Entering the New Year

 

 

 

Entering the New Year

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All praise is due to Allâh, Lord of all the worlds. Peace and blessings of Allâh (The One & Only God) be upon the Prophet, his family and companions.
There are indeed blessings in the movement of days and nights. Allâh (The One God) says,

“And He has made the sun and the moon, both constantly pursuing their courses, to be of service to you; and He has made the night and the day, to be of service to you. And He gave you of all that you asked for, and if you count the Blessings of Allâh, never will you be able to count them. Verily! Man is indeed an extreme wrong-doer, a disbeliever (an extreme ingrate).” (Holy Quran Ibrâhîm 14:33-34)

The Messenger of Allâh said,

“There are two blessings about which many people are deceived: good health and free time.”

We have bidden farewell to another year of our lives in which we have done many deeds that will be shown to us on the Day or Resurrection. Many days have passed and many loved ones have died. Many sins we have committed day and night. The Holy Prophet said,

“People wake up in the morning and they bargain with their souls. There are among them those who buy freedom for their souls and there are others who sell theirs unto destruction.”

In life, pains turn to happiness and prosperity turns to misery. Days and nights move but it is only the wise who derives lessons from that. Allâh (The One God) says,

“Allâh causes the night and the day to succeed each other (i.e. if the day is gone, the night comes, and if the night is gone, the day comes, and so on). Truly, in these things is indeed a lesson for those who have insight.” (Holy Quran An-Nûr 24:44)

The old year has now gone with the deeds of men and these deeds will be shown to them on the Day of Resurrection. Allâh (The One & Only God) says,

“On that Day man will be informed of what he sent forward (of his evil or good deeds), and what he left behind (of his good or evil traditions).” (Holy Quran Al-Qiyâmah 75:13)

Take an investigating look at your past days: what have you provided for your Hereafter in them? Examine yourself stringently for this. Maymûn bin Mihrân said, “The man cannot become pious until he holds himself accountable as he would his business partner.” The rightly guided person is therefore the one who examines and blames himself for his shortcomings and then mends his ways. Lack of self-examination is not a good thing for a Muslim. For the disbelievers caused perdition to themselves because they never thought that there was someone watching them.

Allâh (The One & Only God) says,

“For truly, they used not to expect any reckoning.” (Holy Quran An-Naba’ 78:27)

Seeing one’s faults prevents one from going astray. And knowing that one’s end is the grave makes one become humble to Allâh (The One God) and prevents ostentation. Abû Dardâ said:

“The Muslim cannot have proper understanding of Islâm until he criticizes people for the sake of Allâh (The One God) and criticizes himself more.”

When you sit with people, admonish yourself. People watch your outward deeds but Allâh (The One God) watches your inner deeds. Whoever reforms his inward traits through self-examination and sincerity, Allâh (The One God) will adorn his outward deeds with success.

Constant remembrance of Allâh’s (The One God's) right upon mankind and His great blessings makes man bow his head for Allâh as it makes him recognise his weaknesses. It also let him know that there is no salvation except by obeying Allâh (The One God) and that He should be obeyed and thanked. A scholar said,

“The first step in self-examination is to compare Allâh’s blessings to your sins. Then it will be clear to you that you can never escape from His punishment except by His mercy only.”

Mâlik bin Dînâr said,

“May Allâh bless a man who tells his soul: ‘Are you not the perpetrator of so and so sins?’ And he then reproaches his soul and forces it to abide by the Book of Allâh.”

The most harmful thing that a legally responsible Muslim can do to himself is to abandon self-examination and to indulge in lusts until he perishes. This is actually the situation with those who are deceived by the beauties of this world and depend on Allâh’s (The One God's) forgiveness without making any repentance or abandoning the sins. Allâh (The One God) says,

“O man! What has made you careless about your Lord, the Most Generous?” (Holy Quran Al-Infitâr 82:6)

Al-Hasan Al-Basrî said,

“A believer should admonish himself and say: ‘What do I intend by the word I utter? What do I intend by the food I eat?’ As for a disbeliever, he does never admonish himself. But the Muslim should always be a watcher over himself.”

Allâh (The One & Only God) says,

“Verily, those who are the pious, when an evil thought comes to them from Satan, they remember (Allâh), and (indeed) they then see (aright).” (Holy Quran Al-A‘râf 7:201)

Whoever calls himself to account in this world will have easier reckoning on the Day of Resurrection and whoever does not call himself to account in this world will have a difficult reckoning in the Hereafter. Beware of falling into sins, for keeping away from sins is easier than seeking for forgiveness. Days of this world are few and you do not know when you will die. Ask yourself about what you have done in the previous year and ask yourself about what you have provided for the coming year. ‘Umar said: “Call yourselves to reckoning before you are called to reckoning.”

Make a resolution right from the beginning of this year that you will observe your five obligatory prayers in the mosques in congregation. Make a pledge to yourself that you will seek for useful knowledge and spread it. Endeavor to guard your tongue against lie, gossip and immoral talk. Fear Allâh (The One God) in all that you eat and drink. Abstain from all forbidden things. Be kind to your parents and to your kith and kin. Do well to all people and free your heart from jealousy and hatred. Beware of bad thing about others. Promote good and forbid evil.

Carry out your obligations towards your spouses and children in the best possible way and guard your eyes from looking at forbidden things. How beautiful it will be if this New Year is made a positive turning point in the lives of world communities where women properly cover themselves according to the injunctions of Allâh (The One & Only God) and in following the Sunnah of His Messenger.

Each day in which the sun sets reminds you that your lifespan is diminishing. The wise is the one who learns from his yesterday, struggles for his present day and provides for his morrow. Provide for your tomorrow. The best provision is piety. Allâh (The One God) says,

“O you who believe! Fear Allâh and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is All-Aware of what you do.” (Holy Quran Al-Hashr 59:18)

The first month in Islâmic year is Muharram. It is one of the greatest months. It has been a sacred month since time immemorial and it is one of the months that Allâh (The One God) sanctified. It was in this month that Allâh (The One & Only God) gave Prophet Mûsâ (Moses) victory over Pharaoh. Among its merits is that fasting is recommended in many of its days. The Messenger of Allâh said,

“The best month in which one can fast after Ramadân is the month of Muharram. And the best prayer after obligatory prayers is the night prayer.” (Muslim)

The best day in this month is the day of آshûrâ (the tenth day). Ibn ‘Abbâs said,

“The Prophet came to Al-Madînah and he found the Jews fasting on the day of آshûrâ. He asked them: ‘What is this day in which you fast?’ They said: ‘This is a great day in which Allâh saved Prophet Mûsâ and his people and drowned Pharaoh and his people. Mûsâ (Moses) used to fast that day to show gratitude to Allâh and we emulate him in doing so.’ The Prophet then said: ‘We have right to Mûsâ more than you.’ So he fast the day and he used to ask people to fast on it.” (Al-Bukhârî and Muslim)

The Messenger of Allâh was also asked of fasting on آshûrâ day and he replied:

“I have hope that Allâh will make it erase all the sins committed in the previous year.”

The Prophet also determined to fast a day before that day in disagreement with the people of the Scripture. He said in this regard:

“If I am remain alive till next year, I will certainly fast the ninth day.”

It is therefore recommended for the Muslims to fast the tenth day of Muharram to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet and in order to get the reward. It is also recommended that they should fast the ninth day so as to disagree with the Jews and in order to uphold the Sunnah. Doing this is an act of showing gratitude to Allâh (The One God), and by doing it we are commencing our new year with good deeds.