Ras al-Sanah Hal Nahtafil

Ras al-Sanah Hal Nahtafil (New Year: Do We Celebrate?) is a concise Islamic treatise written by the contemporary Egyptian Salafi author Shehata Saqr (شحاتة محمد صقر), addressing the legal and religious rulings regarding the celebration of both the Gregorian and the Hijri New Year al-Islam wa al-Liberalya …+1.

Subject and Arguments

The treatise argues that Islam recognizes only two annual religious holidays—Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha—alongside Friday as the weekly day of observance, citing scriptural evidence that festive occasions form an integral part of prescribed religious rites (shar' wa-manahij wa-manasik) Dalil al-Waiz ila Adillat…+1. Based on this, Saqr classifies celebrations of both the Gregorian New Year on 1 January and the Hijri New Year on 1 Muharram as newly invented matters (bida') and unauthorized additions (muhdathat) adopted through imitation of Western customs, Jews, Christians, and Persians Dalil al-Waiz ila Adillat…+1.

Regarding Gregorian New Year festivities, the author censures various associated practices among Muslims, such as frequenting public parks and beaches, decorating storefronts, putting up Christmas trees, hosting music and dance parties, consuming alcohol, distributing Santa Claus (Baba Noel) gifts, fortune-telling about future events, and entrenching the foreign calendar over the Arabic Hijri calendar Ras al-Sanah Hal Nahtafil. Saqr prohibits accepting invitations or gifts tied to non-Muslim religious holidays, selling goods used for those holidays, or exchanging holiday greetings, contending that outward imitation harms the Islamic doctrine of loyalty and disavowal (al-wala' wa-l-bara') Ras al-Sanah Hal Nahtafil+1.

Saqr also rejects commemorating the Hijri New Year or organizing formal gatherings and speeches for the event of the Prophet's emigration (Hijrah), noting that neither Muhammad ﷺ nor the Rashidun Caliphs (Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali) ever instituted celebrations for it Ras al-Sanah Hal Nahtafil+1. He attributes the origin of celebrating the Hijri New Year to rulers of the Fatimid dynasty, who created it in imitation of Jewish and Christian seasonal observances Ras al-Sanah Hal Nahtafil. The text cites a statement by the Successor Hassan ibn Atiyyah al-Muharibi that introducing religious innovations inevitably displaces authentic prophetic practices (sunan) Ras al-Sanah Hal Nahtafil.

Excerpts from Ibn Taymiyyah

The second half of the booklet consists of an abridged selection titled Durar min Kalam Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah ("Gems from the Words of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah"), adapted from Saqr's own abridgment of Ibn Taymiyyah's work Iqtida' al-Sirat al-Mustaqim li-Mukhalafat Ashab al-Jahim (The Necessity of the Straight Path in Opposing the Inhabitants of Hell) Ras al-Sanah Hal Nahtafil. This section details:

• The interrelation between outward appearance and inward spiritual states, highlighting why Islamic law mandates differing from Jews and Christians in dress, habits, and outward customs Ras al-Sanah Hal Nahtafil+1.
• Quranic and hadith textual proofs prohibiting assimilation (tashabbuh), including the hadith: مَنْ تَشَبَّهَ بِقَوْمٍ فَهُوَ مِنْهُمْ ("Whoever imitates a people is one of them") Ras al-Sanah Hal Nahtafil+1.
• Legal principles concerning holidays (a'yad) and their related perimeters (harim al-'id), which include any days immediately preceding or following a holiday wherein celebratory customs are introduced Ras al-Sanah Hal Nahtafil+1.