The New Hijri Year: Rulings And Lessons

First Sermon:

All praise is due to Allah, who merges the night into the day and the day into the night, He has made them two signs to determine the number of years and reckoning. He has explained everything in great detail, and preferred some days and months over others by appointing seasons and rituals of worship in them. He promised victory to His messengers over their enemies and fulfilled His promise in complete truth.

I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, without partner, acknowledging His sole divinity and recognising the continuity of His blessings upon us every morning and evening, affirming His supreme Lordship. I submit to all that He has affirmed for Himself and described regarding His exalted attributes. Glory be to You, O Possessor of might and dominion, eternally and without end.

You saved Musa (peace be upon him), and thus Ashura became among the most virtuous of days. I also bear witness that our Master Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, who delivered the message, fulfilled the trust, and endured various forms of persecution and harm in its cause until he was granted permission to migrate to Madinah, an enabling victory. His Lord saved him and protected him from the schemes of the schemers, until the Word of Allah became supreme and the word of the disbelievers was cast down.

O Allah, send peace and blessings upon this noble Prophet, the effacer (of disbelief), the final Prophet, the source of divine secrets, the fountain of lights, the beauty of the two worlds, the honour of the two abodes, the master of humankind and jinn, the one honoured with “the distance of two bow-lengths.”

 

O Muslims,

Rejoice! A month of blessings has arrived

In it, guidance has radiated with light that floods our lands

Welcome, O month, in which Allah fortified the light

Brought by the Prophet as a gift for those granted ears to hear

Welcome, O Muharram, a month full of glad tidings

In it, the Beloved migrated, guiding us toward goodness

In you, the Prophet was embraced by his Madinah

With love, honour, and a renewed covenant of guidance

A lesson for us on how to live with dignity and confidence

To guard hearts and protect our faith and homeland

O Lord, send peace upon the noble companions and all

Who followed the light, never fearing trials

Bestow continued goodness upon all people of peace

Fortify Nigeria and shield it from trials and tribulations.

 

O servants of Allah,

What we must begin this new Hijri year with is spreading the message of unity among the Ummah, strengthening our bonds with one another, and reviewing and refining our dawah efforts to ensure continued success and achievements. However, what we unfortunately witness in reality is trivial and unconstructive criticism from some Islamic groups over minor matters in the religion, one of which is the issue of exchanging greetings and congratulations on the advent of the Hijri New Year.

You will find among those groups some who deem it forbidden and go as far as to compare their fellow Muslims who engage in it with disbelievers or at the very least, accuse them of introducing innovations in the religion. Others, however, take a more balanced view, seeing no harm, disbelief, or innovation in it.

 

O servants of Allah,

Allah has always appointed scholars in every time and place to remove confusion for Muslims in matters of their religion. These scholars have researched and examined this issue thoroughly and have concluded with two main views: prohibition and permissibility. Those who deemed it permissible further split into three categories:

1. Those who consider it recommended (mandūb),
2. Those who consider it permissible (mubāḥ),
3. Those who allow it only as a response—i.e., if one is greeted, they are obligated to return the greeting in kind.

The legal consequences of whether something is prohibited, recommended, or permissible are well known. A prohibited act is forbidden (in the Book and Sunnah); if a legally responsible Muslim does it, they incur sin. A recommended act is one which earns reward if done but no punishment if left, though blame may apply. A permissible act is one where no reward or sin applies whether done or left.

The majority of scholars, including Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, Shaykh al-Sa‘di (teacher of Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen), and Ibn ‘Uthaymeen himself, have not been extreme in forbidding or mandating the act of congratulating others on the Islamic New Year or other religious occasions such as Fridays. Rather, they adopted a balanced stance, in line with the Qur’anic verse:

“And thus We have made you a moderate nation so that you may be witnesses over the people and the Messenger may be a witness over you.” [Surah al-Baqarah 2:143]

They ruled that such greetings are recommended (mandūb), and the meaning and ranks of mandūb acts in the Shari‘ah are well established.

The majority built their position upon the great legal principle:

“The default ruling on customary words and actions is permissibility and lawfulness, unless prohibited by the Shari‘ah or proven to cause harm.”

 

Allah says:

“It is He who created for you all that is on the earth.” [Surah al-Baqarah 2:29]

And the Prophet ﷺ said:

“The lawful is that which Allah has permitted in His Book, and the unlawful is that which He has prohibited in His Book. What He has remained silent about is among that which He has pardoned.”

Narrated by al-Daraqutni in his Sunan and al-Hakim in his Mustadrak.

One of the most important evidences relied upon by those who consider it recommended to exchange greetings for the Hijri New Year is a report attributed to ‘Abdullah ibn Hisham, recorded by Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani in al-Isabah (2/378), meeting the conditions of authenticity. It states:

“The companions of the Prophet ﷺ would learn supplications like they learned the Qur’an. When a new month or year entered, they would say:

‘O Allah, bring it upon us with security, faith, safety, Islam, protection from Satan, and pleasure from the Most Merciful.’”

Also, consider what Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa‘di wrote in the preface of one of his treatises (see The Complete Works of Shaykh al-Sa‘di, p. 348):

“…We congratulate you on the Hijri New Year. May Allah renew His blessings upon us and you, and ward off harm from us and you.”

