Islamic New Year is the national event that marks the beginning of the month of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar. The first year of the Islamic calendar began to be counted in Gregorian CE 622. That year was very important for Muslims, it was the year when Prophet Muhammad PBUH moved from Mecca to Medina ( hijra - migration from Mecca to Medina) first Muhharam because of his safety. It symbolizes the beginning of a new era for Islam.
Islamic holidays are special events for Muslims. On days of holiday, Muslims are reminded of the charity, modesty, and moral values that Islam has. The first generations of the Companions pass on that the Prophet Muhammed PBUH recommended that two holidays be celebrated, which refers to the two Eids. So, the first generation of Muslims didn't celebrate Hijri New Year but the celebration has become a part of traditions in many Muslim countries.
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Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, the giant of Islam and a great scholar from Saudi Arabia who lived in the 20th century, was asked about celebrating Hijri New Year. He replied that people are allowed to respond to congratulation if someone offers it but not to be the ones to initiate the congratulations. He also mentioned that to his knowledge, there were no reports that the salaf [early generations of Islam] celebrated or congratulated the Islamic New Year. The majority of scholars are on this opinion and that it's haram.
When is Islamic New Year celebrated this year?
The Islamic calendar is different from the Gregorian calendar and the Islamic New year isn't on the first of January as Gregorian New Year. This year, Hijri New Year is going to be on August 9 of the Gregorian calendar.
Every year it falls on different dates because of the lunar-based calendar (based on the revolutions of the Moon, not solar-based) that Muslims use which is 354 days long and has 12 months. So, that means that when compared to Western calendars, by about 11 days every year, the Islamic year goes backward.
This date is the one that most countries will observe but because of the time differences, some countries will have a New Year on another date, for example:
- Aug 10 - Algeria, Bahrein, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Comoros, Djibouti, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Maldives, Palestine, Niger, Tunisia, and more
- Aug 9 - Egypt, Iraq, Jordan,
- Aug 11 - Indonesia
- Aug12 - United Arab Emirates
Islamic New Year is also called Awal Muharram. The word Awal means beginning and Muharram is the first month in the Islamic calendar so its first day is Islamic New Year.
Historical facts about Islamic New Year
Muslims had tough times in the 7th century CE and they faced religious persecution for their beliefs mostly in Mecca but also in the surrounding places. The locals provoked and attacked them and their safety was compromised.
When Muhammad found out they were planning to execute him, he decided to go to a town known as Yathrib, some 320 km north of Mecca. Yathrib is the old name for today's city of Medina ( full city name Al Madinah Al Munawwarah ), which translation means 'the city.
So, that's the reason why Muhammed and his followers began their journey from Mecca to Medina whose citizens received the Islamic population and welcomed them with great joy and hospitality. The inhabitants of Medina were generous people who quickly embraced Islam, and made a welcome the Prophet Muhammad PBUH. They were looking forward to his arrival so much that they fought over who would host him and offer him their house to stay in.
So, Hijra (Hijrah) was for them a reflection of freedom.
It was difficult for Muhammad to leave his hometown, but he was forced to do so because his fellow citizens condemned and attacked him. Mecca today has the official name Mecca el-Mukerrema which means the Holy City of Mecca because the Kaaba is located there, a holy place where Muslims perform the pilgrimage.
After 13 years of Revelation in Mecca, in the next 10 years, Revelation came to Mohammed while he was in Medina. In Medina, Muhammad set forth a Constitution that defines Muslim rights and responsibilities. This event has remained recorded in Islamic history as very important for the progress and spread of Islam, which is why Muslims commemorate this sacred moment of history.
Why else is Muharram important to Muslims?
For Muslims around the world, the month of Muharram is also important in addition to being the first day of the Islamic New Year. The month of Muharram belongs to the 4 selected months in Islam in which worship and prayers should be increased because all the days in this month are of holy significance. It is the second month of importance, right after Ramadan.
Also in Muharram, there is an event celebrated in Islam called Ashura which takes place on the 10th day of Muharram. This is the day when the ark of the Prophet Noah was saved from the flood.
