There is bad news for Muslims looking forward to celebrating the arrival of the new year, as it has been declared haram or prohibited. Maulana Mufti Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, national president of All India Muslim Jamaat, has issued a fatwa asking Muslims in India to not celebrate the New Year, saying that it is a festival of non-Muslims.
In the fatwa, Maulana Razvi said that singing and dancing is completely haram in Islam, that is why the new year celebration is also haram. He said that this is a criminal act as per Shariat, and Muslim youths should refrain from participating in such celebrations.
Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi said that the new year is a festival of Christians and it is strictly illegal for Muslims to celebrate it. The fatwa states that the New Year begins in January, which is the start of English New Year, and therefore it is a a religious program of Christians to celebrate their first day of the year.
He said that Christians organise Christian religious programs on the occasion, and therefore it is not permissible for Muslims to participate in the same. He said that “Islam strictly prohibits such programs.”
He said that every year many programs are organized on this occasion, in which people sing, dance, burst firecrackers, make noise, drink alcohol, gamble, clap, whistle etc. People from the Muslim community also participate, which is completely wrong, as all these activities are illegal in the light of Islamic Sharia. Therefore, Muslims should stay away from such programs, he said. Adding that Islam strictly prohibits such programs, the Maulana said that if a person indulges in such non-Sharia activities, then he will be guilty.
