21st Century Dating
It is He (God) that cleaves the day-break (from the dark): He makes the night for rest and tranquility, and the sun and moon for the reckoning (of time): Such is the judgment and ordering of (Him), the Exalted in Power, the Omniscient. 6:96
Dating, that is, the conscious process of establishing dates (as opposed to going out on a date), is one of the universal activities for societies to reinforce their own identity and reason to exist. Most cultures commemorate certain dates to celebrate their independence, mourn the death of their heroes, remember a battle or massacre, welcome a new season, honor an individual, etc. As a matter of fact, civilizations that neglect "dates" lose their own history and destroy their entire heritage.
In this season when the Holy month of Ramadan has just ended and the New Solar Year will soon unfold, it seems necessary to place the concept of time and dates in its proper context.
The verse referred above clearly shows us that time is the basis for setting up dates and occasions, is a creation of Allah for the convenience of mankind. Hence, dates are relative, subjective, and irrelevant in the eternal realm of life. But like all other creations, such occasions are important to reflect upon if we want to improve our chances for a safe passage from the relative to the absolute and from the temporal to the eternal.
Taking the following Sura into consideration:
1. By (the Token of) Time (through the ages),
2. Verily Man is in loss,
3. Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy ...
We realize that since time is such a precious commodity, the celebration of unnecessary events fall in the category of wastefulness contradicting the teachings of Islam.
Let us plead to Allah to make us among those who value occasions for the sole purpose of reflecting on the creations of Allah. We ask Him to assist us in reducing our wasteful activities and continuously improve ourselves to serve Him. Ameen