A New Year message

By virtue of its relationship with the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), Almighty Allah has granted this Ummah the honor of being the best Ummah.  Through the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), we have been given a Shariah which covers all aspects of life.  No aspect of life has been left unguided and uncharted.  Muslim community is a community is a dignified community, which leads its life with a great aim in mind.  It is not their custom to accept and follow indecent cultures, free mixing of men and women, drinking and singing and dancing in clubs and parks is immoral and unislamic.

 

Human life passes through different phases and different conditions.  Sometimes, there is happiness and at other times, there is sorrow.  Be it happiness or sorrow, Islam has given guidelines for all times.  It is compulsory upon us to keep in mind these guidelines.  Nowadays Muslims are falling prey to destitution and difficulties because of not acting upon the teachings of Islam.  Days pass in frivolity and nights are spent in heedlessness.  People are committing various sins in the name of welcoming the New Year.  People are welcoming New Year with wine, fireworks, song and dance.  People gather at the centers of indecency.  They are getting carried away by their emotions and are committing various acts which are prohibited by the Shariah.

 

Our life is a bounty given to us by Allah Most High.  It is our responsibility to live it by the decrees of Allah Most High and by the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  Especially at the time of beginning of a new year, we should reflect over our past life.  This is not the time for frivolity, but is the time to analyze our past and plan for our future.  Today, coming to the Masjid on listening to the Adhaan seems too big a task.  People don’t have time to participate in good works, but nothing stops people from going from one city to another to “welcome” the New Year and in spending money like anything.

 

It is not the mark of a Muslim to waste his/her life in opulence and song and dance.  A Muslim community is dignified one and has high standards of morality.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has exhorted it towards high morals, has granted it unblemished character and a sophisticated culture.

 

Muslims should consider every past moment as a respite and reflect over their lives.  They should spend their days and nights in obedience of the Shariah.  They should spend each and every moment of their lives in light of the Shariah.  Allah has ordered us to do so in the Holy Quran:

 

O believers! Keep fearing Allah. And everyone should be vigilant to what he has sent forward for tomorrow (the Day of Reckoning). And always fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Well Aware of what you do.  Surah Hashr (59:18)

 

The life of Muslims is not to fulfill base desires, but to spend it in the obedience of Allah and His Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  They don’t follow the customs of the world, but are bound to follow the rules of the Shariah. 

 

In the life of man, time is a highly valuable bounty.  In Islam, the whole system of worship is related to time.  The 5 daily Salaat are related to time, for this reason, in the books of Fiqh, there is a separate section of timing of Salaat.  For Sehr (pre-dawn meal) and Iftaar, time should be maintained carefully.  If there is any mistake in this, the whole fast will be wasted.  For Zakaat, passing of 1 year is necessary.  Haj can be performed only in particular days, Qurbani can be performed only in particular days.  In these acts of worship, time is so important that if timing is not maintained, then it will not only lead to Undesirability (Karahat), but to invalidation.

 

The relation of worship to time and its importance in worship, demands careful management of time from the Ummah.

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) described the importance of time in this extremely valuable Hadith:

 

Translation:  There are 2 bounties, about which most of the people are heedless - health and leisure.  (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 6412; Zujajatul Masabeeh , Vol. 4, Pg. No. 148)

 

The 2 bounties to which the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) called attention to are nothing but life itself.

 

There is another Hadith:

 

Translation:  It has been narrated on the authority of Hadhrat ‘Amr Bin Maimoon Audi (May Allah be well pleased with him) that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: You consider 5 things as a respite before things: Youth before old age, health before sickness, affluence before poverty, leisure before busyness and life before death.  (Al Adab Lil Baihaqui, Hadith No. 89; Mishkatul Masabeeh, Pg No. 443)

 

When 2011 started, how many people were among us who are not with us now.  The inexorable hand of death has snatched them from us.  Thanks be to Almighty Allah, who has granted us time.  We should consider this as a respite and use time carefully.  We should spend our youth in obedience of Almighty Allah before old age and infirmity assai us.  We should perform those acts of worship, which cannot be performed in sickness and old age.  We will realize the value of these lost moments when we will depart from this world.  But the regret of those moments will be of no benefit.  Allah Most High says in the Holy Quran:

 

Until when death comes to any of them, (then) he will say: ?O my Lord, send me back (to the world), So that I may do some righteous works in that (world) which I have left behind.? No way! He will be saying this (only in despair). And ahead of them is a barrier (erected) till the Day (when) they will be raised up (from the graves).  Surah Muminoon (23:99, 100)

 

Those who are in hell will also regret the time which was spent in heedlessness of the commands of Allah.  As mentioned in the Holy Quran:

 

Those who are in hell will also regret the time which was spent in heedlessness of the commands of Allah.  As mentioned in the Holy Quran:

 

Questioning on the Day of Judgment

 

O our Lord! Take us out from here. Then if we repeat (the same error), we shall certainly be the wrongdoers.?  (Allah will) say: ?Stay on therein with disgrace and do not speak to Me.  Surah Muminoon (23:107, 108)

 

Each moment is so valuable that even after going in paradise, the residents of paradise will rue those moments of life, which were spent without benefit.  There is a Hadith in Kanz Ul ‘Ummal:

 

Translation:  There is no nation, which has a get-together, in which they do not remember Almighty Allah and do not send greetings to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) that that get-together becomes a source of regret for them, even though they may enter Paradise.  (Musnad Imam Ahmed bin Hambal, Hadith No: 25454)

 

The questioning of the acts/deeds on the Day of Judgment is about time alone, as on the Day of Judgment, there will be questioning about time.