 

O servants of Allah,

Why can we not excuse one another and show tolerance in such secondary issues, tolerance that involves no hypocrisy, no appeasement, and no compromise in Tawheed? Why not strive for unity and harmony in our ranks?

 

O servants of Allah,

Love one another. Cooperate with each other. Exchange gifts. Share greetings on the advent of the Hijri New Year. May Allah make it a year of blessings, victories, and openings for Islam and the Muslims.

 

Second Sermon

All praise is due to Allah alone. I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship but Him, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. No one sent him as a mercy to the worlds except Allah Himself.

O Muslim! O heedless one! O distracted! O one who will be held accountable:

You spent the months of the year in heedlessness and neglect,

And gave no regard to the sacred month of Muharram.

 

You did not honour Rajab with its due rights,

Nor did you fast the month of Ramadan as completely (deserved).

Nor did you stand in prayer during the nights of Dhul-Hijjah,

Nor were you in a state of ihram for pilgrimage.

 

So, will you now erase those sins with sincere tears?

Will you weep over them with remorse and regret?

Will you welcome the new year with sincere repentance,

So that perhaps you may wipe clean what has gone before?

 

O my sister in Islam, and O my brother in Islam,

This is a golden opportunity, a blessed season, a fresh return from your Lord.

Perhaps you can wipe away your sins with heartfelt tears,

Perhaps you can begin your life with repentance and submission.

Perhaps you will feel regret before the day of the death rattle,

Before the day when “the leg will be wound about the [other] leg” (Qur’an 75:29),

Before the day when Hell is asked, “Are you full?” and it says, “Are there any more?” (Qur’an 50:30),

Before the day a man flees from his brother, wife, and children,

Each person on that day having enough concern of their own.

Before the day when you are told, “Read your book; you are sufficient this day to take account of yourself.” (Qur’an 17:14)

And you say when you see your deeds before you:

“How come! this book leaves nothing small or great except it has recorded it?” (Qur’an 18:49)

 

That is the day your limbs will testify against you:

Your hands will speak, your feet will bear witness, by the command of your Lord.

You will have seen your fate. Hell will be brought forward before you.

Then, you will cry out, but too late, “My Lord, return me, so I might do righteous deeds in that which I left behind!”

Allah will respond: “No! It is but a word he speaks, and behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected.” (Qur’an 23:99–100)

 

O servants of Allah,

You are aware that Imam Mālik (may Allah have mercy on him) did not normally consider past religious laws as foundational sources unless they were specifically mentioned in the Qur’an, confirmed by the Sunnah, and upheld by Islamic rulings, such as the fasting of Ashura, which Islam retained as recommended, not obligatory.

 

O servants of Allah,

Repent before the appointed Day comes, and begin your new year by fasting on Ashura, as scholars have explained in four ranks or levels:

1. The highest level: Fasting the 9th, 10th, and 11th of Muharram, based on a narration in Musnad Ahmad.
2. Second level: Fasting the 9th and 10th, based on the Prophet’s statement when he was told that the Jews fasted the 10th:

“If I live until next year, I will surely fast the 9th,”, to differ from the Jews.

3. Third level: Fasting the 10th and 11th, also based on a narration in Musnad Ahmad.
4. Fourth level: Fasting the 10th alone, which is permissible based on specific hadiths.

It is also allowed for someone who did not make the intention before dawn to intend it during the day. This is considered recommended, not mandatory, and such a person will be rewarded, God willing.

 

O servants of Allah,

You know well that the entire life of the Prophet ﷺ was full of lessons and wisdom. Every aspect of it carries noble benefits.

Now, for Nigerian citizens and the government, there are two major lessons from the Prophetic Hijrah:

1. For the government:

It must invest more efforts in strengthening the intelligence and security apparatus, equipping it with all material and moral resources to protect the country and its people, reduce crime, and achieve national goals.

The Prophet ﷺ, during his migration to Madinah, assigned ‘Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr to act as a spy and informant to monitor the movements of enemies, even though Allah was protecting and accompanying them.

This shows the clear importance of intelligence systems for any state seeking to be secure and progressive, whether culturally, economically, socially, or politically.

2. For citizens:

They must entrench their Nigerian national identity in their hearts and daily lives, prioritising it above all identities except the Islamic identity.

Favour your local products over foreign imports.

Improve and prioritise your schools, universities, and hospitals over foreign ones.

Do not sell your country or leak its secrets to other nations for fleeting worldly gains.

Learn from your Prophet ﷺ, when he advocated the fast of Ashura and added the 9th day to distinguish Islam’s identity from what was previously practiced.

The Prophet ﷺ took pride in the Islamic identity in this and many other acts, such as:

Letting the beard grow and trimming the mustache,

Praying in shoes,

Delaying breaking the fast,

Eating suhoor,

and other unique Islamic customs.

Likewise, Nigerian citizens should honour their Nigerian identity, protect their dignity, and preserve it from any action or word that might defile it.

O servants of Allah,

What you have heard is only a drop in the ocean of lessons from the Hijrah of your Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.