Today marks the beginning of a new Islamic year, which was initiated after the Hijrah, or emigration, of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and which marked the formation of the first Muslim nation within an independent Islamic territory under the rule of Muslims.
The Muslims had no formal annual calendar until the caliphate of ‘Umar bin al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him. In the third or fourth year of his caliphate, ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, received a message from Abu Moosaa al-Ash’ari, may Allah be pleased with him, who suggested that their future correspondence be confirmed with the appropriate date.
Therefore, ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, gathered some of the surviving companions of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and consulted them on this matter. Some of them suggested adopting the Persian Calendar; others proposed adopting the Roman Calendar; others still proposed that the Muslims should form their own calendar and that it should start from the birth of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam; another group agreed but thought that the new Islamic Calendar should start from the day on which the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam embarked upon his mission; another group believed that this new Islamic Calendar should begin from the emigration of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam while a final group believed that should start from his death.
After a discussion they, may Allah be pleased with them all, agreed unanimously to adopt the position of those who held that the Islamic Calendar should start from when the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam emigrated from Makkah to Madinah and that the first month of this new Calendar be that of Al-Moharram. This is because Al-Moharram is a sacred month and because it follows Dhu’l-Hijjah which is the month in which the Muslims perform the Haj, or the pilgrimage, which is the last of the five pillars of Islam that was enjoined upon the Muslims. Al-Muharram also follows the month in which the Ansaar (the Madinan supporters of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) pledged allegiance to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam which was prior to his migration to Madinah. This pledge of allegiance was one of the introductory acts of the emigration itself and therefore Al-Muharram was deemed the most suitable month to start the Islamic Calendar by the companions of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam.
It is truly saddening that some Muslims have chosen to use the Gregorian Calendar instead of the Hijri calendar. The Gregorian Calendar has no relation with Islam and although it has been in existence for longer than that of the Hijri Calendar, that is no excuse for the Muslims to adopt it. It is well known that the companions of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam would hate that any Muslim would use the Roman or Persian Calendar.
We have just ushered in the new Hijri year. Allah said that which translates as: “Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion [i.e. way], so do not wrong yourselves during them...” (At-Tawbah: 36).
These are the months that Allah has appointed for the whole of mankind. He has said that which translates as: “They ask you [O Muhammad], about the new moons. Say ‘They are measurements of time for the people and for Haj (pilgrimage].” (Al-Baqarah: 189).
Therefore, we know that these months, based on the lunar calendar, were appointed for all of mankind and not just for the Arabs. This is due to the fact that the lunar months can very easily be detected and calculated by the sighting of the crescent-moon, which marks the end of the month and the beginning of a new one.
This is not the case with the Gregorian Calendar, which does not rely on any logical or visible signs as regards its calculation of months; rather, each month in this calendar ranges between twenty-eight and thirty-one days without a single logical reason for such variation. Recently some plans were proposed to modify the Gregorian calendar, but Christian priests and Jewish rabbis vehemently opposed them and so the plans had to be scrapped.
Dear Muslims! Look at how the Christian and Jewish theologians opposed the change of these imaginary months, because they realise the danger that such a change would introduce into their beliefs, while the scholars of the Islamic religion are silent, rather some of them actually approve of replacing the Islamic Calendar, which Allah has appointed for all mankind, with the man-made Gregorian Calendar. When Imaam Ahmad was asked about the Persian Calendar, he showed extreme abhorrence towards it.
O Muslims! We are in the new Hijri year. It is not from the Sunnah to celebrate it or to congratulate one another on its advent. For the Muslims, the passage of years does not constitute a real cause of happiness; rather, what counts is the amount of time spent in obedience to Allah during these years. The years that have passed will be considered as successful if they were spent in obedience to Allah and miserable if they were spent in disobedience of Allah. Therefore, the most evil person is he who has lived a long life and has committed evil deeds throughout. It is a must that we receive our days, months and years while in obedience to Allah. We must bring ourselves to account, redeem ourselves from our bad deeds and duly perform our responsibilities towards our wives, children and relatives.
Servants of Allah! Fear Him and perform the responsibilities about which you will be questioned on the Day of Resurrection. Allah the Almighty says that which translates as: “O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are (appointed) angels, harsh and severe, they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded.” (At-Tahreem: 6).
