So, I stopped this bike man to take me home not knowing that I would have the opportunity for a last minute Da’wah for the year 2019 of the Gregorian Calendar.
We passed by a Masjid I avoid as much as I could. Once I had visitors that came to visit me and they started to argue of it was a Mosque or mosque given the pulpit and drums. Today, they are gathered again in white clothing, drumming and singing. I hissed out loud and said, “rubbish”.
My utterance came to the Okada man as a shock or maybe he was not shocked. It was dark, my beards were not noticeable as it was dark where he picked me up, “he is a Marlian”, he must have thought.
He asked me why it was rubbish, so, I asked him if it wasn’t rubbish. “What is their business? What are they celebrating”, I asked him. He started to explain why we need to thank God for a new year to my disagreement. I didn’t refute him yet, so, he said, “oga, be seated there o” to mean I am not in the know, not moving with the world or anything closer meaning it could connote. A native speaker of the Yoruba language will understand.
When we got home, I engaged him before he left. I asked, “are you a Muslim or a Christian?”. He said he is a Muslim to my happiness. I said, Christians celebrating the new year are doing, “rada” while Muslims doing so are doing, “radarada”
I took some time to explain to him the root of the celebration. By then, he knew he was the one that is “seated there”. I reminded him of the Islamic Calendar and that it is not even necessary to celebrate the new year. Meanwhile, how many non-Muslims celebrate it?
Also, there is no evidence that the Prophet (pbuh), his companions or the pious predecessors celebrated anything of such. We are just seriously unserious.
What are you celebrating? When it is 12am, would there be lightning or thunder or anything that will signify a change of year? If you wish to be grateful to God, do that every day! The idea of such celebration cannot be found in the history of Islam.
The man listened attentively and as I asked for objections, he was only reasoning along and accepting my arguments. I went further to tell him to look at the Masjid, special Tahajud for December 31st, what jargon!
What type of Tahajjud is that one? On whose authority? Who commanded them to do so? Meanwhile, when you look at people who do this, they are into more serious negative innovations into the deen. Some will ask you to come with three – eyed coconuts, some will choose a dress/colour code, why are we deceiving ourselves. Observe your Tahajjud without necessarily associating it with a celebration, worse is, it is a Kuffar celebration!
The man was very silent, thanked me very much and left. AlhamduliLlah. Even if the whole word refuse to listen, we will not relent, sooner or later, our writings and speeches would be discovered by a sincere seeker of the truth who would propagate it even with a greater zeal.
Keep deceiving yourselves… Just as Salah is better than sleep, so is sleep better than Tahajjud for December 31st.
Yeah, we use the Gregorian Calendar mostly but it was imposed. If you then decide to celebrate what you can easily avoid, you are a part of every evil it encompasses.
Send your objections to [email protected]
Bashir Lucas Samson Lukman
English 