IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL
THE FOURTH SERMON FOR THE MONTH OF JUMADA AL-AKHIRAH:DATED 25/6/1446 AH (27TH DECEMBER 2024)
TOPIC: THE RULING ON CELEBRATING THE NEW GREGORIAN YEAR
THE FIRST SERMON
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all worlds. We praise Him for guiding us to a straight path and thank Him for granting us blessings, as He says: {دِينًا قِيَمًا مِّلَّةَ إِبۡرَٰهِيمَ حَنِيفًاۚ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ}
“[This is] an upright religion, the way of Abraham, inclining toward truth. And he was not of those who associate others with Allah.” (Surah Al-An’am 6:161)
I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, without partner—a testimony that saves its utterer while the people of shirk (idolatry) fail. I also bear witness that our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His servant and Messenger, through whom Allah manifested faith and Islam. O Allah, send Your blessings upon Your servant and Messenger Muhammad, upon his family, and upon his noble companions. Bestow abundant peace and blessings upon them.
As to what follows:
O people, fear Allah, the Exalted. Indeed, the fear of Allah is a shield against evil and punishment, and it is a means of salvation from hardship and sorrow. Allah Almighty says:
{وَيُنَجِّي ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوۡاْ بِمَفَازَتِهِمۡ لَا يَمَسُّهُمُ ٱلسُّوٓءُ وَلَا هُمۡ يَحۡزَنُونَ} “And Allah will save those who feared Him by their attainment; no evil will touch them, nor will they grieve.” (Surah Az-Zumar 39:61)
Dear brothers in Islam,
In this era, the calamity of celebrating pagan Christian holidays has become widespread, and the observance of such celebrations has become overt and publicized. Many researchers, even among the Christians of the West, acknowledge the pagan roots of their rituals and festivals.
For instance, they noted the origins of the celebration of the Gregorian New Year in January: “The Roman king Numa Pompilius (circa 673–715 BCE) revised the Roman republican calendar during his reign, making January the first month instead of March. This was a suitable choice as January was named after Janus, the Roman god of beginnings.” (See: Britannica).
When the Romans embraced Christianity, monks approved many of their rituals and festivals, incorporating them into Christian religious practices and attributing new religious foundations to them.
The concept of the Gregorian New Year refers to the time when one year ends, and a new year begins.
Celebrating this festival in our time, O Muslims, holds great significance among the Christian community. It has spread to other nations due to imitation, emulation, and media glorification. Its manifestations have almost encompassed the entire world, largely because the Gregorian calendar has been adopted as the official calendar by most countries worldwide.
As a result, many Muslims in predominantly Islamic countries are more familiar with the Christian Gregorian calendar than the Islamic Hijri calendar. The celebration of the Gregorian New Year now dominates news broadcasts, headlines of newspapers, and magazine covers. Live broadcasts of the moment the Gregorian year ends—on the final night—are transmitted globally, accompanied by various types of prohibited and sinful activities.
These pagan festivals and their rituals have reached Muslim households everywhere via satellite broadcasts. Many broadcasters and program hosts on numerous satellite channels and radio stations open their programs during these days with greetings to their audiences for these prohibited festivals.
Many Muslims have become lax in attending such celebrations, participating in them, assisting in organizing them, or exchanging gifts to mark their occasion.
Brothers in faith, we now know how pagan Greek and Roman rituals and festivals were incorporated into Christianity. The monks innovated numerous practices within the religion, taking it far from the law of the Prophet of Allah, Isa (peace be upon him).
It is, therefore, obligatory upon every Muslim who believes in Allah as his Lord and venerates His Shariah to avoid participating in these festivals, attending them, or assisting in them by selling festival-related items, supporting their rituals, or displaying their symbols.
The Companions of the Prophet and the scholars who followed them unanimously rejected the festivals of disbelievers. All the texts that prohibit imitating disbelievers extend to forbidding resemblance in their festivals or participating in them. Such as the words of Allah (SWT):
{ أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْ تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ وَلا يَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ}
“Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth? And let them not be like those who were given the Scripture before, and a long period passed over them, so their hearts hardened; and many of them are defiantly disobedient.” (Surah Al-Hadid: 16)
Today, we observe many Muslims participating in these celebrations, under the pretext that it is a global occasion concerning all the inhabitants of the earth. They do not realize that this holiday is a religious Christian celebration and that participating in it means engaging in a ritual of their religion. Rejoicing in it signifies rejoicing in the rituals of disbelief.
Let such people know that this participation endangers the faith and creed of a Muslim. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” (Reported by Ahmad and Abu Dawood).