Discharge responsibilities properly and know that your limbs will testify against you on the Day of Resurrection. Allah says that which translates as: “Until, when they reach it, their hearing and their eyes and their skins will testify against them of what they used to do. And they will say to their skins, ‘Why have you testified against us?’ They will say, ‘We were made to speak by Allah, who has made everything speak; and He created you the first time, and to Him you are returned. And you were not covering [i.e. protecting] yourselves [By fearing Allah] lest your hearing testify against you or your sight or your skins, but you assumed that Allah does not know much of what you do. And that was your assumption which you assumed about your Lord. It has brought you to ruin, and you have become among the losers.’” (Fussilat: 20- 23).
Servants of Allah! The advent of every new year is marked by many Muslims with sincere resolutions and plans to improve and become closer to their Lord, but the days and hours slip away while the people’s conditions remain the same, the inevitable result of such failures will be loss and disgrace in this world and the next. Therefore, we must invest our time in obedience to Allah and make sure that our spiritual condition is improving from year to year; for the more time runs away from us, the closer we are drawing to our graves.
O servants of Allah! I swear by Allah that improvements in our worldly lives do us absolutely no good if our spiritual lives are not improving at the same time. I also swear that none can attain honour and dignity without submitting to the Lord of the Worlds. Safety, tranquillity and welfare cannot be attained except by adopting the methodology of the messengers of Allah. Be very clear that if any of you see welfare and pleasure accompanied with sins and deviation, then this is definitely a mere respite that has been given by Allah ahead of a total ruin. Thus, we must all stand firm in the obedience of Allah in order to protect ourselves from His punishment. Allah the Almighty says that which translates as: “...And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.” (An-Noor: 31)
O people! Fear Allah; be aware of the ultimate wisdom of Allah in who He chooses as messengers from angels and mankind. Be aware also of the fact that He favours certain times and places over others. Allah favoured Makkah over all other places and chose Madinah, the abode of the Prophet’s migration, next to Makkah in preference, after this, the next most virtuous place in the sight of Allah is Bayt Al-Maqdis, or Jerusalem, which was the abode of the majority of His prophets. Allah has also favoured certain months, days and nights more than others. The number of months is 12, as decreed by Allah when He created the heavens and the earth. Among these twelve are four sacred months, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhul-Hijjah, and Al-Moharram, which are successive and the month of Rajab that comes between Jumada Al-Aakhirah and Sha’baan. The best day which the sun rises on is Friday and the night of Al-Qadr is more virtuous than a thousand months. Therefore, we must all esteem that which Allah has magnified.
The scholars of Islam maintain that the rewards for good deeds are multiplied in times and places which are favoured by Allah and vice versa for bad deeds. The proof of this is from Allah’s saying which translates as: “They ask you concerning the sacred month - about fighting therein. Say, ‘Fighting therein is great [sin], but averting [people] from the way of Allah and disbelief in Him and [preventing access to] the Sacred Mosque [in Makkah] and the expulsion of its people therefrom are greater [evil] in the sight of Allah. And fitnah [Polytheism and Disbelief] is worse than killing’. And they will continue to fight you until they turn you back from your religion if they are able. And whoever of you reverts from his religion [to disbelief] and dies while he is a disbeliever - for those, their deeds have become worthless in this world and the Hereafter, and those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.” (Al-Baqarah: 217).
Allah the Almighty says concerning the Sacred Mosque in Makkah that which translates as: “Indeed, those who have disbelieved and avert [people] from the way of Allah and from the Sacred Mosque [in Makkah], which We made for the people - equal are the resident therein and one from outside; and whoever intends [a deed] therein of deviation [in religion] or wrongdoing - We will make him taste of a painful punishment.” (Al-Hajj: 25).
O people! Do not wrong yourselves during the Sacred Months. Stay well within the limits defined by Allah, fulfil all His obligations, shun all His prohibitions and fulfil the rights of the people.
