Bismillahirohmanirohim (In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful and the Most Compassionate)
It is already 2011 and I can see from my joint account that there are many who celebrate the new year and a lot of new resolutions for the new year. As of course, I was also one who celebrates new year and making new 'resolutions', but as time passes by I do not really understand what is the celebration about.
From my personal observation, it is to celebrate the completion cycle of time, and the coming cycle of new time. Time is the circulation of the earth, moon and sun. I include the moon because in my opinion it is part of earth. Anyway as I've said earlier, time is the circulation of the earth, moon and sun, so do we celebrate the completion of the cycle? What is so special of the completed cycle? How are we so sure that the next cycle will be complete to make the next resolution?
In the perspective of a muslim, it feels as if we're like pagans celebrating upon the sun and moon. From my personal opinion, the reason Allah created the sun and moon so that time can be easily assigned. Why is it important for time to be assigned? So that it could be filled with actions/assignments/things to do. Time is a measuring tool, it is used to measure the time of prayers, the time to break our fast, time to go for appointments/meetings and etc.
I think it is clear that time is a measuring tool, I am going to give an example, which is unconventional somehow relates to measuring tool. For example, a measuring cup is used to be filled with things(i.e flour) to bake a cake. After baking the cake, one celebrate(enjoy/taking pleasure) by eating the cake. One do not celebrate on the measuring cup itself. We don't really celebrate on the things we have done during the cycle. It is common to see a person says "thanks 2010 for the good and bad experience". We're giving credit(thanks) wrongly. Should we give thanks to time or giving thanks to the giver/creator of time?
In my opinion, the completion cycle of the earth, moon and sun is not necessarily important. The important cycle is the cycle of ones life. Referring to the example of baking the cake, let us celebrate eating a sweet delicious cake at the end. So let us celebrate our actions in the hereafter after our life cycle ends.
"By the Time(1), Indeed all of mankind is in a state of loss (2), except those have iman, Conduct righteous actions, call each other to the Truth, And call each other to having patience.(3)" (Surah al-asr verse 1-3)
"Our Lord! We have now seen and heard , so send us back; we will do good - we do indeed (now) have firm faith!" (Surah as sajada verse 12)
But their pleas will be answered with only: "Did We not grant you a life long enough for him who would reflect to reflect (and so take heed)? And there came to you the warner (too); therefore taste now (the punishment), for the unjust have no helper" (Surah al Faatir verse 37)
"Nay, but you give preference to the life of this world (16), while the Hereafter is better and more lasting(17)" (Surah al A'laa verse 16-17)
"O mankind, indeed the promise of Allah is true, so let not this present life deceive you, nor let the great fraudster deceive you about Allah!" (Surah al Faatir verse 5)
"And be not like those who forgot Allah, so He caused them to forget their souls. It is these that are the evil-does" (Surah al Hashr verse 19)
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