Our Strength: Imaan

Glory to Allah (swt) for granting us this blessed month, the month of Ramadhan. The month in which the shayateen are locked up, the gates of hell are closed, wherein our deeds are multiplied, and by Allah’s leave, we gain taqwa (Allah-consciousness). May Allah (swt) help us to make the most of this month, before it slips away.

During the auspicious month of the Ramadhan, we have the immense opportunity to build our relationship with Allah (swt). During this month, we learn that we are able, by Allah’s Leave, to continue our activities – despite the fact that we do not eat food or drink water, juice, tea or coffee. Truly it is Allah (swt) who sustains us and it is to Him that we owe everything.

In the history of this Ummah, we have experienced significant victories during the month of Ramadhan. On the surface, this may seem puzzling. How were the believers able to achieve significant victories without consuming food or water? These events are not only confined to the time of the sahabah, but also can be found in the time of the later generations. Below is a small
list of what we have experienced as an Ummah in the month of Ramadhan:

The Incident of Masjid al-Dhirar

The Hypocrites of Al-Madinah, hoping to oppose the unity of the Muslims, built their own masjid (called Masjid al-Dhirar). The Prophet (saw) ordered this masjid to be destroyed in Ramadhan, after he (saw) returned from the ghazwah (battle) of Tabuk.

The Battle of Badr

On the seventeenth of Ramadhan, 2 A.H., Almighty Allah separated truth from falsehood at the Great Battle of Badr. He the All Powerful gave the believers a decisive victory on this day of Ramadhan – a victory that would never to be forgotten.

“And indeed Allah assisted you at Badr when you were weak, so be observant to your duty to Allah so that you may be of the thankful ones. When you said to the believers 'Does it not suffice you that your Lord should assist you with three thousand angels sent down." [Surah Ali Imran (3): Ayah 123 & 124]

The battle of Badr was the first of the great battles of Islam. The Prophet (saw) left Medina with 313 men, 2 horses and 70 camels to go to Badr. On the 17th of Ramadhan 2 A.H. they defeated the Makkan army of 1000 men, 100 horses and 700 camels led by Abu Jahl.

During the Battle of Badr, Allah the Most Strong, revealed to His Messenger (saws): "I will help you with a thousand of the angels each behind the other in succession." [Surah Al Anfal (8): Ayah 9]. The Prophet (saws) rested after the strain of this revelation and then raised his head joyfully, crying, "O Abu Bakr, glad tidings are there for you, Allah's victory has approached. By Allah, I can see Jibreel on his mare in the thick of a sandstorm."

The battle of Badr strengthened the faith of the Muslims and was a decisive victory that shattered the forces of kufr and firmly established the new State in Medinah as a powerful, political and military force.

The Battle at Wadi al-Qura

In 6 A.H., Zaid ibn Haritha (ra) was sent to Wadi al-Qura at the head of a detachment to confront Fatimah bint Rabiah, the queen of that area. Fatimah had previously attacked a caravan led by Zaid (ra) and had succeeded in plundering its wealth. She was known to be the most protected woman in Arabia, as she hung fifty swords of her close relatives in her home. Fatimah was equally renowned for showing open hostility to Islam. She was killed in a battle against the Muslims in the month of Ramadhan.

The Opening of Makkah and the Destruction of the Idols

By Ramadhan of 8 A H., the treaty of Hudaibiyah had been broken and the Muslim armies had engaged the Byzantines in the North. The Prophet Muhammad (saws) felt the need to strike a fatal blow to disbelief in the Arabian Peninsula and conquered the city of Makkah in Ramadhan. This was one of the most important dates in Islamic history for after it, Islam was firmly entrenched in the Arabian Peninsula. During the same month and year, after smashing the idols of Makkah, detachments were sent to the major centres of polytheism and al-Lat, Manat and Suwa, some of the greatest idols of Arabia, were destroyed.

Such was the month of Ramadhan in the time of the Prophet Muhammad (saws). It was a time of purification, enjoining the good, forbidding evil and striving hard with one’s life and wealth to make the word of Allah the highest and Islam the dominant Deen. After the death of the Prophet (saws), Muslims carried his (saws) Sunnah on and Allah the Majestic used the believers to affect the course of history. Ramadhan continued then just as we see today in Central Asia and Afghanistan, to be a time of great trials and crucial events.