 

There is a Hadith in Kanz Ul ‘Ummal:

 

Translation of Hadith:  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: On the Day of Judgment, a human being cannot budge until he is asked about his life as to where he has spent it; about knowledge that how much has he acted upon it; about his wealth that how did he earn it and where did he spend it and about his body that where did he spend his abilities.  (Jame’ Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 2602)

 

These guidelines given by the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) exhort us to manage our time carefully and prohibit wasting of time.

 

The relentless march of time – Something to think about

 

Time is moving relentlessly, at its own speed.  We have spent, 12 months and 52 weeks.  We have journeyed across 1 whole year.

 

The end of this year is questioning us as to how much did we value it?

 

The passing of the days and nights is asking us how much have we obeyed the rules of Islam in the past days and nights.

 

The last sunset of the year is inquiring how much did we uphold the limits of the Shariah?

 

On this occasion, we should evaluate ourselves, as told by Hadhrat Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him):

 

Translation:  You evaluate yourselves before you are evaluated, because it will ease your judging and you check your Selves (Nafs) before you are checked and be prepared for the Ultimate Summons when you will be presented in the court of Almighty Allah and nothing of your’s will be hidden.  (Kanz Ul ‘Ummal Hadith No: 44203)

 

Let us part from this year acting upon this Hadith and reflect back on the days and nights that how did we fulfill the rights of Almighty Allah?  Did we offer Salaat sincerely with congregation or did we postpone it till the last moment?  Did we calculate the wealth properly for Zakaat or did we pocket the rights of the poor and the needy?  Did we fast with proper piety in Ramadhan?  How much did we progress in terms of piety?  Did we fulfill the rights of our relatives and friends?  Did we treat our acquaintances with love and respect or have fanned the flames of enmity?  How was our character, our behavior in our personal and private lives? 

 

The start of a New Year is of course a great bounty of Allah.  We should thank Almighty Allah for this.  Greeting each other or exchanging gifts is not prohibited as such but our elders have always been aloof of such customs and have kept the ultimate aim in mind.  Their entire attention was focused on the hereafter.

 

Islamic Year – Begins and ends with sacrifice

 

The Islamic New Year begins with the martyrdom of Hadhrat ‘Umar and Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with them) and it ends with Hajj, sacrifice of animals and the martyrdom of Hadhrat ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan.  The beginning and the ending of the year both give us the message that our entire time, each and every moment we should spend in seeking the approval of Allah Most High.  Alas!  Muslims have forgotten the real purpose of their lives and have bound themselves in customs.  And such customs which blemish and stain a Muslim’s character.  Does Islam permit  singing and dancing?  Has wine which is the mother lode of all evils lost its potency?  The path to each and every evil is through this.

 

Wine, regardless of whether it is in less quantity or more, whether it induces intoxication or not, is still prohibited.

 

Almighty Allah says in the Holy Quran:

 

O believers! Wine and gambling and idols mounted (for worship) and divining arrows (for seeking luck?all) are filthy works of Satan. So turn away from them (completely) so that you may prosper.  Surah Maida (5:90)

 

The Hadith have strict warnings for those who consume wine.  There is a Hadith in Jame’ Tirmidhi:

 

Translation: Hadhrat ‘Abdullah bin ‘Ubaid bin ‘Umair (May Allah be well pleased with him) narrates on the authority of his father, that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:  The person who drinks wine, Allah doesn’t accept his Salaat for 40 days.  If he repents, Allah accepts his repentance.  If he again drinks wine, Allah doesn’t accept his Salaat for 40 days.  If he repents, Allah accepts his repentance.  If he again drinks wine, Allah doesn’t accept his Salaat for 40 days.  If he repents, Allah accepts his repentance.  If he again drinks wine for the 4^th time, Allah doesn’t accept his Salaat for 40 days.  Even if he repents, Allah doesn’t accept his repentance and Allah will make him drink from “Khabaal.”  People asked:  What is “Khabaal?”  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:  It is a river of the pus of all the dwellers of hell.  (Jame’ Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 1982)

 

Fireworks expend money without any benefit.  This is wasteful expenditure.  Almighty Allah says in the Holy Quran:

 

And give to the kindred their rightful due and also (give) to the needy and the wayfarer, and do not exhaust (your wealth) by expending wastefully.  Surely, the spendthrifts are the brothers of Satan, and Satan is most ungrateful to his Lord.  Surah Bani Israil (17:26/27)

 

There is always a danger of hurting oneself through firecrackers and hurting oneself in not allowed in the Shariah.  Almighty Allah says in the Holy Quran:

 

And spend in the cause of Allah; and do not cast yourselves into destruction with your own hands; and adopt righteousness. Verily, Allah loves the righteous.  Surah Baqarah (2:195)

 

Youngsters moving around on 2-wheelers and/or 4-wheelers late in the night and troubling people, stoning others’ or government's property, trying to perform stunts on the road, in short trying to terrorize others is not only against Islamic Law, but is also against morality and humanity as well.