By the counting of the NSCIA, today is the 27th day of DhulHijjah, 1442AH. Consequently, we have just few days to the Islamic new calendar. In this thread, we discuss wa whether or not is permissible to offer congratulations at the beginning of the new Islamic year calendar?

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: What is the ruling on congratulating people on the occasion of the Hijri new year, and how should one reply to a person who offers congratulations?

He replied:

If someone offers you congratulations, then respond to him, but do not initiate such greetings. This is the correct view concerning this matter. So if a person says to you, for example, “Happy New Year”, then you can say, “May Allaah make it a good and blessed year for you.” But you should not initiate such a greeting, because I do not know of any report that the salaf [early generations of Islam] congratulated one another on the occasion of the new year, rather the salaf did not regard the first of Muharram as the first day of the new year until the caliphate of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-Kareem al-Khudayr said concerning offering congratulations on the occasion of the hijri new year:

Praying for another Muslim in general terms, in phrases that are not meant as a kind of ritual on special occasions such as Eid, is acceptable, especially if what is meant by this greeting is friendship and to show a friendly face to one’s fellow Muslim. Imaam Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “I do not initiate the greeting but if someone greets me I return the greeting, because responding to the greeting is obligatory. But being the first to offer congratulations is neither Sunnah nor forbidden.

https://islamqa.info/en/21290

Alhamdulillah! We respond to the greetings but we don't initiate this one.

This is not surprising, Muhammad has told you to do the opposite of what other people do


Sahih al-Bukhari 5899
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Jews and Christians do not dye their hair so you should do the opposite of what they do.