Celebration of New Year from the Perspective of Islam

It is so often that Muslims especially the muslim youth across the globe is found to participate in the new year celebrations. For the secular minded muslims (Those who consider that Islam has nothing to do with our daily lives) there is no issue in celebrating new year night.

Likewise some of our muslim brothers argue that as Islam don’t restricts social gatherings intended to promote love, therefore they pass the judgment that celebration of new year party is permissible from the Islamic point of view.

However the issue is not that simple, to find out the correct position of Islam regarding New Year night and other celebrations linked with New Year; we have to take the direction from Books of Ahadith which clearly addresses this issue.

Before going to read and understand the Islamic viewpoint, we need to understand that what the status of New Year is for the believers.

The New Year under the discussion is based on Georgian calendar that begins on 1st of January and ends on 31st of December. However Islam has its own lunar calendar totally independent of the Georgian calendar.

Now question arises what is the status of Islamic calendar in our lives? The answer is simple; Islam has tied our lives with the Islamic calendar based on lunar months. From performing five time prayers to fasting and Hajj to the celebration of Eid each and every responsibility and festivity of Muslims is attached to Islamic Calendar.

Now the second question arises. If Muslim have their separate calendar then what is the status of Georgian calendar for Muslims?  The answer of this question is yet again straightforward. As the Georgian calendar was established for ecclesiastical purposes therefore it identifies the symbol of Christianity.

While Islam has given separate identity to Muslim by giving Hijri calendar. From this it can be concluded that Islam has no recognition of Georgian calendar as it has its own time counting standard. From this argument one thing can be concluded that Muslims have moral duty to restrict themselves from new year celebration as these celebrations are not according to their hijri calendar.

Now after reaching the point that Georgian calendar has no status from Islamic viewpoint; and Muslim has their separate calendar, let understand what Islamic says about New Year celebrations.

Here is the 1st famous Hadith of Prophet (SAWW) “He who imitates a people will be from among them (on the Day of Judgement)” (Abu Daawood)

In this hadith prophet SAWW strictly forbade muslims to imitate the other religions and declared severed punishment for them that they will be treated as non-muslims (Will be treated like that religion whom traditions and customer they had followed). According to this hadith any act of imitating Non-muslims is totally haram including the act of celebrating New Year eve.

In another Hadith quoted by hazrat anas bin malik, Prophet SAWW replied to the group of people who were celebrating two festivals that people used to celebrate in pre-Islamic times. “Allaah has replaced them for you with two days which are better, the day of ‘Eid Al-Fitr and ‘Eid Al-Adh-haa”(Abu Daawood)

This particular hadith supports and strengthens the points raised in first hadith. In this hadith Prophet Muhammad SAWW clearly directed muslims that Allah almighty has replaced the festivals of other religion with the two festivals of Muslims in shape of two Eids.

Now after reading and understanding the difference between Georgian and Islamic calendar, Status of Georgian calendar and Islamic viewpoint on imitating others, any kind of direct or indirect involvement or celebrating any such festivals of other religion on the name of fun, love and enjoyment are totally haram.