The Ruling on Congratulating the New Year
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
What is the ruling on congratulating the beginning of the year,As people do, such as one of them saying to another: saying "May you be well every year" or the like?
Congratulating the new year is not known among the Salaf, so leaving it off is preferable. However, if a person congratulates another based on the fact that he spent the past year in the obedience of Allah the Exalted, congratulating him for the length of his life in the obedience of Allah, then there is nothing wrong with that, because the best of people is the one whose life is long and whose deeds are good. But this congratulation is only for the beginning of the Hijri year. As for the beginning of the Gregorian year, it is not permissible to congratulate it, because it is not a religious year. Indeed, if one congratulates the disbelievers on their festivals, the person is in great danger of congratulating them on the festivals of disbelief, because congratulating the festivals of disbelief is approval of them and an increase in them. And approval of the festivals of disbelief may take a person out of the circle of Islam, as Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in his book Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimmah.
And in summary: Leaving off the congratulation of the Hijri new year is definitely preferable, because it is not from the time of the Salaf. If a person does it, he does not commit a sin. But as for congratulating the Gregorian new year, that is not permissible.
Congratulating the new year is not known among the Salaf, so leaving it off is preferable. However, if a person congratulates another based on the fact that he spent the past year in the obedience of Allah the Exalted, congratulating him for the length of his life in the obedience of Allah, then there is nothing wrong with that, because the best of people is the one whose life is long and whose deeds are good. But this congratulation is only for the beginning of the Hijri year. As for the beginning of the Gregorian year, it is not permissible to congratulate it, because it is not a religious year. Indeed, if one congratulates the disbelievers on their festivals, the person is in great danger of congratulating them on the festivals of disbelief, because congratulating the festivals of disbelief is approval of them and an increase in them. And approval of the festivals of disbelief may take a person out of the circle of Islam, as Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in his book Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimmah.
And in summary: Leaving off the congratulation of the Hijri new year is definitely preferable, because it is not from the time of the Salaf. If a person does it, he does not commit a sin. But as for congratulating the Gregorian new year, that is not permissible.