Questioner: Assalaam Alaikum. Please I have a question that I need answers for from the Quran and Sunnah. My question is, “Can Muslims celebrate New Year festival”?
Answer: Wa alaikumus salaam warahmatullahi wabarakaatuh. Praise be to Allah and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad. As we are in the season of New Year Festival, questions often arise from people that, can Muslims celebrate New Year festival? The answer is NO.
It is not allowed for Muslims to celebrate the New Year Festivals. There are some reasons that prohibited Muslims from celebrating the New Year festivals. Let’s take a look at some of them right now.
New Year Festival Is From Pagan Traditions
The celebration of the New Year comes before the Gregorian calendar and has its roots in ancient pagan traditions. The Roman festival honoring Janus, the god of beginnings and endings, was observed at the start of the year. This deity, often depicted with two faces looking forward and backward, symbolized transitions.
These celebrations included rituals, offerings, and festivities that were incompatible with Islamic values. This festival was modernized to make it easy for every religion, every tribe and every culture to adopt it. But the basis still remains unchanged. Read the full article about Janus God in our other article. That explained it root which makes it impermissible for Muslims to celebrate the New Year festival.
While the origin of the New Year celebration is historically linked to Roman pagan rituals honoring Janus, the god of beginnings. Engaging in such celebrations may be seen as endorsing traditions contrary to Islamic monotheism. Mere knowing this truth, it is sufficient to use it to justify the question “Can Muslims celebrate New Year festival”. Allah commands in the Quran:
Indeed, they who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture and the idolaters will be in the fire of Hell, abiding eternally therein. Those are the worst of creatures. (Al-Quran 98:6)
“And do not mix the truth with falsehood or conceal the truth while you know [it].”
(Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:42)
The idol worshippers are people of hell which Allah has made it clear to us and as we have explained that the basis of this New Year is from pagan and idol worshippers. We should abstain totally from this and we should mix the truth (Islam) with falsehood (Idol celebrations). Read the full article on the origin of the New Year Festival.
Islamic Condemnation About This Type Of Festival
Allah says: And for every religious community. We have appointed a rite of sacrifice that they may mention the name of Allah over what He has provided for them of sacrificial animals. (Al-Quran 22:34)
Allah has already made it clear for each religious nation, that He has made a means of celebrating their festival for them. This means that we Muslims has been guided to our own festivals and a way of marking it.
When Prophet Muhammad (Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) came to Medina back then, the people made it known to him that they have two days which they used to celebrate and play in them as a way of marking their festivals. Messenger of Allah (Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) asked they the two days and they told him. He replied them that:
“Verily, Allah has replaced these two days with two better days: Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr.” (Sunan Abi Dawud 1134)
We should remember the verse we cited above that Allah has made it known to us that every nation has its own festivals which our Prophet has now explained to the people now. He also said again that:
“Every nation has its festival, and this is our festival (Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha)”
(Sahih al-Bukhari 952)
It should be understood that they had a festival during the time of ignorance in Medinah before the Messenger of Allah told them to stop them and hold on to Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha only which Allah has ordained for them. This is very clear now that it is not permissible for a Muslim to celebrate New Year and any other religious festival. You can also read about the permissibility of the Christmas celebration.
To you be your religion and to me my religion!
Allah who created the Muslims and Non-Muslim has also made it clear to us that we should hold on to our way of religion. We should not participate in the religious activities of those who disbelieve in His verses and signs. Don’t forget to read the full article on the origin of the New Year Festival here.
During the lifetime of the prophet Muhammad (Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), the idol worshippers came to meet him and said to him: “Let’s combine our idol worshipping with your Islam, this year we will all mark the celebration of our Idol and in the next coming year, we will do the same for Allah. This led to Allah revealing the verse below that cleared it all. Allah says:
To you be your religion, and to me my religion
Al-Quran 109:6
Can Muslims Celebrate New Year Festival?
No! due to the above clear explanations, it is now clear that it is not permissible. It is not also permissible to participate in any activities that relate to it like wishing them Happy New Year or the like because it will fall into endorsing their festival and Allah has already warned us concerning that. Allah says:
And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.
Al-Quran 5:2
I hope it is now clear to our brother who asked the question that can Muslims celebrate New Year Festival now, that it is not permissible and we hope this suffices everybody else reading this. We ask Allah to grant us steadfastness upon our deen, Islam, and make it easy for us to act in according to the teaching of Islam. Aameen
