Beginnings are crucial. If you start something in the right direction, then the end will be successful a well. Read on to find out about the Islamic Hijri year and how best to prepare for it. 

What is the importance of the Hijri calendar?

• The Hijri year is important in the lives of Muslims. It is part of the Islamic calendar that consists of many special events, such as Ramadan, Hajj season, and Eid.
• The Islamic Hijri calendar is a representation of our identity as Muslims and it embodies Islam’s uniqueness.
• Embracing the Hijri calendar connects us to the Prophet, his household, and to many significant events that took place after the Hijra.
• The Hijra of the Prophet is an exceptional event in Islamic history, which is still relevant to our current time and circumstances. We need to learn a lot of lessons from this historical event, such as making sacrifices for the sake of Allah (swt) and travelling to a different place if remaining would threaten our faith.

What is the Gregorian calendar and how does it compare to the Islamic calendar?

• The Gregorian calendar is the one now used by most countries.
• It was initiated by Pope Gregory XIII in the 16^th century, as a correction to the Julian calendar which came before it.
• Pope Gregory tried to artificially fit the 12 lunar months within a solar year. This meant that extra days and leap years are needed.
• It is pagan in nature. The months are names after Roman gods or emperors. For example, July is named after Julius Caesar.
• The Islamic Hijri calendar is more accurate than the Gregorian calendar since it does not need extra days, and it is more in tune with the nature of the cosmos. This is why the Islamic calendar is also called the fitri calendar; it is in instinctual and natural. Further, why should we replace our beautiful months of tawhid with pagan months?

(For more information watch this lecture at 26:00)

What are we supposed to do in the beginning of a Hijri year?

1. Review our work in the past year: We need to question ourselves about what we have done so we can avoid repeating same mistakes and sins.
2. Plan: We also need to put plans for the new year; how to make the most benefit of our time, how to develop ourselves, increase our knowledge, take responsibility of guiding ourselves and our people to the right path, and how to please Allah in every second of our lives.
3. Make du’aa: We need to pray to Allah to make it a blessed and productive year. Imam al-Sajjad’s (as) du’aa for the beginnings of days are also applicable to the beginning of a year:

اللهم فكما أبقيتني له فأبقني لأمثاله، وصل على النبي محمد وآله، ولا تفجعني فيه وفي غيره من الليالي والأيام بارتكاب المحارم واكتساب المآثم، وارزقني خيره وخير مافيه وخير مابعده، واصرف عني شره وشر مافيه وشر مابعده

O God, just as You spared me for this day (year), so also spare me for its likes, bless the Prophet and his Household, and torment me not in it and in other nights and days by allowing me to commit unlawful acts, and to clothe myself in sins; provide me with its good, the good of all within it, and the good of everything after it; and turn away from me its evil, the evil of all within it, and the evil of everything after it.

وهذا يوم حادث جديد وهو علينا شاهد عتيد، ان أحسنّا ودّعنا بحمد وأن أسأنا فارقنا بذم. اللهم صل على محمد وآله، وارزقنا حسن مصاحبته، واعصمنا من سوء مفارقته، بارتكاب جريرة، أو اقتراف صغيرة أو كبيرة، وأجزل لنا فيه من الحسنات، وأخلنا فيه من السيئات

This is a fresh, new day (year), over us a ready witness. If we do well, it will take leave from us with praise, and if we do evil, it will part from us in blame. O God, bless Muhammad and his Household, provide us with the day’s good companionship and preserve us against parting from it badly by doing a misdeed or committing a sin, whether small or great! Make our good deeds within it plentiful, empty us therein of evil deeds, and fill what lies between its two sides for us with praise and thanksgiving, wages and stores, bounty and beneficence!

 

4. Performing the recommended prayers: It is recommended to pray on the last day of Dhul-Hijja; two rak’aas with surah al-Fatiha, and ten times both surah al-Tawhid and Ayat al-Kursi. Then recite this du’aa:

“اللهم ما عملت في هذه السنة من عمل نهيتني عنه ولم ترضه ونسيته ولم تنسه، ودعوتني الى التوبة بعد اجترائي عليك. اللهم فأني أستغفرك منه فاغفر لي. وما عملت من عمل يقرّبني اليك فاقبله مني ولا تقطع رجائي منك يا كريم”

Oh God, I ask forgiveness from any work that I have done in this year, which you forbid me to do, and you wasn’t satisfied with me, and I forgotten it but you did not forget it, and invited me to repent. Oh God forgive me from all these sins. And what I have done to bring me closer to you; please accept it from me, you are the most merciful and most generous

Also it is narrated that the Prophet used to pray two rak’aas on the first day of Muharram, and then recite this du’aa:

“اللهم أنت الإله القديم، وهذه سنةٌ جديدةٌ، فأسألك فيها العصمة من الشيطان، والقوة على هذه النفس الأمّارة بالسوء، والاشتغال بما يقرّبني إليك يا كريم يا ذا الجلال والإكرام يا عماد من لا عماد له يا ذخيرة من لا ذخيرة له يا حرز من لا حرز له يا غياث من لا ياغياث له يا سند من لا سند له يا كنز من لا كنز له يا حسن البلاء يا عظيم الرجاء يا عزّ الضعفاء يا منقذ الغرقى يا منجي الهلكى  يا منعم يا مجمل يا مفضل يا محسن أنت الذي سجد لك سواد الليل، ونور النهار، وضوء القمر، وشعاع الشمس، ودوي الماء، وحفيف الشجر، يا الله لا شريك لك. اللهم اجعلنا خيراً مما يظنون، واغفر لنا ما لا يعلمون، ولا تؤاخذنا بما يقولون، حسبي الله لا إله إلا هو عليه توكّلت وهو ربّ العرش العظيم، آمنا به كلٌّ من عند ربنا، وما يذّكر إلا أولو الألباب، ربنا لا تزغ قلوبنا بعد إذا هديتنا وهب لنا من لدنك رحمةً إنك أنت الوهاب”. 

Also the salat of the first day of every month is recommended on the first day of the year (which is also the first day of the month of Muharram). It consists of two rak’aas, in the first rak’aa you recite al-Fatiha once and al-Tawhid thirty times. In the second rak’aa you recite al-Fatiha once and al-Qadr thirty times, and after finishing the prayer give sadaqa and recite this du’aa:

“بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم، وما من دابة في الأرض الا على الله رزقها، ويعلم مستقرها ومستودعها كلّ في كتاب مبين. بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم، وأن يمسسك الله بضر فلا كاشف له الا هو، وأن يردك بخير فلا رادّ لفضله، يصيب من يشاء من عباده، وهو الغفور الرحيم. وأن يمسسك الله بضر فلا كاشف له الا هو وأن يمسسك بخير فهو على كل شئ قدير. بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم، سيجعل الله بعد عسر يسرا. ماشاء الله لا قوة الا بالله. حسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل. وأفوّض أمري الى الله انّ الله بصير بالعباد. لا اله الا أنت سبحانك اني كنت من الظالمين. رب أني لما أنزلت اليّ من خير فقير. ربّ لا تذرني قردا وأنت خير الوارثين”

May Allah shower us all with his blessings and every goodness in this New Year!

 

By Dr. Iman Alattar