CELEBRATING THE NEW YEAR

Source: blog.islamiconlineuniversity.com

By: Dr. Bilal Philips

Origins

January is named after Janus, the Roman god of doors and gateways. He was commonly depicted in statues, carvings and paintings as a two headed man with one head facing forward and the other head facing backwards. In 46BC Julius Caesar chose January 1^st as the first day of the New Year as Janus symbolically represented the door to the New Year. Wild parties and orgies were held on the night before the New Year’s Day as a re-enactment of the chaos which Roman mythology depicted as preceding the cosmos or the ordered world whose organization was set by the gods. Furthermore, by that time, Janus had become, in practice, the highest god receiving the ritual sacrifices of Roman worshippers before the other gods, including the chief god, Jupiter.[1]

Thus, in its essence the celebrations of the New Year on January 1^stand New Year’s Eve, the night before, are a part and parcel of pagan religious rituals based on idolatrous beliefs in false gods. Consequently, it is completely Haraam (sinful and forbidden) for Muslims to participate in or adopt any of its related rituals, customs and symbols.

 If a non-Muslim greets a Muslim, “Happy New Year”, the Muslim is not allowed to respond in a similar manner or say, “Same to you.” Instead, in order not to offend or hurt the feelings of non-Muslim friends or acquaintances, one may say instead, “Happy holiday.”

 

As for celebrating the New Year according to the Islamic calendar which begins with the month of Muharram, this is also not permissible from a number of perspectives. First and foremost, if one does so believing that it is pleasing to Allah to do so, thereby transforming it into an act of worship, it becomes a  Bid‘ah or cursed innovation in the religion about which the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Every innovation in religion is misguidance and all misguidance leads to the Hellfire.” If one does so merely as a custom, it is still impermissible as it falls under the prohibition of imitation of pagan customs about which the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Whoever imitates a people becomes one of them.”

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[1] Pope Gregory 13^th who set the modern calendar, the Gregorian calendar, also officially fixed the first day of the year for ChristianEurope as January 1^st in 1582.

HOW TO STOP BEING A CELEBRITY SHAYKH FANBOY OR FANGIRL AND BUILD REAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEM INSTEAD

Source: muslimmatters.org

By: Omar Usman

Random Muslim Person sees inspirational Islamic video on YouTube. Random brother or sister now feels speaker in said YouTube video is the solution to all of their life problems.

Random Muslim Person finds the Facebook fan page of said speaker. They now feel compelled to comment on every single one of their statuses. For example:

Popular Islamic speaker Facebook update: “alhamdulillah Allah (swt) has blessed our family with a new baby, please keep us in your duas.” Random Muslim Person commenting on this status: “OMG SHEIKH CAN YOU PLEEEEEZ VISIT ME IN ANTARCTICA ITS MY DREAM TO MEET YOUUUUUU!!!” The only way this quote could be any more accurate is if it had an Emoji after every third word.

Love it or hate it, celebrity speaker culture is here. I wrote about this topic previously from the perspective of seeking fame. Now it is time to write from the perspective of how we view and approach Islamic speakers.

6 Tech Traps We All Fall Into (And How To Avoid Them)

By: Lindsay Holmes

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Technology can be a beautiful thing: It connects us to our family across the country, it exposes us to captivating stories, real and fictional … but it also has its downsides.

Admittedly, we’re all a little guilty of indulging in our devices too often, whether it’s checking our texts one too many times while we’re out to dinner or just wasting precious minutes dissecting our old roommate’s new romance. Luckily, there are ways to avoid these pitfalls in order to approach life in a more mindful manner. Below are six tech traps we constantly get sucked into and how to fight your way out of them. Take that, smartphone addiction.

1. Snapping a picture of the moment instead of savoring it.

That sunset may be beautiful, but if you’re not truly enjoying it — without your phone — you may not really remember it. Research suggests that our phones aren’t the best cameras, our memories are. A 2013 study revealed that people who took photos of art remembered less about the work than those who just stopped to soak it all in. And while photos are an incredible way to preserve a memory, we shouldn’t be experiencing every important moment in our life through a screen. Next time, let the mind do the image capturing.

Why do Muslims follow the lunar calendar instead of the solar calendar?

1. As per the Solar calendar, every year the months fall in the same respective seasons of that location. For example, the months of March, April and May in India will always have summer, while July, August, September will always have monsoons i.e. rains in western India. November, December and January will always have winter.

