New Year’s celebrations happen all over the world, full of excitement for the possibilities of the year ahead. These celebrations have unique styles that show the various traditions of religions and what they believe in. Individuals celebrate in their own ways by engaging in singing, dancing, drinking, and other activities.
However, as Ahmadi Muslims, how do we commemorate this occasion? We celebrate by turning to God, expressing gratitude, and praying for our spiritual growth in the coming year. Sadly, the purpose of our very existence has been forgotten by many.
The Holy Qur’an states:
وَمَاخَلَقۡتُ الۡجِنَّ وَالۡاِنۡسَ اِلَّا لِیَعۡبُدُوۡنِ
“And I have not created the Jinn and the men but that they may worship Me.” (51:57)
The sole purpose of our existence in this world is to worship God, seek nearness to Him, and strive for righteousness. It is crucial not to lose sight of this purpose in our lives.
During his Friday Sermon on January 1, 2010, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul-Masih V (may Allah be his helper) stated:
“Today, God has given us an opportunity to adorn the very first day of the year with prayers. Pray for yourself, for your family, for Ahmadiyyat, the true Islam. Pray for the environment, for society, and your country. A true believer prays for the country of which one is a citizen. These are the obligations that Ahmadis are entrusted with. Now, the permanence of the world, of mankind, is with the prayers of an Ahmadi and it leads to Paradise. However, if we are not treading these paths ourselves, how can we show the way to the world?”
Starting the year off correctly is crucial, and prayer plays an essential role in achieving that. Without prayer we are nothing, for it is the very reason we are created.
Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Khalifatul-Masih IV (may Allah have mercy on him), relates an incident from his life in which he states:
‘‘Once in the UK, it was New Year’s Eve and the next day was about to begin. During the night, at 12:00 AM, thousands of people had gathered at Trafalgar Square; on this night, people start getting drunk and busy by crossing all the limits of human indecency. When 12:00 AM hits, they think there are no limits on anything, no religious obligations, complete freedom. By chance, that night I happened to be at Euston Station. Like all Ahmadis do, I had the thought—this was nothing special on my part. By the Grace of Allah the Almighty, the majority of Ahmadis begin the New Year in the same manner. They pray at 12:00 AM. So I also had that chance and I stood at the station, laid out a newspaper on the ground, and offered my nawafil (voluntary prayer) there. After some time, I felt as if someone was standing beside me. I had not yet completed my prayers when I heard someone weeping. A person was weeping. After completing my prayers, I saw an elderly Englishman in tears, crying like a child. I became concerned and thought that perhaps he was sympathizing with me and was crying because he thought I was crazy. So I asked him what happened? He replied: “Nothing has happened to me; something has happened to my nation. The entire nation is busy in the New Year’s, involved in all sorts of immoral acts, and there is only one person who is remembering their Lord at this time.” This incident left such a profound effect on my heart that I was unable to hold back my tears. He kept on saying, “God bless you, God bless you, God bless you, God bless you.” So the reality is that even if the entire world laughs and makes fun of us, even then an Ahmadi youth should not care one bit, for he has every right to exercise his freedom and is answerable to God Almighty alone.’’
(Friday Sermon – August 20, 1982)
Amidst the celebrations of thousands in the streets, we shouldn’t hesitate to express gratitude to the One who has given us all that we have and for granting us another year of life.
On New Year’s, it’s customary for individuals to set resolutions, which are personal promises made at the beginning of the year to better themselves. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him), has given us advice which we should follow as Ahmadi Muslims, and this should be our resolution.
The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him), has given us guidance that all Ahmadi Muslims should act on. Thus, we must make it our resolution to follow his teachings.
The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) states:
“My entire Jama’at who is present here and others, listen to this advice very attentively, that those who entered this Jama’at and are associated with me as followers, it is meant that by doing so they achieve good deeds, and they reach the highest standards of God-fearing piety, and no mischief or ill acts can come near them. They are the people who offer Salat five times a day, they abstain from dishonesty, they never harm anyone from their tongue, they never perform any wrongdoing, and they don’t even have any thought of committing any harmful act; hence they prevent themselves from all sorts of criminal acts, bad words, hurtful actions, and all psychic emotions and immoral deeds. They are Allah’s clean-hearted people who don’t spread any dispute, and who are humble, kind people, and they should not have any sort of ill thought in their souls. It should be their principle to help mankind, and they should be fearful of Allah, and they should protect their hands, tongues, and hearts from immoralities, and they should pray five times a day with utmost sincerity, and they should protect themselves from maltreatment, illegality, bribery, and bias. They should not sit in bad company. And hence, you are required to not keep any relation with a person who does not fulfill the commandments of Allah, or who does not care about fulfilling the rights of the people, or who is mischievous by character, or who is immoral in his acts, or who does not keep good thoughts about the Promised Messiahas and who inflicts harm on other people through bad deeds.”
Thus, it’s important to follow the guidance provided by the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) to better ourselves and elevate our spirituality. As the New Year approaches, I pray that may Allah bless this New Year and may He give us the strength to start the year off with nawafil prayer (voluntary prayer) to reap the benefits of Allah’s favors.
