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With the Western holiday season now in full swing and with Allah (swt) having loosed Shaytan (Satan) from his chains now that Ramadan is over (Allah promises to keep Satan under wraps during Ramadhan to help Muslims concentrate on the holy month free from his temptations), it is important that Muslims be prudent in their entertainment activities.
Of special concern at this particular time of year is New Year's Eve revelry.
Last week, a Muslim friend of mine asked me quite casually what I was doing for New Year's. His assumption was that I had some plan to attend a party, see a movie or engage in some other activity to mark the transition from 2001 to 2002. I informed my friend, quite to his dismay, that only activities in which I would partake that night would be those that involved being both at home and unconscious - in other words, sleep.
Unfortunately, there are many Muslims who will choose to join their non-Muslim counterparts in the "ringing in" of the New Year. I have heard various justifications forwarded by Muslim revelers for engaging in such activities. The typical excuse is that New Year's Eve celebrations are secular and non-religious and therefore perfectly acceptable for Muslims so long as the typical prohibitions placed upon Muslims are not ignored (drinking alcohol, eating pork, etc.).
Such excuses, however, are myopic in scope. To start with, Muslims have been given two Eids (festivals) as permissible opportunities for celebration; and establishing holidays beyond them has proved controversial just within the Muslim community itself. So going outside the fold of Islam to establish and then celebrate holidays makes for something much more problematic. And as far as New Year's is concerned, it is not simply some a-religious event devoid of elements that come into conflict with what Allah (swt) has established in Islam. In fact, New Year's, like so many Western holidays, is firmly rooted in pagan traditions.
Additionally, Muslims are cautioned against spending time with individuals engaged in impermissible acts. So not only is drinking alcohol prohibited, but sharing the company of those who do is also frowned upon. And with the kind of drunken revelry that is so pervasive on New Year's Eve, it seems nearly impossible to celebrate the evening without coming in dangerously close proximity to people and activities that should be avoided.
But even on a more practical level there are safety reasons for avoiding the New Year's celebrations. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), 40% of traffic fatalities last New Year's Eve were alcohol-related. In 1999, the figure was 50.3% Citing federal statistics, MADD also notes that "In 1999, there were nearly 2 alcohol-related traffic deaths per hour, 43 per day and 303 per week. That is the equivalent of 2 jetliners crashing week after week."
In other words, the roads are dangerous; and since statistical incidence of alcohol-related accidents increase during the holiday season, it simply makes good sense to stay off the roads while more irresponsible people are out-and-about distracting themselves with light-hearted merriment.
So if entertainment is a must for you on New Year's Eve, it might be better to rent a movie ahead of time, read a book or just spend some extra time with the family. In doing so you may very well save your life and the lives of those you love. And as a major added bonus, you might even save your akhira (afterlife) by avoiding something that might displease Allah (swt).
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