I am reaching 2014?

If you could find some genuine answer to these kind of questions on the starting hours or else as soon as some days starts to move of a common new years, then you have the right to say that I have started a new year on my way.

And to be frank I didn’t start this as all did as a custom. But with a concept and a plan to move along with this twelve months. That’s how I wish to start every years of my career in future.

Let’s make this January an opportunity to plan our lives.