IN TERMS OF NEW YEAR

IN TERMS OF NEW YEAR

-Muaz  Ahamed Fathahullah-

 2013! And I am just peeped in to it as all. Midnight crackers, E-mail wishes, Personal messages and so and so began to over flow, disturbing my deep sleep. I am not at all here to blame those who did those things, but exactly having still a bit of disappointment, as they killed my short time which I get to rest. Any ways it’s apart.

Moving on! January 1^st, commonly known as a new year, is just another day for me and really this situation is same for all, because only a celebration can’t create a new year and a custom can’t be the only reason for a celebration. It’s just like another festival without a mean! In fact how it can be special if it doesn’t has mean or else a theme at least? So it’s just a day again. And as to me a festival can’t be just a celebration or party without a concept.

Well! I am here not to argue like an extremist, but to share what I feel. But of cause Hijri is my new year and I am not celebrating the first of January. Because I fear, I will be a part of those who do it.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said.

“Those who follow or imitate a certain party or religion on a certain matter (although they aren’t act upon it completely) are belong to that party or religion as they becomes one of them”

I remember once Dr. Bilal Phillips said,

“If one does so merely as a custom, it is still impermissible as it falls under the prohibition of imitation of pagan custom”.

As I said before I am not here to stop those who celebrate the January 1^st as a new year! because although we have our new year from Muharram, for worldly needs or else to say like officially, always and almost everyone used to start or to gain a change from January 1^st. But remember, we Muslims must not forget that 1^st of Muharram is our new year according to Hijri year and it is too not permissible for Muslims to celebrate the Hijri new year due to some perspectives.

According to my point of view, Schools are reopened on January, Companies start their official year on January, A state’s budget implemented from January. And of cause we change our calendars on January. Also we change our diaries on this date. These are some common practices which everyone does and which evidenced that the January 1^st can be considered as for a common understanding and for schedule between several people from different part of the world.

Knowingly or unknowingly, I too sometimes prefer this as my new year, as I said before. Which I meant it’s not wrong, because I took it not for celebration not as it’s a custom. I didn’t waste my money on crackers and I didn’t waste my time there on shopping or by disturbing others. Other way round, when entire world moves on targeting January 1^st, why should I ignore them? Why should I oppose them? And why I alone or with a gang, try to change schedules as we wish? It’s nonsense. It’s just to create a common platform.

Celebrating and wishing on this day can be written as sin according to above noted Hadees. But there is nothing noted that starting a cause or else a project or a mission on this day targeting a whole twelve month is Haraam (Prohibited) or something like that.  If it’s noted so, I can’t at least change my diary on this day. And if it’s so, I can’t make a year plan considering January 1^st as the first day.

So that’s what I am trying to say that, it’s an opportunity to all of us to start something new, or else to move little advance from where they are. That’s what I meant as a concept or a theme or a mean in my early paragraph.

31^st night! As I felt that 2012 is gone, first thing cracked to my mind was, what I am going to do on this 2013? What are my plans? What are the things should be done during this year? And especially where should I be when I am reaching 2014?

If you could find some genuine answer to these kind of questions on the starting hours or else as soon as some days starts to move of a common new years, then you have the right to say that I have started a new year on my way.

And to be frank I didn’t start this as all did as a custom. But with a concept and a plan to move along with this twelve months. That’s how I wish to start every years of my career in future.

Let’s make this January an opportunity to plan our lives. 

A BEST PLAN

A BEST PLAN

-Muaz Ahamed Fathahullah-

It’s me the organizer of a youth movement of my home branch now where it was one of the first started branches of that movement in the island. Although it has a long history, through the era it had a lot drop as it had achieved sometimes to peek. During our period too, the same thing happened and somehow we could rebuilt it with some members. But it too didn’t last for a long. Due to lack of financial aid and due to the lack of interest of members in those works lead it again to a drop.  The most active members too went off due to their personals, which was that made no address to the movement in our branch.

Although it is so I could manage my works with everything and as well as to the movement works as much as I can with some members left and sometimes alone. Alhamdulillah. But my attempts failed several times on collecting new members to handle the works regularly as we done before. And our service towards the society dropped off without any notifications. Also our regular classes and meetings were stopped out, which erased our personal contacts and planning totally.

But I couldn’t give up over that because I had in my deep that, I had to create some one shinning or to foam a group who could remain although at the end or else in a fall after our period. Not like in the history, I wish that someone would take responsible after me and not to make it as a dream anymore.

So I gave up the present and walked towards the future, which someone could say I have made a wrong decision, but I couldn’t do anything unless to decide like that because I was left alone. Anyhow I must thank all those who supported me here and there as they couldn’t involve due to their careers and professions.

So as to plan I decided to foam a set of pre members to the movement, where they are to enter the movement in short year period. from the past we had a powerful set of  secondary students as we had a syllabus for them, but the thing was after all they complete their syllabus throughout 4-5 years, many went off from our sight and some remains. And also those some too disappears in a short period as we haven’t got a powerful youth group to guide them within the branch. This is the major problem faced by many of the branches many times.

And my plan was to collect the final year students of the secondary set and to train them toward the society. Alhamdulillah, my plan was approved by the central council members of the movement where they asked me to continue it in my own style. And when I was taking with a central council member, he said that my plan is to be considered in the main scheme to apply all over the island.

But last year I couldn’t achieve much on that plan. I feel it’s better to say that I failed there, as I couldn’t make a proper syllabus for them to guide within a short period. Although a year passed, still I couldn’t make a better scheme over that plan. I had to care their studies at the same time as they involve in religious and movement affairs. I had to care their personal issues when guiding them toward a youth society. Sometimes I had to have special characters on me to train them. Such as to advice them or to make council lings between them. And so I found it was not easy. And I could make only an individual there on that year.

But somehow I had to manage with which I have and with my half completed syllabus to train them. Because I felt that doing something is much better than doing nothing. At the same time I had to teach them the school subjects and to arrange them the sports event also some special gatherings which too was not much easy with my daily life. Anyhow I could go on with almighty’s help and blessing alone. Alhamdulillah. So this year I have a such ideal set with me, and I hope I can find some more in coming years, where I feel that our branch has a blessed future. Alhamdulillah.