The Opening of Spain

Also during Ramadhan, ninety-two years after the Hijrah Musa ibn Nusair (ra) the Umayyad governor of North Africa, and his courageous general Tariq ibn Ziyad (ra) succeeded in liberating the whole of Spain, Sicily and part of France, beginning the Golden Age of Al-Andalus where Muslims ruled for over 700 years.

The Victory Against the Crusaders

In the year 682 A.H., Salahuddin al-Ayyubi (ra), after battling with the Crusaders for years, finally drove them out of Syria and liberated the whole of the occupied lands in the month of Ramadhan. It was then that the Muslim world was destined to meet one of its greatest challenges.

The Victory Over the Mongols

In the seventh century A.H. the Mongols were sweeping across Asia destroying everything that lay in their path. Genghis Khan called himself “the scourge of God sent to punish humanity for their sins.” In 617 A.H. Samarkand, Ray, and Hamdan were put to the sword causing more than 700,000 people to be killed or made captive. In 656 A.H. Hulagu, the grandson of Genghis Khan continued this destruction. Even Baghdad, the leading city of the Muslim world, was sacked.

Some estimates say that as many as 1,800,000 Muslims were killed in this awesome carnage. The Christians were asked to eat pork and drink wine openly while the surviving Muslims were forced to participate in drinking bouts. Wine was sprinkled in the masjids and no Adhan (call to prayer) was allowed.

In the wake of such a horrible disaster and with the threat of the whole Muslim world being subjected to the same fate, Allah the Great One raised up from the Ummah, Saifuddin Qutz (ra), who united the Muslim armies and met the Mongols at Ain Jalut on 26th Ramadhan, 648 A.H. Although they were under great pressure, the Muslims with the help of Allah, cunning strategy and unflinching bravery, crushed the Mongol army and reversed this tidal wave of horror. The whole of the world sighed in relief and stood in awe at the remarkable achievement of these noble sons of Islam.

This was the spirit of Ramadhan that enabled our righteous predecessors to face seemingly impossible challenges. It was a time of intense activity, spending the day in the saddle and the night in prayer while calling upon Allah for His mercy and forgiveness.

Today

The experience of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws), the illustrious Sahabah (ra), Tariq ibn Ziyad (ra), Qutz (ra), Salahuddin (ra) and the other countless heroes of Islam, refutes the myth that “strength comes from matter”. Strength does not come from food or weapons, but it comes from Allah (swt). If a person with a secular perspective was to judge the outcome between the Muslims armies – who were hungry – and the enemies of Islam – who were likely well fed – they would likely conclude that the army who had the best nourished soldiers would win. So why did the Muslims win? The answer is Iman. While the Muslim armies were fasting during the month of Ramadhan, they actually were able to gather more strength because they had a greater focus on their connection with Allah (swt).

Allah (swt) revealed in the noble Quran, “O Prophet! urge the believers to war; if there are twenty patient ones of you they shall overcome two hundred, and if there are a hundred of you they shall overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they are a people who do not understand.” [Surah Al Anfal (8): Ayah 65]

Such a lesson was not only applicable back then, but is applicable today as well. Today, the Muslim world is faced with imperialist occupation, military aggression, widespread corruption and oppressive rulers. The War against Islam and the Muslims is in full swing. We see the disbelievers have greater material power and greater strength. Sometimes we despair that we cannot overcome their strength but as we can see from the many incidents above superior material power does not necessarily overcome the power of Iman in the hearts of the believers. As Allah (swt) has revealed: “Let not the strutting about of the unbelievers through the land deceive you” [Surah Ali Imran (3): Ayah 196]

Therefore, we should not allow ourselves to be deceived by the material strength of the disbelievers. We should, instead, strengthen our connection with Allah (swt), remember the promise of Allah and work to resume the Islamic way of life through the re-establishment of Khilafah using the Prophet’s (saws) method.

"Allah has promised to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds, that he will of a surety grant them in the land, inheritance (of power), as He granted it to those before them; that He will establish in authority their religion, the one which He has chosen for them; and that He will change (their state) after the fear in which they (lived), to one of security and peace." [Surah An Noor (24): Ayah 55]

[Article written by Abu Ayesha]