Nowruz is the most important festival of spring. The word Nowruz means a new day. It is one of the most ancient calibrations, in history and has been celebrated for around 4000 thousand years. It has been celebrated by diverse communities. In Shi’a Imami Ismaili Muslim community it was introduced in 642 AD. During the Ismaili Fatimid state in Africa and Egypt from 909 to 1094, it was a very famous festival. In Ismaili castles of Alamut Iran and Syria state from 1090 to 1256 it was also famous. In Chitral Nowruz festival was introduced after 1060 AD by great Ismali Poet philosopher, traveler, writer and Scholar pir Nasir khusraw. This ancient festival marks the beginning of spring and celebrates the rebirth of nature. In the US and UK spring begin in March.
In Chinese calendar the spring season begin 3rd February an Australia spring begin on 1st September. In Persian culture the first day spring is begin on 21 March the day of Nowruz. As we know, there are four season: Spring, summer, autumn and winter, season comes day and night changing. In the Holy Qur’an Allah says “He merges Night into day, and he merges day into night”. (57:6) with the New Year beginning with Nowruz, we say goodbye to winter and welcome the spring. In the Holy Qur’an Allah says “How He gives life to the earth after its death”. (30:50) the spring gives a new life to everything in nature trees give birth to new and fresh leaves, flower buds blossom everywhere and give a beautiful look to the world and the colorful atmosphere becomes joyful for us all.
In his Nowruznama a famous mathematician and Sufi poet Umar Khayyam says about the Nowruz. ”The day is delightful when there is no warmth of joy and dullness of grief and sorrow: divine mercy in the form of cloud is washing away all cur dusts of sorrow our rose like hearts. The ecstatic bulbuls in the same tune with us call to the pallid flower” “Drink WINE.” (It means not a grapes wine) He says “the joy of this new life is understood one who has firm faith in the unity of God. If one has knowledge with faith one achieves salvation through the light of religion. The heart of a lover is like a lamp that gets its light from its beloved: and if he dies for his sake he gets a new life out of it. It is the description of that eternal presence where all future and past is forgotten”. According to the Khayyam the present is very important therefore he says “That one it has passed it gone forever therefore each day is Nowruz”.
In the Holy Qur’an Allah says about the importance of the present “by (the token of) time (through the ages)’. (103; 1) “ Verily Man is in loss”.(103:2)
In this world among the creatures particularly among the animals the best animal (the best creature) is a man, man is like a social animal but due to their intellect and their human soul man is supreme and best creature of Allah. God has gifted him five external and internal senses but very few people are using internal senses. The five internal senses are conjecture (waham) thought (fikr) imagination (takhayyul) memory (hifz) and recollection (Dikir) the internal and external senses are also closely linked Just as the esoteric (battin) is closely connected to exoteric (zahir)”.
It is the responsibilities of each person to make use of those gifts and think about the creatures and signs of Allah but unfortunately not all do. The donkey rejoices the spring does not mean desert bloom only for the donkey.
In spring birds and animals wake up from their winter slumber and busy themselves with new vigor. Similarly, on this occasion the transformation of nature reminds us of the power and the greatness of Allah and also reminds us of our religious and worldly duties.
Infect this universe is a living book of creator here every things is a sign of Allah. In the Holy Qur’an Allah says “it is He Who hath created for you all things that are on earth”. (2:29)
Our earth which was once a universe to us and is now no more than an overcrowded Island the glorious day of Nowruz remind us we begin our work with new sprit and determination to initiate improvement in our life and respect humanity.
