Allah سبحانه وتعالى Al-Qawwi, Al-Aziz said in His revealed Book, the Noble Quran,
وَمَا النَّصْرُ إِلاَّ مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَكِيمِ
“And there is no victory except from Allah the Almighty, the All-Wise.”
(Surah Aali-Imran 3:126)
And He سبحانه وتعالى said in the Book in which there is no doubt within it.
إِن يَنصُرْكُمُ اللَّهُ فَلاَ غَالِبَ لَكُمْ وَإِن يَخْذُلْكُمْ فَمَن ذَا الَّذِى يَنصُرُكُم مِّنْ بَعْدِهِ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
“If Allah helps you, none can overcome you; and if He forsakes you, who is there after Him that can help you And in Allah (Alone) let believers put their trust.”
(Surah Aali-Imran 3:160)
These ayaat confirm to the believing heart, whose eyes fill with tears upon reading the words of Allah سبحانه وتعالى that the greatest weapon the Ummah possesses is the promise of Allah سبحانه وتعالى An-Naasir, of victory, Nasr. Yes, indeed, the Muslim armed forces prepared of material power, as commanded by their Lord, preparing it to the extent that their superiority in weaponry struck fear in the hearts of the weapons, whether it was missiles, torpedoes or naval forces, yet they approached Allah سبحانه وتعالى for the victory through Dua. Yes, the armed forces’ leadership prepared the creative and thorough plans of war, down to the last man in the army and the last hillock upon the terrain, yet they looked to Allah سبحانه وتعالى for providing success in the plans. Yes, indeed, the Muslim officers had the backing of Islam implemented as a state and a rule, to unify the Ummah under the Khilafah (Caliphate) yet again they depended on Allah سبحانه وتعالى for ensuring the victory.
Thus, the Muslim armed forces were found to fight in the cause of Allah سبحانه وتعالى by day and invoke Allah سبحانه وتعالى to provide the victory, standing in prayer by night, drawing closer to Him سبحانه وتعالى so that He سبحانه وتعالى became the eyes, ears and limbs of the believers. This Iman, dependence on Allah for victory multiplied the power of the military assets the armed forces possessed, propelling them to achieve practically that which the Kuffar could not even dare to conceive, let alone propose. Thus the Kuffar enemy forces began to conceive that the armed forces were other than humans, of the Jinn and possessing blood that is blue, not red. And the generals of the Kuffar for centuries marveled at the skills of the Muslims, such that General Rommel of Germany’s armed forces declared that the secret of his success on the battlefield were the strategies of Khalid bin Walid (ra).
So what of the seeking of victory during Ramadhan today by our armed forces? The month of Ramadhan granted abundant blessings to draw closer to Allah سبحانه وتعالى. The blessed Ramadhan with its closure of the gates of Hell, chaining of the Shayateen, opening of the gates of Jannah, its fasting, its Tarawih and its night of worship, a night of power, which is better than a thousand months of worship! Thus it was during Ramadhan, that this Ummah has seen its greatest victories. It was during Ramadhan that the armed forces greatest weapon, Iman in Allah, was ground to its sharpest and shined to its brightest. And of all times of this Ummah, understanding this matter is of great importance this Ramadhan 1437 AH. For today, the armed forces of the Ummah number over six million personnel, many times that of its foremost enemies. As for weaponry our armed forces possess tanks, planes and ships and even nuclear capability. Yet, the Ummah is besieged by its enemies, whether in Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan or Kashmir by despised enemies, who spare not the elderly, the children, the women, the cattle or the crops. It is at this time that the Ummah, whether from the armed forces or outside of them, must consider Ramadhan and victory for the Muslims.
What of 17 Ramadhan 2 AH and the Battle of Badr? Consider the first and foremost commander of the Muslim armed forces, RasulAllah ﷺ the Chief of the Prophets (as). Allah سبحانه وتعالى granted the Muslim armed forces a resounding victory over the forces of the leading tribe amongst the Arabs, the Quray’sh, at the Battle of Badr. Remember our brave forefathers standing in the battle field number, more poorly equipped than the enemy, such that they had to share shields, greatly outnumbered by the enemy such that it was three-fold larger, fighting as a single force in their first major battle against a fighting force that had generations of experience. Remember the mercy to all humankind, RasulAllah ﷺ as he prepared the battle lines to the finest of details and then prayed to Allah سبحانه وتعالى as if he possessed nothing, asking for His victory. So what a befitting example for Allah سبحانه وتعالى to confirm for all time the fact that He Alone holds the victory as He declared in His Book, a guidance for the believers for all time,
وَلَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمْ اللَّهُ بِبَدْرٍ وَأَنْتُمْ أَذِلَّةٌ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
“And Allah already helped you in Badr when you were a weak little force. So fear Allah and be grateful to him.”
