Nafsiya Reflections: New Year's Resolution

Asalamu Alaikum and welcome to this week’s episode... New Year’s Resolutions.

After years of promotion, the western lifestyle and non Islamic holidays have become embedded in the psyche of the global population. So the New Year is now celebrated the world over, regardless of religion or culture... with lavish dinners, parties, firework displays and all manner of decadent behaviour.

Given that Christmas is the precursor to it, the whole season itself is the embodiment of aspiration... where eating, drinking and shopping to excess has become a cultural value and an unquestionable norm. To justify the excessive expenditure,which leaves most people in debt; the high calorie intake, said to total 6,000 calories on Christmas day alone; and the damage to health from the amount of alcohol consumed... the idea of making New Year’s resolutions emerged to address the guilt of keeping bad habits, making poor lifestyle choices and justifying selfish and individualistic decisions.

So the New Year’s resolution, aims to inject a sense of responsibility back into society, by renewing good intentions and purging bad habits. Many will consider the idea of resolving to be better, purer, more honest, healthy, generous etc, etc person, a good thing. After all, it’s a form of introspection and self empowerment.

It’s a way to problem solve the many toxic situations we experience and live through, helping ourselves and those around us. So the question we should ask ourselves is, if our intentions are so noble, why wait till New Years day to make them?

Most likely, the reason is because when a society collectively agrees on an idea, it’s easier for the masses to participate in, even if the idea is short lived.

As Muslims, the idea of introspection and self accounting is core to the Islamic personality. The Sunnah of our beloved prophet Muhammed saws, teaches us to aim to do the deeds most beloved to Allah swt. By first fulfilling His swt’s rights, the obligatory actions and then by excelling in the mandoub and naafila actions, in order to keep up a state of taqwa and high iman, thus being able to continue in superior acts of obedience inshaAllah.

Ibn Abbas RA reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said,

اغْتَنِمْ خَمْسًا قَبْلَ خَمْسٍ شَبَابَكَ قَبْلَ هَرَمِكَ وَصِحَّتَكَ قَبْلَ سَقَمِكَ وَغِنَاكَ قَبْلَ فَقْرِكَ وَفَرَاغَكَ قَبْلَ شُغُلِكَ وَحَيَاتَكَ قَبْلَ مَوْتِكَ

“Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your riches before your poverty, your free time before your work, and your life before your death.”

This hadith explains the need to constantly check these areas of our life, and make the best of them, increasing and improving our deeds and maintaining our repentance.

The onus is upon us to reflect on our lives and resolve to make the changes most needed. We must think beyond losing a few pounds by joining a gym, or spending less money until the next state-sanctioned blow out, like a birthday, anniversary or even Eid...

Rather we must account ourselves before Allah Himself will account us - by questioning the uprightness of our actions, the constancy in our deeds, the sincerity in our patience, and the purity of our intentions.

For many of us, an obstacle to reflection and deep thinking can be the secular lifestyle we become accustomed to. It may incline us towards solving our issues via secular, liberal institutions.... or Islamisising fashion and popular culture to fit in with wider society...

Despite any benefits of the material gain and the ease of accessing halal meat and having numerous masaajid and institutes to access Islam, we must accept that these immediate comforts can never be at the expense of our attention to the crisis in the Muslim lands.

Our thoughts should be directed at the communal changes we need amongst us collectively. Questioning the way we embody the Islamic identity in how we live and support the wider global ummah as well... calling for a replacement of secular laws in the Muslim lands with Islamic governance; in order to permanently solve the multitude of social ills, that confront the ummah, caused by the injustice and oppression that they are subjected to.

We may choose to join our peers and colleagues in making New Year’s resolutions, but for the believer who seeks the pleasure of his Rabb swt, the time is unrestricted to the New Year and unrestricted to making it for ourselves. So may He swt guide us to the best of resolutions, that fulfill our true purpose and responsibility in this life...  may He swt accept from us all...Aameen.

wa’alaikum as salaam wr/wb