New Year - A time for evaluation

Evaluate the past year and make a roadmap for the next

Life is a gift from Allah Ta'ala; to value it and live it as per the orders of Allah Ta'ala and the Sunnah is our responsibility. Especially when a new year starts, we should evaluate our past lives. This moment is not to be spent in play and frivolity, but to reflect on our past lives and plan on how to make our future brilliant.

Allah Ta'ala says:

O ye who believe! Fear Allah and let every soul look to what (provision) he has sent forth for the morrow. Yea, fear Allah: for Allah is well-acquainted with (all) that ye do. Surah Hashr (59:18)

These are the words of Mufti Syed Ziauddin Naqshbandi Qadri Naib Shaykh Ul Fiqh, Jamia Nizamia and Founder/Director Abul Hasanaat Islamic Research Center in the weekly lecture at Masjid Abul Hasanaat, Jahanuma.

He said that with evaluation of self ( Nafs ), a person is led towards good deeds and stays away from bad deeds. Mufti Sahab quoted from Jame' Tirmidhi, that a wise person is the one who evaluates himself (or herself) and prepares for the life after death. A foolish person is the one who makes oneself a slave to desires and has hopes from Allah Ta'ala.

(Jame' Tirmidhi, Hadith No: 2647)

5 things before 5 things

There is a Hadith in Mustadrak Hakim: The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: You consider 5 things as a respite (Urdu – Ghanimat ) before things: Youth before old age, health before sickness, affluence before poverty, leisure before busyness and life before death.

(Hakim, Hadith No: 7957)

Advice of Hadhrat Umar

There is a narration in Kanz Ul Ummal, Hadhrat Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) said: 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 Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) and nothing of your's will be hidden.

(Kanz Ul Ummal, Hadith No: 44203)

Mufti Sahab said that nowadays, the New Year is welcomed with wine. People gather at dens of indecency. They go out of control and perform deeds which are not allowed by the Shariah. Be it happiness or sorrow, in every state the laws of Islam should be kept in mind.

To welcome the New Year, "Happy New Year" is written on the roads. No matter what the language is, the letters, alphabets are a means of gaining knowledge. Islam does not permit disrespecting them. Islam is not a conventional religion. Its teachings are all based on truth.

Message of the Islamic New Year

Mufti Sahab said that Islamic year starts with the martyrdom of Hadhrat Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) and the martyrdom of Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) and it ends with Haj and Qurbani. The beginning and end of the year are gesturing that the days and nights and months and years of the Muslims should be only for the sake of Allah Ta'ala and there is a message for the Muslims that the Sahabah and the Ahle Bait sacrificed themselves, but they did not allow the Islamic teachings to be sacrificed.

Evaluate yourself!

We should evaluate ourselves that how have we fulfilled the rights of Allah Ta'ala and how have we performed the Salaat, fasts, Zakaat and Hajj. Did we fulfill them with proper sincerity and Taqwa ?

How did we fulfill the "Huquq Ul 'Ibaad" (the rights of the creation)? Did we obey our parents? Did we instruct and teach our children properly? How did we treat the neighbors and relatives?

If anything is not perfect, we should repent, perform Taubah , fulfill the rights which are due to others and ask their forgiveness.

There is a Hadith in Jame' Tirmidhi: The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: On the day of Qiyamah, the feet of a human being will not budge until he is asked about his life that where has he 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

Mufti Sahab said that we have a double responsibility that we should look at our surroundings and decide ourselves that we will not even go near vices, that we will absolutely avoid all kinds of immodesty, indecency and that we will stop others also from these things as much as we can and invite them towards good.

Mufti Sahab said that corruption and decay has spoiled the whole atmosphere. Because of all this, we should not stay away from knowledge and Shariah and get stuck in ignorance. We should adorn ourselves with knowledge, learn the rules of Islam and act upon them. We should evaluate the past year and make a roadmap for the next. We should consider the rest of our lives as respite and spend them in worship and obedience to Allah Ta'ala.