[We have now started] a new Islamic year, 1424 A.H.

It has not been a tradition among Muslims to make New Year's resolutions, but the practice does not do any harm; indeed, it can do a lot of good.

Muslims are taught by the Prophet (may God’s peace and mercy be upon him) that in the eyes of God, every deed is valued according to the intention behind it (Hadith: anima-allamal-bel-niat). In the same Hadith, he says that every journeying in life; be it physical, mental or spiritual is valued according to the truth or righteousness of the cause behind it.

Thus the nobler the intention and cause behind a given action, the higher God Almighty values that action, resulting in greater divine rewards in this life and the hereafter.

Take, for example, everyday acts such as eating, working for a living, going to school, or nurturing our loved ones. If we consciously perform these through a desire to fulfill God’s covenant in caring for the universe, their value is higher than if they were carried out automatically, without any thought for their spiritual dimensions.

Similarly, if my aim in life is only to be rich, period, then Insha'llah (if God wills) I might become rich. But if I am motivated to acquire wealth in order to help other fellow human beings, besides myself and my family, then Insha'allah, a greater universal value has been added to my efforts.

I came to Canada from Egypt more than 30 years ago to pursue graduate studies toward a Ph.D. Back then, I had no particular intention of contributing to the well-being of this country. Even when I decided to stay here in Canada, and turned down lucrative job offers from the United States, it was more for personal reasons than anything else, for my wife is a Canadian.

But now, with my white hair and feeble bones, I've come to know better. After deep reflection and meditation, I have made a commitment to carry out every deed in my life with a higher intention. And this is my Islamic New Year's resolution.

The Islamic New Year dates from the time when the Prophet and his companions migrated from Mecca to Medina. The lunar calendar followed by Muslims the world over is called the Hijri, or Hegirian, from the Arabic word Hijra, meaning "migration."

This historic migration was not done for economic reasons, but in order to be free to worship the One God, the Creator of all.

The beginning of the Islamic era proper was set as July 16, 622 A.D., based on the first day of the Hijra.

Early Muslims chose that day, rather than the Prophet's birthday, to mark the beginning of their calendar. It distinguished for them those events that happened before and after the Hijra. Muhammad was called to Prophethood with the beginning of the Divine revelations that resulted in the Qur'an, in June 610 A.D., in Mecca. But during the next 12 years or so, he and the community of early Muslims were heavily persecuted by the citizens of Mecca. Therefore, during the first year A.H. (After Hijra) the Prophet established an Islamic fellowship in Medina as a new social order.

He also built the first mosque (or masjid) there as a place of worship, a university, a social centre, a governing house, and a court of law. The Hijra also marks the creation of humanity's first multi-religious world order. In fact, the Covenant of Medina was the first written constitution in human history. It was also at this time that a new concept of the Ummah was born -- a universalist commonwealth based on faith, moral justice, family values, equity, social responsibility, peace, freedom, and human dignity.

So I wish all Muslims a truly blessed new year; 'am-mo-barak, as it is said in Arabic. As for my non-Muslim friends I invite them to read the history of my people. For this, I highly recommend “The Cultural Atlas of Islam” (Macmillan, 1986) by Ismail al Faruqi and Lois al Faruqi, p. 511.

It is an outstanding reference book with beautiful photos and maps, and an excellent read.

Dr. Mohamed Elmasry is a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Waterloo, and national president of the Canadian Islamic Congress. He is author of Spiritual Fitness (TM) For Life, available at http://www.amazon.com He can be reached at np@canadianislamiccongress.com