10, 9, 8, 7, 6…… THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS.

EVERY year by this time, as the New Year rolls around, most of us get ready to hit the ‘NEW YEAR SCENE’. From newspapers to the Internet, Facebook friends to classmates, everyone seems to be talking about ‘THE MOST AWAITED DAY OF THE YEAR’: “THE NEW YEAR’S EVE”.

Last year, I too, like most of my friends, was eagerly awaiting the New Year’s Eve. I had made a list of new habits as my New Year resolution (which never really worked out) and looked forward to enjoy another year of joy and happiness, and methodically erase the unpleasant memories of my past year. I was the only one in my family, unlike my parents and siblings, who was quite fond of celebrating the New Year. My mom, who never really allowed my celebrations, would keep telling me that it wasn’t permissible for a Muslim to celebrate the New Year. Her constant reminders would do little to change my stance – after all what did she know about being NORMAL!

My arguments with her would sound something like this:

“Why is celebrating the New Year not permissible in Islam? If it was not permissible, then why are thousands of Muslims all over the globe welcoming the New Year in an amazing way? I don’t find any verse from the Quran or Hadith that condemns celebrating the New Year!”

I would go on and on till my mum would be stumped!

Every time I thought along these lines my frustrations would mount and I would be convinced all the more that there was definitely no harm in celebrating the New Year, in a Halaal way of course! I would rage with envy as I saw my friends prepare the ’guest-list’ for the New Year’s party. Yah, you got it right, and I never get to hold my own parties or attend one. But hey, nobody can stop me from calling my buddies late in the night, wishing them a ‘HAPPY NEW YEAR’ without my parent’s knowledge, or texting messages. And of course the ever-sociable FB status on my wall would definitely sport a cheerful New Year’s greeting. What was my solace for not attending the parties? Celebrate it in school with my friends, cut cakes, and have a Pepsi or even a cake fight!

But this year things are different. Alhamdulillah, I’ve given up celebrating the New Year! I’m no more a ‘huge fan’ of New Year parties nor do I like to discuss the never-accomplished resolutions. Once again, as the New Year approaches and all around I see the same hoopla taking place, I’m no longer envious, no longer despaired and my house is quiet without the constant arguments. What brought about the change you ask? It’s not the Fatwas of the Ulema or my mom’s endless lectures, but because I just realized something:

I am disobeying Allah, my Lord, who has provided me with everything in life. He deserves my obedience more than anyone else.

There is no point in celebrating the New Year, as we actually are losing one more year from our lives.

There is no ‘special day’ required to start a new life, to form good habits, or to overlook the disappointments of the past year. Every day, every hour, every minute and every second of our lives is a fresh new chance.

In short, if you remember the catch phrase from the cartoon Chicken Little – “Each day is a new day”, then that’s the positivity required to make any day of my life a new one, any day a new beginning – a New Year.

So, WHEN are you celebrating your New Year?