Salah Home IconSalah Home

Is Celebrating New Year's Haram?

Scholars disagree: IslamQA and IslamWeb forbid New Year celebrations; Dar al-Ifta in Egypt permits them. All agree alcohol and missed prayers are haram.

Published
Reviewed by
Salah Home Operations Team
Last reviewed
Reading time
5 min read

Short answer

Scholars disagree. IslamQA and IslamWeb rule that celebrating New Year's and exchanging New Year greetings is not permissible, as imitation of a festival tied to Christian tradition. Egypt's Dar al-Ifta has said New Year greetings and celebrations are permissible as a social occasion, provided they include nothing contrary to Islam. All sides agree that alcohol, drunken parties, immodest mixing and missing prayers on New Year's Eve are haram.

New Year's Eve is often framed as the least religious holiday of the year: a countdown, fireworks, and a fresh calendar. For many Muslims, the bigger question is not the date itself but what usually comes with it, from late-night parties to drinks at midnight.

Here is where scholars stand, and what everyone agrees on.

Is celebrating New Year's haram in Islam?

Scholars disagree. Some fatwa bodies hold that celebrating the Gregorian New Year is not permissible, while Egypt's Dar al-Ifta has said it is permissible as long as nothing haram is involved.

The starting point both sides share is that Islam has two religious festivals, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha (Sunan Abi Dawud 1134). The disagreement is whether New Year's is a religious festival of another faith or a neutral, calendar-based social occasion.

Why do some scholars say New Year's is haram?

IslamQA (answer 177460) says, "It is not permissible for the Muslims to exchange greetings on the occasion of the Gregorian New Year, and it is not permissible for them to celebrate it," because "both of these matters involve imitation of the non-Muslims," citing "He who copies any people is one of them" (Sunan Abi Dawud 4031). It adds that greeting people on a day that returns every year is a way of taking it as a festival.

IslamWeb (fatwa 26883) rules that a Muslim should not join Christians in celebrating their new year or congratulate them on it, describing the celebration as connected to their religion. It cites Qur'an 25:72, "those who do not testify to falsehood," and notes that early commentators including Mujahid, ar-Rabi' ibn Anas and ad-Dahhak interpreted this verse as referring to the festivals of non-Muslims.

Why do other scholars say it is allowed?

Egypt's Dar al-Ifta stated in a fatwa, as reported by Egypt Independent, that New Year greetings and "manifestations of celebration like hanging decorations" are permissible, because the occasion has social and patriotic purposes, such as strengthening family ties and community participation, "unless it includes practices contrary to Islam."

This view treats New Year's as a calendar event rather than a religious festival, similar to marking the end of a school year.

How do the two views compare?

Activity IslamQA / IslamWeb Dar al-Ifta Egypt
Saying "Happy New Year" Not permissible Permissible
A family dinner or gathering on December 31 Not permissible as a celebration Permissible if halal
Hanging decorations Not permissible Permissible
Alcohol, drunken parties, immodest mixing Haram Haram
Using the Gregorian calendar for work and school Not at issue Not at issue

What do all scholars agree is haram on New Year's Eve?

Whatever view you follow, the typical New Year's party crosses lines that are not disputed. Even Dar al-Ifta's permission is conditioned on the celebration not including "practices contrary to Islam." That rules out:

  1. Alcohol, including the midnight champagne toast.
  2. Drunken or immodest parties and free mixing that leads to haram.
  3. Missing Isha or Fajr because of a late night. Staying up until 1 a.m. and sleeping through Fajr turns a "harmless" night into a missed obligation.

If you are going to be out late, plan ahead with our guide on how to wake up for Fajr.

Can Muslims make New Year's resolutions?

Setting goals is not a celebration, and nothing in either position forbids improving yourself at any time of year. Many Muslims prefer to reflect at the start of the Islamic (Hijri) year or before Ramadan instead. If one of your goals is to pray more consistently, start with our guide on how to pray five times a day consistently.

For a holiday where scholars are much more united, see is celebrating Halloween haram.

How can you start the new year with a real habit?

A new calendar is a good moment to start one small, repeatable habit. Salah Home helps you track it: log each of your five daily prayers with a tap, watch your streak grow, and earn Dates to build your own peaceful virtual home, a gentle record of every prayer you showed up for. If your resolution is to quit smoking, our guide on whether smoking is haram explains what scholars say.

Frequently asked questions

Is saying "Happy New Year" haram?

IslamQA says it is not permissible because it treats the day as a festival, while Egypt's Dar al-Ifta permits New Year greetings as a social courtesy.

Is watching New Year's fireworks haram?

Seeing fireworks in passing is not celebrating. Joining the festivities is not permissible under the IslamQA and IslamWeb view, while Dar al-Ifta permits celebrations that include nothing contrary to Islam.

Is it haram to go to a New Year's Eve party?

A party with alcohol, drunkenness or immodest mixing is haram by every view. A halal family gathering is permitted by Dar al-Ifta and not permitted by IslamQA and IslamWeb.

Is New Year's a Christian holiday?

IslamWeb treats the celebration as connected to Christian tradition, while Dar al-Ifta treats it as a social occasion. January 1 is also a public holiday in most countries regardless of religion.

Do Muslims celebrate the Islamic New Year?

The Islamic New Year (1 Muharram) is not one of the two Eids, so it is not a religious festival. Fasting the 10th of Muharram ('Ashura) is a sunnah: the Prophet ﷺ said it "expiates the sins of the preceding year" (Sahih Muslim 1162b).

Sources

Related reading