2. In the lunar calendar in different years the months fall in a different season.

The lunar calendar has about 11 days less than the solar calendar. Thus, every year, the month of the lunar calendar occurs 11 days prior to what it had occurred in the previous solar year. Thus, in a span of about 33 lunar years a human being will experience all the different seasons for one particular month of the lunar calendar. This is very important because the yearly activities of a Muslim are based on the lunar calendar. Certain months like Ramadhan and Hajj are very important to the Muslims. During Ramadhan a Muslim has to fast which includes abstaining from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. If the Islamic months were based on the solar calendar where the seasons were fixed, then people living in certain parts of the world would have Ramadhan in summer while in other parts of the world it would be winter. Some Muslims would have to fast for a longer period of time where the days are long while other Muslims would have to fast for shorter period of time where the days are short. If the seasons did not change, then Muslims living in some parts of the world may feel that they are at a disadvantage throughout their lives.

By following the lunar calendar, every Muslim has a taste of fasting in different seasons and for a different time period, in a span of about 33 years of his life.

Instead of lamenting on the negative attitude of the media, look for an entry and find a way to insert Islam in the media.

 Instead of lamenting on the negative attitude of the media, look for an entry and find a way to insert Islam in the media.
 En vez de lamentar la actitud negativa de los medios de comunicación, busque una entrada y encontrar una manera de insertar Islam en los medios de comunicación.
 In plaats van te klagen over de negatieve houding van de media, op zoek naar een ingang en een manier vinden om de islam in de media te plaatsen.
 Au lieu de se lamenter sur l’attitude négative des médias, recherchez une entrée et trouver un moyen d’insérer l’Islam dans les médias.
 Statt zu jammern, auf der negativen Haltung der Medien, suchen Sie nach einem Eintrag und einen Weg finden, den Islam in den Medien ein.
 Xiāngfǎn, gǎntàn duì méitǐ de fùmiàn tàidù, xúnzhǎo yīgè tiáomù, bìng zhǎodào yīzhǒng fāngfǎ, zài méitǐ jiāng yīsīlán jiào.
 I stället för att beklaga den negativa attityden av medierna, leta efter en post och hitta ett sätt att sätta in islam i media.
 Vmesto stenaniy po povodu negativnogo otnosheniya SMI , naydite zapis’ i nayti sposob , chtoby vstavit’ islam v SMI.
 Bunun yerine medya olumsuz tutum ağıtlar arasında bir girdi için bakmak ve medyada İslam’ı eklemek için bir yol bulmak.
 Invece di lamentarsi per l’atteggiamento negativo dei media, cercare una voce e trovare un modo per inserire l’Islam nei media.
 Alih-alih meratapi pada sikap negatif media, mencari entri dan menemukan cara untuk memasukkan Islam di media.

Instead of complaining about the fast diminishing number of honest, kind, sincere, upright people in the world, I should strive to be one.

 Instead of complaining about the fast diminishing number of honest, kind, sincere, upright people in the world, I should strive to be one.
 En lugar de quejarse de la disminución del número rápido de honesto, amable, sincero, personas íntegras en el mundo, me esfuerzo por ser uno.
 In plaats van klagen over het snel afnemende aantal eerlijk, vriendelijk, oprecht, rechtschapen mensen in de wereld, zou ik ernaar streven om een te zijn.
 Au lieu de se plaindre de la diminution du nombre de rapide honnêtes, aimables, sincères, honnêtes gens dans le monde, je m’efforce d’être un.
 Statt zu klagen über die immer knapper Anzahl der ehrlich, freundlich, aufrichtig, aufrecht Menschen in der Welt, sollte ich danach streben, einer zu sein.
 Ér bùshì bàoyuàn chéngshí, shànliáng, zhēnchéng, zhèngzhí de rén zài shìjiè shàng de xùnsù jiǎnshǎo duōshǎo, wǒ yīnggāi nǔlì zuò dào de.
 I stället för att klaga på det snabba minskande antalet ärliga, vänliga, ärlig, hederlig människor i världen, skulle jag sträva efter att vara en.
 Vmesto togo, chtoby zhalovat’sya na bystro umen’sheniyu chisla chestnyy, dobryy , iskrenniy, vertikal’nykh lyudey v mire , ya dolzhen stremit’sya byt’ odnim.
 Bunun yerine dünyada dürüst, nazik, samimi, dik insanların hızla azalan sayıda şikayet, ben biri olmak için gayret göstermelisiniz.
 Invece di lamentarsi diminuzione del numero veloce oneste, gentili, sinceri, giusti nel mondo, dovrei sforzo di essere uno.
 Daripada mengeluh tentang berkurangnya jumlah cepat jujur, baik, tulus, orang yang jujur ​​di dunia, saya harus berusaha untuk menjadi satu.

You’ll never gain everyone’s approval. Instead of focusing on people’s approval, focus on Allah’s approval.

