The Ruling on Congratulating the Start of the Hijri Year

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, what is the ruling on congratulating people at the start of the new Hijri year?

Answer:
There is no basis for this; it is a bid'ah (religious innovation). Congratulating people on the new year is an innovation because a person is always in a new year. Every day, once twelve months have passed since that day, he is in a new year. It is not fixed to a specific day. As long as you possess twelve months, it is always and forever a new year. Also, fixing the start of the year was an ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) of the Companions to regulate the dating of correspondence and transactions. It has great benefits and was one of the first actions of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). However, this is not considered an occasion for congratulations, nor is it considered a festival or a celebration of the Hijrah as the people of innovation do. They celebrate on the first night of the Hijri year and say this is a celebration of the Hijrah. This is a bid'ah, an innovated bid'ah. , the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . Celebrating the Hijrah, celebrating the Isra and Mi'raj, celebrating the Mawlid, all of these are bid'ahs. Allah has not sent down any authority for them.