Muharram - The Hijra New Year

 End of year and Hijra new year prayers. 

Awal Muharram celebration in Istanbul

Every year end, Muslims are reminded to recite prayers to ask for a year end forgiveness and blessings for the new year.  This is implying Allah is using the Hijra calendar to evaluate his servants year on year. 


Do the angels compile all our deeds and sins at the end of every Hijra year to be taken up to Allah, that we had to read special prayer (du’a) at the end of the Hijra as a final appeal to be in the good books of Allah?  


And we read another special prayer the next day as Allah opens a new record for our deeds at the beginning of Muharram, marking another new Islamic year.  


The issue here is not about our prayers or invocations to Allah, but its timings of subscribing to a manmade calendar. Do we not have direct communication with Allah all the time? Does he not listen to us all the time? 


Why Must Allah subscribe to a manmade calendar that originated from Jahiliya Arab Calendar?


Is the concept of time material to Allah?




Dua for the Start of Hijrah Year 

(1st Muharram)

In the name of Allah, the Universally Merciful, the Singularly Compassionate. 

 

And blessings and peace be upon our liege-lord Muhammad, his family and companions. O Allah, Thou are the First from All Eternity. By Thou great bounty and generosity, this is the dawn of another new year. (So) I beseech Thee at this hour to bestow upon me (a) an impregnable shield from the malevolent plots of the accursed Satan, his allies and his foot-soldiers and (b) succour over the evil-self that incites to deviation, disobedience, and sin and (c) to engage in that which brings proximity to Thee. O possessor of Supreme Majesty and Unrivalled Generosity. And blessings and peace be upon the unlettered Prophet, Muhammad, and upon his family and companions.

 


Dua for the End of Hijrah Year

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

All praises be to Allah, Lord of all Universe. Praises be to Prophet Muhammad saw, his family and his companions.

Oh Allah, a year has passed in our life. You have bestowed on us the Greatness of Your nikmah in which we could never imagine and You have protected us from harm when we cannot detach ourselves from it. We have done deeds in which only You have knowledge of its good or bad.

Oh Allah, if the deed that we have done is in accordance to Your Teachings, please accept those deeds as meaningful deeds in your eyes. However, if those deeds have been accompanied with boastfulness and envy or we have done ourselves wrong, or its intention had been tainted, we seek Your Forgiveness and we implore that You hide all these wrongdoings. Please bless us with goodness and Your bountiful provisions.

Oh Allah, the New Year has crawled in and the current year will leave us shortly. However, we do not know what is in store for us in the coming year. We are ignorant as to where our life will head to. It is our hope that You allow us to begin this New Year with the door of Forgiveness so that we do not end this life in loss. Oh Allah, we plead that you shower Taufiq to us in this year for us to continue to do good deeds that receive Your pleasure and a harmonious life that you bless.

Oh Allah, we seek your Might to safeguard our physical self so that we continue to worship you. Safe keep us so that our hearts are filled with love. Please open our hearts so that we seek you always just like how you open the hearts of those who are righteous. Please place us amongst those who keep to their promises and able to fulfill our responsibilities. Please make our life a witness to all deeds that you have enjoined us to do, Oh Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Giving.

 





Let remind ourselves again, why would the Lord of the Universe subscribe to an Arabic calendar ?



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