[2] New Year’s Day celebration -January 1st – is Tantamount to Honouring a Roman Pagan God!

In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Allah [The Most High] says:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ لَن يَخْلُقُوا ذُبَابًا وَلَوِ اجْتَمَعُوا لَهُ ۖ وَإِن يَسْلُبْهُمُ الذُّبَابُ شَيْئًا لَّا يَسْتَنقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ ۚ ضَعُفَ الطَّالِبُ وَالْمَطْلُوبُ
مَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ

O mankind! A similitude has been coined, so listen to it (carefully): Verily! Those on whom you call besides Allah, cannot create (even) a fly, even though they combine together for the purpose. And if the fly snatched away a thing from them, they would have no power to release it from the fly. So weak are (both) the seeker and the sought. They have not estimated Allah His Rightful Estimate; Verily, Allah is All-Strong, All-Mighty. [Surah Al-Hajj. Ayaat 73-74]
It is obligated to a servant (of Allah) to pay attention to this parable with his heart and ponder upon it properly because it cuts off the desire for Shirk. The gods worshipped by the idolaters cannot create even a fly, even if they all come to together to create it, then how about what is greater than it?! They are neither able to create a fly which is one of the weakest animals, nor are they able to gain the upper hand against it to recover what it took away from them. There is nothing more disabled and feebler than them, so how can a sensible person deem it good to worship idols (or the other things worshipped by the idolaters).

Shaikh Uways At-Taweel [may Allah preserve him] states:

This verse nullifies shirk and shows the ignorance of its people. It is a testimony that Satan plays about with them more than kids playing with a ball because they assign Godhood to images and statues that are deprived of the ability to create the most insignificant creature of the True God, even if they [i.e. those statues and images] gathered and supported one another to do so, whereas Godhood necessitates having absolute power over all the existence, absolute knowledge of all sources of knowledge, having no need of all the creation, (whilst the creation is completely dependent) upon the Lord for their needs, relief, (to remove their) distress and anxiety and (respond to their) invocations. [1]

Allah [The Exalted] says:

مَثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُواْ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَوۡلِيَآءَ كَمَثَلِ ٱلۡعَنڪَبُوتِ ٱتَّخَذَتۡ بَيۡتً۬ا‌ۖ وَإِنَّ أَوۡهَنَ ٱلۡبُيُوتِ لَبَيۡتُ ٱلۡعَنڪَبُوتِ‌ۖ لَوۡ ڪَانُواْ يَعۡلَمُونَ

The likeness of those who take Auliya’ (protectors and helpers) other than Allah is as the likeness of a spider, who builds (for itself) a house, but verily, the frailest (weakest) of houses is the spider’s house, if they but knew. [Surah Al-Ankabut. Ayah 41]

Allah mentioned that they are weak and that those whom they take as protectors and helpers are weaker than them. So concerning their weakness and their goal behind taking others as protectors and helpers besides Allaah, they are similar to a spider that builds a house and it is the frailest of houses. Based on this parable, the idolators become much weaker when they take others as protectors and helpers besides Allah, and they do not benefit from those they take as protectors and helpers besides Allah, just as Allaah stated [in another Ayah]:

وَٱتَّخَذُواْ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ ءَالِهَةً۬ لِّيَكُونُواْ لَهُمۡ عِزًّ۬ا
كَلَّا‌ۚ سَيَكۡفُرُونَ بِعِبَادَتِہِمۡ وَيَكُونُونَ عَلَيۡہِمۡ ضِدًّا

And they have taken (for worship) Aaliha (gods) besides Allah, that they might give them honour, power and glory (and also protect them from Allah’s Punishment etc.). Nay, but they (the so-called gods) will deny their worship of them, and become opponents to them (on the Day of Resurrection). [Surah Maryam. Ayaat 82-83]

Allah [The Most High] says:
وَٱتَّخَذُواْ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ ءَالِهَةً۬ لَّعَلَّهُمۡ يُنصَرُونَ
لَا يَسۡتَطِيعُونَ نَصۡرَهُمۡ وَهُمۡ لَهُمۡ جُندٌ۬ مُّحۡضَرُونَ

And they have taken besides Allaah Aaliha (gods), hoping that they might be helped (by those so-called gods). They cannot help them, but they will be brought forward as a troop against those who worshipped them (at the time of Reckoning). [Surah Yaa Seen. Ayaat 74-75]

After mentioning the destruction of the nations of the idolaters, Allah said:

وَمَا ظَلَمۡنَـٰهُمۡ وَلَـٰكِن ظَلَمُوٓاْ أَنفُسَہُمۡ‌ۖ فَمَآ أَغۡنَتۡ عَنۡہُمۡ ءَالِهَتُہُمُ ٱلَّتِى يَدۡعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مِن شَىۡءٍ۬ لَّمَّا جَآءَ أَمۡرُ رَبِّكَ‌ۖ وَمَا زَادُوهُمۡ غَيۡرَ تَتۡبِيبٍ۬

We wronged them not, but they wronged themselves. So their Aaliha (gods), other than Allah, whom they invoked, profited them naught when there came the Command of your Lord, nor did they add aught (to their lot) but destruction. [Surah Hud. Verse 101]

These four places in the Qur’an show that the one who takes protectors and helpers besides Allah- through whom he seeks to strengthen himself, behave arrogantly and prevail- will not achieve except the opposite, and there is a lot more about this affair in the Qur’an. This is one of the finest parables and the clearest proofs regarding the falsehood of Shirk and the deprivation of the one who commits it, and that he will achieve the opposite of what he seeks. [2]

Allah gave this similitude regarding those who worship others alongside Him, seeking honour, strength, and benefit by way of it, but Allah says that the affair is the opposite of the goal they seek because their likeness is that of a spider that builds a house to protect itself from the heat, cold and harm; but the frailest and weakest of houses is the spider’s house. The spider is one of those weak animals and its house is one of the weakest of houses, and building its house does not increase it in anything except weakness. Likewise, this is the case regarding those who take protectors and helpers besides Allah; they are in need and incapable in every way when they take protectors and helpers besides Allah to seek honour and help by way of them; so they increase weakness on their weakness, and feebleness on their feebleness because they rely on them in many of their affairs for well-being and entrust it to them, refrain from achieving it themselves and (hoping) that these [so-called] protectors and helpers will fulfill it; but they forsake them- neither receive anything (useful, beneficial, etc) nor the least (gain, benefit, etc) from their help. Had they been acquainted with the reality of knowledge, their situation, and that of those whom they take as protectors and helpers besides Allah, they would not have done so; rather they would have freed themselves from them and taken Allah as Protector and Helper- The Lord Who is able to do all things, The One Who Bestows His Special Mercy to the Believers; Who – when a servant takes Him as a Protector and an Ally, He suffices him, looks after both his religious and worldly affairs, increase him in strength upon strength in his heart [i.e. sound faith], his body [i.e. grant him the ability to seek after what is beneficial, etc], in all his circumstances and deeds. [3]

[1] An Excerpt from ‘Badaa-i At-Tafseer Al-Jaami Limaa Fassarahu Al-Imaam Ibnu Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah: 2/221-222. slightly paraphrased]

[2] An Exceprt from ‘Badaa’i At-tafseer Al-Jaami Lima Fassarahu Al-Imaam Ibnul Qayyim. Vol 2. Page299-300. Slightly paraphrased]

[3] An Excerpt from Tafseer As-Sadi. Slightly paraphrased]