Be aware that Satan has taken it upon himself to use all necessary means to seduce all of Allah’s servants, except those who are sincerely devout to Allah. Satan is keen to distract people from righteousness and divert their attention away from Allah’s religion and towards vice and evil. If Satan notices that a person is inclined to righteousness, he will use all available means to discourage and hinder that person from doing any good deed, if he fails in this, he will soon devise another plot against this person and so forth. Satan starts with attempting to seduce a person into committing the most destructive of sins. If he fails in this, he will try with less dangerous sins and so on. Once he succeeds in seducing a person into sin, he will delude them into delaying their repentance and belittling the magnitude of their sins. Satan will also fool people into believing that someday, they will give up the sins that they are currently indulging in, while knowing very well that such a day may never come. After underestimating the magnitude and grievousness of sins, one is easily led by Satan to more destructive ones, until such a person may eventually leave the religion altogether.
Servants of Allah! Beware of the tricks and evil plans of Satan. Know that he takes many different approaches to seduce people; either through sowing doubts in their souls concerning the unity of Allah; diverting them from performing the prayer and belittling its importance; inducing people to withhold zakah, or obligatory charity, or spend it in ways other than that demanded by Allah; tempting people into indulging in acts and sayings that render their fasting null and void; hindering them from performing Haj by giving plentiful reasons for its delay; trapping them in ungratefulness and maltreatment of their parents and severing family ties; luring them into deceit and dishonesty by committing betrayal and fraud; enticing them to blind materialism through unlawful earnings such as interest-based transactions, extortion, bribery etc.; and a countless number of other avenues that will lead to a person’s utter ruin.
After Satan has lead a person astray, he abandons them, at the very time when they are most in need of a supporter! Take heed of Allah’s saying regarding Satan’s delusion of Adam and Eve when they lived in Paradise and were permitted to eat all its fruits except the fruits of a certain tree, which translates as: “O Adam, dwell you and your wife in Paradise and eat from wherever you will but do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers.” (Al-A’raf: 19).
But Satan tempted them by saying that which translates as: “But Satan whispered to them to make apparent to them that which was concealed from them of their private parts. He said ‘Your Lord did not forbid you this tree except that you become angels or become of the immortal’. And he swore [by Allah] to them, ‘Indeed I am to you from among the sincere advisers’. So he made them fall, through deception. And when they tasted of the tree, their private parts became apparent to them, and they began to fasten together over themselves the leaves of Paradise. And their Lord called to them, ‘Did I not forbid you from that tree and tell you that Satan is to you a clear enemy?’” (Al-A’raaf: 20-22).
This means that Satan degraded them and made them become relegated from the superior ranks of obedience. Another example of Satan’s deception and subsequent abandonment is when he urged the Quraysh, which was the tribe of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, to go to Badr, which is a place between Makkah and Madinah, and fight the believers – and then turning his back on them. Allah says that which translates as: “And [remember] when Satan made their deeds pleasing to them and said, ‘No one can overcome you today from among the people, and indeed, I am your protector’. But when the two forces sighted each other, he turned on his heels and said: ‘Indeed I am disassociated from you. Indeed, I see what you do not see; indeed I fear Allah. And Allah is severe in penalty.’” (Al-Anfaal: 48).
Here is yet another example of Satan forsaking man after deluding him, which translates as:
“... Like the example of Satan when he says to man ‘Disbelieve.’ But when he disbelieves, he says, ‘Indeed I am disassociated from you. Indeed I fear Allah, Lord of the Worlds’. So the outcome for both of them is that they will be in the Fire, abiding eternally therein. And that is the recompense of the wrongdoers.” (Al-Hashr: 16-17).
“And Satan will say when the matter has been concluded, ‘Indeed Allah had promised you the promise of truth. And I promised you, but I betrayed you. But I had no authority over you except that I invited you, and you responded to me. So blame not me; but blame yourselves. I cannot be called to your aid, nor can you be called to my aid. Indeed I deny your association of me [with Allah] before. Indeed, for the wrongdoers is a painful punishment.” (Ibraheem: 22).
Servants of Allah! What you are feeling in terms of reluctance to perform good deeds and carelessness towards your bad deeds is only a result of the trickery of Satan. When you feel like this, you must seek the protection of Allah from Satan, as this is the only way to achieve salvation.
Allah the Almighty says that which translates as: “And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He is Hearing and Knowing. Indeed those who fear Allah – when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember [Him] and at once they have insight.” (Al-A’raaf: 200-201).
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