On the 10th of Muharram, some other events took place, such as:
Prophet Musa ( Moses) crossed the Red Sea Pharaoh was defeated and flooded
Allah has received Prophet Adam's tawba
Prophet Yunus came out of the fish's belly
Prophet Ibrahim was saved from the fire
Prophet Yusuf came out of the well
Prophet Ayub recovered from a serious illness
Prophet Yaqub found his son and his eyes and the blindness was cured
Birth of Prophet Isa, escaped from the Jews so as not to be killed and alive ascended to heaven
Prophet Idris ascended to heaven alive
Each of the Prophets had their own experience and their own struggle in this world which Allah made easier for them and gave them a way out of trouble. This month is the month of salvation for those who understand its meaning.
Why is Muharram important to Shia Muslims?
For Shia Muslims, the 10th Muharram is significant because it is the day when Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, was tortured and killed in the Battle of Karbala. The occasion is marked with mourning ceremonies. For Shiites, Ashoura is significant and represents a holy day. They celebrate this day by participating in parades called 'madam'. These parades are celebrated in memory of the sufferings and death of Muhammad's grandson. For that occasion, they perform a chest-beating ritual on the street.
On the other hand, in Sunni Islam, Sunnis fast during this day but that fast is voluntary and recommended, so it is not obligatory.
What is the significance for Muslims today?
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Many Muslims experience the new year spiritually, as a new beginning just as it was the Hijra for our Prophet Muhammad PBUH.
The Prophet and his Companions left the beloved city and founded a new community far from their hometown so that they could live in peace and practice their faith.
Some people perceive this beginning of the year as solemn, as a time when they will start doing good and leave haram.
The emotional experience of the new year varies from person to person, and it is different in different cultures, but what they all have in common is that everyone experiences purification and the aspiration to be a better Muslim.
Alhamdulillah on the fact that Muslims today remember Islamic history and strive for spiritual advancement.
As long as believers stick to their foundations they will be free from chains. Their faith is a guide and it differentiates them from unbelievers. Only in this way can Islam exist and prosper.
Precisely because of the many events that took place in the month of Muharram, as we stated at the beginning of the article, Muslims consider this month very important because prayers are received in it. For this reason, Muslims increase their ibadah, and payers hope that Allah (God) will take their dua and fulfill their wishes.
Because of the increased ibadah, Muslims become attached to their faith and Allah and abandon the harams they performed.
How is it celebrated in certain countries?
In Saudi Arabia, there is no big celebration of the Islamic New Year. This holiday is not public in Saudi Arabia and the main proofs are that all businesses are open during this holiday with normal opening hours. In this country, there are only two public holidays and those are two Eids.
Meanwhile, in Jordan, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, India, and Indonesia, Islamic New Year is a public holiday (but not exclusive to). It's an event that is celebrated less than the two main holidays Eid-ul-Adha and Eid-ul-Fitr.
The Hijri New Year celebration in these counties usually includes charitable acts and recitation sessions of calming prayers.
To mark Muharram, Muslims will recite verses from Quran, attend special prayers and ceremonies at public halls and mosques, spend some time with family, and gather with friends in a quiet atmosphere. During this holiday, Muslims are based on reflection, remembrance, and gratitude. They recall the history of Islam and the wounds that the first generations of Muslims survived in order for Islam to come to life as a religion.
By this, we can notice that Muslims do not celebrate the new year like non-Muslims. There is no alcohol, parties, and similar.
There is only gratitude and modesty because Islam is a way of living, a recipe for happy life where there is no place for arrogance, nudity, or intemperance in the celebration, eating and drinking.
Conclusion
In order to improve their faith and purify their hearts, Muslims during the beginning of the New Year may take a break from sins and need to analyze their lives.
Self-analysis is the best way for a person to improve himself in any segment.
Start the new year by visiting your family, and relatives, buying a gift for someone, giving sadaqah, reminding yourself of charity, modesty, and moral values that Islam has, making a list of qualities you don't like in yourself, and a list of qualities you would like to have so that you can be reminded of it every day. Make an annual plan of what you want to accomplish, write down how many pages of the Qur'an you want to memorize, and so on.
Don't let the years go by without having a plan on how you want to live, because if you don't have a plan your life will fly by. We will all die one day. Only those who have more good deeds than bad deeds will enjoy eternal paradise.
May your faith be a guide for every part of your life, marriage, family, business, way of dressing, the way of speaking. Allah has perfected the religion of Islam and made it irreplaceable above all other religions. Be proud to be a Muslim, and live Islam.
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