 You’ll never gain everyone’s approval. Instead of focusing on people’s approval, focus on Allah’s approval.
 Nunca vas a conseguir la aprobación de todos. En lugar de centrarse en la aprobación de la gente, se centran en la aprobación de Dios.
 Je zult nooit ieders goedkeuring te krijgen. In plaats van te focussen op de goedkeuring van mensen, gericht op de goedkeuring van Allah.
 Vous ne serez jamais gagner l’approbation de tout le monde. Au lieu de se concentrer sur l’approbation des gens, se concentrer sur l’agrément d’Allah.
 Du wirst nie jedermanns Zustimmung zu gewinnen. Statt sich auf die Genehmigung der Menschen, konzentrieren sich auf Allahs Zustimmung.
 Nǐ yǒngyuǎn yě bù huì dédào dàjiā de rènkě. Ér bùshì cèzhòng yú rén de pīzhǔn, zhuānzhù yú ān lā de pīzhǔn.
 Du kommer aldrig att få allas godkännande. Istället för att fokusera på människors godkännande, fokuserar på Allahs godkännande.
 Vy nikogda ne budete poluchit’ odobreniye kazhdogo. Vmesto togo chtoby sosredotochit’sya na utverzhdenii naroda, sosredotochit’sya na utverzhdenii Allakha.
 Sen herkesin rızasını kazanmak asla. Bunun yerine insanların onayı odaklanarak, Allah’ın rızasına odaklanın.
 Non sarai mai ottenere l’approvazione di tutti. Invece di concentrarsi su approvazione della gente, concentrarsi sulla approvazione di Allah.
 Anda tidak akan pernah mendapatkan persetujuan semua orang. Alih-alih berfokus pada persetujuan masyarakat, fokus pada ridha Allah.

Listen to your own voice, your own soul, too many people listen to the noise of the world, instead of themselves.

 Listen to your own voice, your own soul, too many people listen to the noise of the world, instead of themselves.
 Escuche su propia voz, su propia alma, también mucha gente escucha el ruido del mundo, en lugar de a sí mismos.
 Luister naar je eigen stem, je eigen ziel, te veel mensen luisteren naar het lawaai van de wereld, in plaats van zichzelf.
 Écoutez votre voix, votre âme, trop de gens écoutent le bruit du monde, au lieu de se.
 Hören Sie auf Ihre eigene Stimme, die eigene Seele zu viele Leute hören den Lärm der Welt, statt sich.
 Qīngtīng zìjǐ de shēngyīn, zìjǐ de línghún, tài duō de rén tīng de, ér bùshì zìjǐ shìjiè de zàoyīn.
 Lyssna på din egen röst, din egen själ, för många människor lyssnar på ljudet av världen, i stället för sig själva.
 Slushayte svoy ​​sobstvennyy golos , svoyu sobstvennuyu dushu , slishkom mnogo lyudey slushat’ shum mira , a ne o sebe.
 Kendi sesinin, kendi ruh dinleyin, pek çok insan yerine kendilerini, dünya gürültü dinlemek.
 Ascolta la tua voce, la tua anima, troppe persone ascoltano il rumore del mondo, invece di se stessi.
 Mendengarkan suara Anda sendiri, jiwa Anda sendiri, terlalu banyak orang mendengarkan suara dari dunia, bukan diri mereka sendiri.

Worry is the result of focusing on your circumstances instead of Allah. Lift up your eyes! With Allah, all things are possible!

 Worry is the result of focusing on your circumstances instead of Allah. Lift up your eyes! With Allah, all things are possible!
 La preocupación es el resultado de centrarse en sus circunstancias en vez de Allah. Alza tus ojos! Con Dios, todo es posible!
 Zorg is het resultaat van zich te concentreren op uw omstandigheden in plaats van Allah. Hef uw ogen! Met Allah, zijn alle dingen mogelijk!
 L’inquiétude est le résultat de se concentrer sur votre situation au lieu d’Allah. Levez les yeux! Avec Allah, tout est possible!
 Worry ist das Ergebnis der Fokussierung auf Ihre Umstände statt Allah. Hebe deine Augen auf! Mit Allah sind alle Dinge möglich!
 Yōu de shì zhuānzhù yú nín de qíngkuàng, ér bùshì ān lā de jiéguǒ. Tái qǐ nǐ de yǎnjīng! Zhēnzhǔ, yīqiè jiē yǒu kěnéng!
 Oro är ett resultat av att fokusera på dina omständigheter istället för Allah. Lyft blicken! Med Gud är allting möjligt!
 Bespokoystvo yavlyayetsya rezul’tatom togo chtoby sosredotochit’sya na vashikh obstoyatel’stv , a ne Allakha. Podnimite glaza vashi ! S Allakha , vse vozmozhno!
 Endişe Allah yerine bulunduğunuz koşullara odaklanan sonucudur. Gözlerinizi yukarı kaldırın! Allah ile, her şey mümkün!
 La preoccupazione è il risultato di concentrarsi su circostanze invece di Allah. Alza gli occhi! Con Allah, tutto è possibile!
 Khawatir adalah hasil dari fokus pada keadaan Anda selain Allah. Angkat mata Anda! Dengan Allah, segala sesuatu mungkin!