Ramadhan In History
All praises to Allah (SWT), Lord of the worlds. He who revealed in His
Glorious Quran, "Oh you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it
was prescribed for those who came before you that you may keep your duty to
your Lord (having taqwa)," 2:185. And may blessings and-peace of Allah (SWT) be
upon His last Messenger Muhammad ibn Abdullah. Oh you who believe,
Ramadhan is a sacred month wherein Almighty Allah (SWT) is constantly testing His
creation and giving humanity the opportunity to achieve His (swt)
pleasure.
Fasting is means of purification and developing the consciousness of our
relationship with Allah. This Taqwa, is a protection against the schemes
of Shaitan, and this world. Allah (SWT) has informed us that, "Whoever keeps
his duty to Allah (has taqwa), He ordains a way out for him and gives him
sustenance from where he imagines not. And whoever trusts in Allah, He is
sufficient for him. Surely Allah attains His purpose. Allah has appointed
a measure for everything." (65:2) Ramadhan should be a time of increased
activity wherein the believer, now lightened of the burdens of constant
eating and drinking, should be more willing to strive and struggle for
Allah (SWT). The Prophet (pbuh) passed through approximately nine Ramadhans
after the Hijrah. They were filled with decisive events and left us a shining
example of sacrifice and submission to Allah (SWT).
In the first year after the Hijrah, the Prophet (pbuh) sent Hamza ibn
Abdul Muttalib with thirty Muslim riders to Saif al Bahr to investigate three
hundred riders from Quraish who had camped auspiciously in that area. The
Muslims were about to engage the disbelievers, but they were separated by
Majdy ibn Umar al-Juhany. The Hypocrites of Al-Madinah, hoping to oppose
the unity of the Muslims, built their own masjid (called Masjid al-Dhirar).
The Prophet (pbuh) ordered this masjid to be destroyed in Ramadhan.
On the seventeenth of Ramadhan, 2 A.H., Almighty Allah (SWT) separated truth from
falsehood at the Great Battle of Badr (see article). Allah (SWT) gave them
a decisive victory on this day of Ramadhan, that would never to be
forgotten.
In 6 A.H., Zaid ibn Haritha 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 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 these Muslims in the month of Ramadhan.
By Ramadhan of 8 A H., the treaty of Hudaibiyya had been broken and the Muslim armies had
engaged the Byzantines in the North. Muhammad (pbuh) felt the need to
strike a fatal blow to disbelief in the Arabian Peninsula and conquered the city
of Mecca in ramadhan (see article). 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 centers 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 (pbuh). 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 (pbuh), Muslims carried
this Sunnah on and Allah used the true believers to affect the course of
history. Ramadhan continued to be a time of great trials and crucial
events.
Ninety-two years after the Hujrah in Ramadhan, Musa ibn Nusair, the
Umayyad governor of North Africa, and his courageous general Tariq ibn Ziyad
succeeded in liberating whole of Spain, Sicily and of France (see
article). Beginning of the Golden Age of Al-Andalus where Muslims ruled for over 700
years.
In the year 682 A.H., Salahuddin al-Ayyubi, 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 (see article). The Muslim
world was then destined to meet one of its most greatest challenges.
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 Azan (call to
prayer) was allowed. In the wake of such a horrible disaster and with the
threat of the whole Muslim world. and then Europe being subjected to the
same fate, Allah (SWT) raised up from, Saifuddin Qutz, who, united the
Muslim army and met the Mongols at Ain Jalut on 26th Ramadhan, 648 A.H
(see article) . Although they were under great pressure, the Muslims with the
help of Allah (SWT), cunning strategy and unflinching bravery, crushed the
Mongol army and reversed this tidal wave of horror. The whole of the
civilized 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 forefathers 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 (SWT) for His mercy and forgiveness.
Today, the Muslim world is faced with imperialist occupation, military
aggression, widespread corruption and oppressive rulers. Surely we are in
need of believers who can walk in the footsteps of our beloved Prophet
(pbuh),the illustrious Sahabah, Tariq ibn Ziyad, Qutz, Salahuddin and the
countless heroes of Islam. Surely we are in need of believers who are
unafraid of the threats of the disbelievers, yet kind and humble to the
believing people; Muslims whose fast is complete and not just a source of
hunger and thirst.
May Allah (SWT) make us that generation of Muslims who can re-etablish the
Khilafah and carry Islam to all corners of the globe, and may He (SWT)
give us the strength and the success to lay the proper foundations of the
Islamic rule for the coming generations. May Allah (SWT) make us of those who
carry out our Islam during Ramadhan and after it. Surely Allah (SWT) and His
Angels invoke blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad. Oh you who
believe send blessings and peace upon him.
Source: Ramadhan.org
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