Allah (SWT) also says: { لَكُم دِينُكُم وَلِيَ دِينِ } “For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.” (Surah Al-Kafirun: 6)
Thus, as Muslims, we must avoid these significant evils practiced by Christians and refrain from celebrating this holiday. All recognized scholars have ruled it impermissible. Parents must raise their children to abstain from such celebrations, preventing their children and everyone in their household from participating. Allah (SWT) says:
{ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ عَلَيْهَا مَلَائِكَةٌ غِلَاظٌ شِدَادٌ لَا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ }
“O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are [appointed] angels, harsh and severe; they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded.” (Surah At-Tahrim: 6)
May Allah bless me and you with the noble Quran and benefit us with its verses and wisdom. I say this, and I seek Allah’s forgiveness for myself, for you, and for all Muslims. Seek His forgiveness, for He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
THE SECOND SERMON
All praise is due to Allah, the Almighty in His Power, the All-Mighty in His Subjugation. He hears the cries of the oppressed when their patience wanes. I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, with no partner, and I testify that our Prophet Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, his family, and his companions in abundance.
As to what follows: Fear Allah, O Muslims, and be conscious of Him in both private and public. Allah says:
{ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقاتِهِ وَلا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ } “O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him].” (Surah Aal-Imran: 102)
O Muslims, our nation is experiencing difficult days, overwhelming events, raging wars, and intense conflicts. The Islamic world is being torn apart by the hands of envious enemies and assaulted by hostile forces. Dignity is plundered, rights are usurped, and lands are occupied. Yet, all of this is under the decree and will of Allah, the Almighty. Within these trials lies a near relief, for He is the All-Hearing, the Responsive, who answers the call of the distressed. His decree is met with contentment, and His trials are endured with patience, faith, and submission.
Servants of Allah, behold the treacherous Zionists on the occupied lands. They continue to commit heinous acts of oppression, subjugation, and terrorism in Gaza and the West Bank. They mercilessly wage wars of annihilation and eradication. Gaza, the land of struggle, wakes and sleeps amidst overwhelming calamities and profound tragedies. It is engulfed in scenes of suffering, cries of the young, groans of the bereaved, the torment of siege, and the agony of orphans. Day and night, it faces endless rows of shrouded bodies, funeral processions, demolished homes, burned mosques and Qur’ans, destroyed hospitals, and ruined schools. These events tear at the hearts and shatter the spirits.
These tragedies call out to Muslims everywhere, urging them for support and assistance. Is there anyone to answer this call? Is it befitting for Muslims, who are the largest in number and the richest in resources, to abandon their brothers and sisters?
O brothers in Islam, the world today is governed by policies of intimidation and terrorism. The tyrants and oppressors of humanity fight out of vengeance, driven by their insatiable hatred.
O Muslims, know that oppression does not last forever, nor will it continue indefinitely. It will eventually fade and vanish, as time revolves and changes. Allah says: {وَسَيَعْلَمُ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ أَىَّ مُنقَلَبٍ يَنقَلِبُونَ}
“And those who have wronged are going to know to what [kind of] return they will be returned.” (Surah Ash-Shu’ara: 227)
No matter how powerful the oppressor or weak the oppressed may seem, the oppressor is ultimately subdued, humiliated, shackled, and defeated. The closest weapon to confront oppression is the supplication of the oppressed, which is raised by the Ever-Living, the Sustainer. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Three supplications are not rejected: the supplication of a fasting person until he breaks his fast, the supplication of a just ruler, and the supplication of the oppressed which Allah raises above the clouds and for which the gates of heaven are opened. Allah says, ‘By My might, I will surely aid you, even if after some time.’” (Reported by Ahmad and At-Tirmidhi, who graded it as Hasan)
It was also narrated from Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Indeed, Allah gives respite to the oppressor, but when He seizes him, He does not let him escape.” Then he recited: {وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَخْذُ رَبِّكَ إِذَا أَخَذَ ٱلۡقُرَىٰ وَهِيَ ظَٰلِمَةٌۚ إِنَّ أَخۡذَهُۥٓ أَلِيمٞ شَدِيدٌ}
“And thus is the seizure of your Lord when He seizes the cities while they are committing wrong. Indeed, His seizure is painful and severe.” (Surah Hud: 102) (Reported by Al-Bukhari)
Fulfill your obligation of support toward your brothers and sisters in Palestine; do not abandon them to their enemies. Supplicate for them, as supplication is the ultimate tool of the wounded, the weapon of the oppressed, and the solace for the distressed.
O Allah, grant relief to our brothers in Gaza and Palestine from every hardship and a way out from every difficulty.
O Allah, You are our Lord, our refuge, and upon You we rely. Remove from them and all Muslims every calamity, ward off every affliction, and protect their blood and the blood of all Muslims.
O Allah, we complain to You of our weakness and our insignificance before the people.
O Most Merciful of the merciful, they are hungry, so provide for them; they are oppressed, so grant them victory. Be their Helper, Supporter, and Protector. Heal their sick, free their captives, and accept their deceased as martyrs, O Lord of the worlds.
O Allah, the Zionists have transgressed and tyrannized, killing mercilessly. Scatter their forces, destroy them with their own weapons, and burn them with their own fire. Send upon them an army from Your armies. Shake the earth beneath their feet, cast terror into their hearts, and make them a lesson for all who reflect.
O Almighty Lord of the worlds, grant honor to Islam and the Muslims, and humiliate shirk and the polytheists. Destroy the enemies of the religion.
O Allah, make this country safe, secure, and prosperous, as well as all the lands of the Muslims. Verily, You are the All-Hearing of supplications.