The new year signifies the completion of a year of our lives. One year deducted from our time on earth. One year closer to meeting our Lord and one year closer to the Day of Judgement. The truth is, time is running out – and fast.

New Year’s should not be a time of mindless celebration but rather one of mindful reflection. It should be a time where we evaluate the past year and to ask ourselves – have we committed many sins? Have we been kind to our families? Have we been trying to limit our impact on the environment?

I’m not saying don’t be happy at this time of year, since Allah (swt) want us to be joyful at times of celebration. However, it should be a mindful, spiritual joy; one that elevates our humanity, not depletes it. We should be joyful through God, His messengers and messages. And importantly, we must retain our Islamic Identity.

So we should, alongside the Gregorian calendar, use the Hijri one. Whilst the former is imposed on us in the system we live in, there is no excuse to forget the latter. Many Muslims don’t know the Hijri months or the Hijri new year. A nation that forgets its history forgets it future and identity. Once you have lost your identity you’ve lost everything. 

So here are three suggestions you should do on New Year’s:

1)    Remember death

I know this sounds depressing and probably uncomfortable to think about, but keeping death at the forefront of your mind is the best thing you can do to improve your life. When you truly and fully realise how finite life is, it will inspire you to be a better student, sibling, son/daughter, spouse, friend etc. since you begin to comprehend what truly matters in life. No longer will you become upset about petty things or cause problems for others as you know that it’s just not worth it in the bigger picture.

Many reach the end of their lives and looking back in hindsight regret a lot of what they did. They regret the times they yelled at their parents, they regret moving away from their family, they regret not forgiving their friends and holding grudges. Thinking about death brings this hindsight into the present and allows these thoughts to come in before it’s too late, preventing you from doing something you’ll regret.

A great way to do this is to visit the cemetery. Try to make it a weekly habit, perhaps after Friday prayers. When you visit a graveyard, you see people buried there of all different ages – babies, toddlers, children, teens, adults. It is a potent reminder that death can come to anyone at any time. It makes you ponder life and how all these people were walking on this earth just like you. They walked in these same streets and breathed the same air. They all had dreams, aspirations and loved ones and also a story of how they died. 

On a recent trip to the cemetery, I noticed a few rows of empty graves, reserved for their owners with their names inscribed on a plaque. It reminded me of that story when Bahlool set the prisoners free. When the caliph found out, he was angry and demanded Bahlool to capture them. Bahlool said he would do it but instead he went to the graveyard and when questioned about this, he said all of those escapees will inevitably end up here – it is just a matter of time. 

2)    Evaluate yourself

Evaluating yourself is a great habit to have and not something you should only do on New Year’s. Imam Ali (a.s) has a powerful saying in Nahjul Balagha:

“Oh worshippers of Allah (swt), assess yourself before being assessed on the Day of Judgement, determine the results of your actions before they are determined on the Day of Judgement, breathe while you have the chance to breathe, and submit before you are forced to submit”

Think of yourself as your greatest project. If you have a bad habit, work at it. If you wish to have a certain attribute, find out how you can achieve that. Aim to be the kind of person that will stand up for what is right, no matter the cost. It helps to pick a role model to emulate, and what better role model than the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Make it a goal to research how he lived his life and make a serious effort to implement his lifestyle. No doubt that in doing so, you will improve your mental, physical and spiritual health and become the best person you can be.

3)    Figure out what you want in life

Another important thing to do is to know what you want in life. You only have one chance on this earth so make it count. Discover what your aspirations are and always keep this vision in mind. Allah (swt) has put you on this earth for a reason, and while you are here you have an obligation to make it a better place. What legacy will you leave behind? Create a vision board to hang up in your room to keep you motivated. Whatever your vision is, remember to keep Allah (swt) at the centre of all that you do and pray for Him to guide you. No project of aspiration is blessed if it is void of the remembrance of Allah (swt). When you live your life as a true believer, Allah (swt) brings blessings to your life as per the beautiful verse below:

مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً ۖ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ – 16:97

Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.

By doing these three things you can be sure that 2018 will be off to a great start.

The above is a copy of a speech given at LAL’s Prophet Jesus, New Years and Islam event on 30/12/2017.