A Time to celebrate in a True Manner Happy New Year

A Time to celebrate in a True Manner Happy New Year

Every year at the midnight of December 31st, a year changes, and usually it is considered as a new beginning. People celebrate it in different ways. Common traditions are partying, drinking, eating out with families and friends and watching fireworks in honor of welcoming a New Year and saying good bye to the previous year. People make resolutions to start better and to achieve their goals. If we take the New Year as a new beginning, we must look how we spent our previous year in order to make this coming year better. We must know what mistakes we have done in the past year.

New Year’s Eve is a big ceremony and people spend a lot of money on it, but what do they get? Undoubtedly, people celebrate for their worldly desires they have achieved the previous year. This celebration is true in a way because God enabled us to be successful, therefore there is nothing wrong in celebrating these events but the way we celebrate it is different. The only one whom we should thank at that moment is God, because without His mercy no one would ever have accomplished anything. In the Qur’an God states, “…Be grateful to God for whoso is grateful, is grateful for the good of his own soul…” (31:13). New Year isn’t only the name of a celebration, and it’s not just considered as something to party about but it is considered a time of redeeming oneself and trying to bring a change in life for better. We need to consider if we are making any improvement in our spiritual lives. How can we change our spiritual condition at the same time as we do better with worldly affairs? The answer to me lies in seeking nearness to God. Once we try to seek nearness to God our wishes becomes His wishes. And what is better than achieving nearness to God? It’s not only about a year that is ahead that we need to plan. We also need to be considerate of our whole life. We plan a year because we don’t know what is to come. Similarly, we also don’t know what life will bring us as a whole. If we need the real prosperity in our lives, we need to attain the true connection with our Master. This will not only make this year better but also the years to follow. Surely, there is no one who can guide us except our Lord. The Qur’an states, “It is they who follow guidance from their Lord, and it is they who shall prosper” (31:6).

Sometimes people have everything but they complain about not having inner peace. A commonly used phrase is that money can’t buy you happiness. The real happiness is not hard to find, it lies within. This statement is absolutely true. Drinking alcohol, partying, eating out and watching fireworks at the New Year’s Eve cannot provide true happiness. They are ways to attain only worldly pleasures which lasts for few moments. As time passes by and even by the second day of January no one feels the same excitement any more. The reason is because they were temporary celebrations. We need to find the long lasting happiness, a never ending success that lasts in this year, in this life and the life hereafter. The only way we can achieve this prosperity is to seek forgiveness of all the mistakes we have made in the previous year knowingly or unknowingly.

God is most forgiving and ever merciful. This New Year’s Eve we need to turn to him asking for His mercy, spend the night asking for forgiveness, pray to Him, and be truthful to each other. It is the only way to experience the never ending happiness in this year. The Qur’an narrates, “But he who repents and believes and does righteous deeds, maybe he will be among the prosperous” (28:68). So bow in front of Him. May God make this year a blessed and successful year for everyone, and may we be able to get closer to Him and seek His nearness. Amen.