Happy New Year....

Yeap, a very happy Lunar New Year to our Colleagues who do celebrate the event. The year of the dog. 4 days of lazying around, relaxing which never was.

It used to be called Chinese New Year, now it's called Lunar New Year. Simply because, the Chinese aren't the only ones to celebrate the event. In fact, most cultures in South East Asia, celebrate it, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Thais, though they each have a different name and, probably, slightly different reasons for the celebrations. Muslims all over the world too celebrated a new year on 30th Jan 2006. It was the start of a new year in the Islamic or Hijrah Calendar. It, like the Chinese Calendar, follows the Lunar Cycle. It is now the year 1427 according to the Hijaah Calendar.

A lot of non-muslims, misunderstand the significance of this day, often mistaking Aidilfitri aka Hari Raya Puasa as the start of a new year in the muslim calendar. Aidilfitri actually occurs on the 10th month of the Hijrah Calendar. I don't blame them. I can't. Not when there are Muslims here in Singapore who do not know what the day signifies.

The Hijrah Calendar started from the year our prophet, Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), moved from Makkah Al-Mukarramah to Madinah Al-Munawwarah, in present-day Saudi Arabia, to avoid persecution from his own clan. This event took place in the year 622AD. He and his closest Companion, Abu Bakar As-Siddiq, left under the cover of darkness, heading to Madinah, while leaving his young cousin, Ali Ibn Abi Talib to sleep in his bed. All these while his own clan were surrounding his house with a plot to murder him that very night.

I have had questions in my mind as to why our Prophet "ran away" from the persecution rather than to meet the challange head-on. Was he a coward? I was yet to be enlightened then. Now, I realise my folly. He was not running away. He had nothing to fear. It was just that his mission was not completed and circumstances forced his move. This event brings to mind another name from the annals of history. General Douglas MacArthur. He, too had to flee the Philippines when faced with insurmountable odds in the face of the Japanese onslaught. Would anyone dare accuse MacArthur of cowardice? Like MacArthur, Muhammad (PBUH) is no coward. He was commanded to move to Madinah to continue his mission there.

This event bears no relavance to current context, say some. That's where they are wrong. It has a lot of relevance. When our Prophet moved to Madinah, he carried with him the hopes of the tiny, fledgling Muslim community in Makkah which he left behind. They hoped that he would be well-received in Madinah, so that they could continue practicing their religion the a safer environment. As we move to a New Islamic Year, it is very much with hope that our prayers are answered, our lives become better and that we, as a person and servant of God, be a better human.

It saddens me to see so many of our youths not knowing or choosing to ignore such a historical event in Islam's glorious history. On a day when we should have repented the past and celebrate the dawn of a New Year with special prayers, some of us chose to start the new year, the way they ended the past - frivolously.