(Surah Aali-Imran 3:123)
As for 20 Ramadhan 8 AH, it saw the Opening of Makkah. At a time when RasulAllah ﷺ made practical efforts to expand the call for Islam well outside the Arabian Peninsula, Allah granted the Muslims a victory over their chief obstacle from within the Arabian Peninsula, the Quraysh rule of Makkah. The Opening of Makkah ended the Quraysh dominance over others and paved the way for the rapid expansion of the Islamic State throughout the lands. RasulAllah ﷺ went for battle with a force of ten thousand, noble Muslims marching in state of fasting until they reached Al-Qadeed on the way to Makkah. Abu Sufyan, leading the Kuffar, was made to bear witness to the numerous tribes in the formidable and battle hardened forces that were unified by Islam under a single state, demoralizing him to the extent that he was convinced of defeat. And consider how the forces of the Muslims adheres to precise missions, invoking the help of Allah سبحانه وتعالى and sweeping asides the enemy forces in a single day. It was a manifest victory which paved the way for the opening of lands far beyond the Arabian Peninsula, after consolidating Tawheed firmly within it. After the Opening of Makkah, Allah سبحانه وتعالى said,
إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ وَالْفَتْحُ – وَرَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ أَفْوَاجًا
“When the Help and Victory of Allah comes. And you see the people enter in droves into Islam.”
(Surah An-Nasr 110:1-2)
And even after the return of the beloved RasulAllah ﷺ to Allah سبحانه وتعالى the Ummah continued to spread the light of Islam over the armed forces. They were fully aware of their responsibility towards the Risaalah of Islam for RasulAllah was not sent with a Risaalah for a time and a particular people but for all of humankind and for all time. Thus the Muslim armed forces benefitted of the bounties of Ramadhan to seek victory after victory over the enemies throughout the ages. Even after the return of RasulAllah and the best generation of Muslims, his generation, the Muslims for centuries sought victory at the hands of Allah during the blessed month and throughout the era of Islamic rule, Ramadhan heralded victories for the Muslims.
Indeed, the Opening of Andalusia took place from 28th Ramadhan 92 Hijri. Spurred the Khalifah of Al–Walid’s Musa ibn Nusayr who sent Tariq bin Ziyad to open Spain; an army of around 7000 men was led by Tariq who crossed the straits and took possession of the fortress on the Rock that came to be known as Jabal al Tariq or Gibraltar. Then he advanced into Algeciras in Southern Spain. Then Musa himself personally participated in the opening of Spain, landing with a large force at Tarifa and heading for Seville, capturing it as well as Carmona.
The momentous victory over the Crusaders, the Battle of Hitteen also took place in the month of Ramadhan, in the year 584 AH (1187 CE). In 1187 the Christian King of Karak, who was called Arnat, attacked an innocent group of pilgrims travelling to make the Hajj. The attackers, showing no mercy, plundered, tortured the men and dishonoured the women. Whilst killing the pilgrims, Arnat said, “Go tell Muhammad and ask him if he can save you.” When the news of this event reached Salahuddin, despite his anger, he sent a polite message to King Arnat. In the letter he asked him to respect the peace agreement, to free all the prisoners and to return whatever he had stolen. The King however refused Salahuddin’s request. The Christians amassed a strength of 50,000 fighters to do battle at Hitteen. The Christians led by the Kings of Jerusalem, Karak and Tripoli were defeated comprehensively. Many of their princes and knights were taken as prisoners. It was Allah’s سبحانه وتعالى will that Salahuddin should meet face to face with King Arnat of Karak, the butcher of innocent pilgrims. Before killing him with his own hands Salahuddin told him he was killing him for defaming the honour and dignity of the Prophet ﷺ and for the murder of innocent Muslims.
And the Battle of Ain Jaloot in Ramadhan 658 Hijri (1260 CE) against the Tartar invasion was yet another great victory for the Muslims. Towards the end of 656 Hijri, the Tartars launched one of their largest assaults on the land of the Islamic Khilafah, resulting in the seizure of the Khilafah capital, Baghdad, the killing of the Khalifah Al-Musta’sim Billah, and the occupation of three quarters of Islamic land. Heading towards Egypt and Morocco, the last stronghold of the Muslims, the Tartars sent a threatening letter to the Ameer of Egypt, Mahmoud Saifudeen Qutuz, which included the following statement, “We have demolished the land, orphaned the children, tortured the people and slain them, made their honoured despised and their leader a captive. Do you think that you can escape from us? After a while you will know what’s coming to you…” Qutuz replied in a befitting manner. He killed the Tartar delegation and left their corpses hanging in his capital, lifting his soldiers and people’s spirit on the one hand, and putting down his enemy’s and that of their spies and loyalists on the other. This raised the spirit of the Muslims and simultaneously shocked the Tartars for they realised they were facing a leader unlike those they had previously encountered. Qutuz rallied the Muslims to prepare for the inevitable battle that would occur. Under his leadership, Muslims were rallied upon Iman, unity and the necessary weapons of steel to confront the enemy. He sought the help of rulers and Ulema alike to unify, stand for the defense of Islam and focus the efforts of the Muslims towards the liberation of the Islamic lands. Then it was time to engage the enemy on the battlefield at Ain Jaloot on Friday 25th Ramadhan 658 AH. Qutuz led the Muslims into the battle, which initially swayed towards the Tartars. Observing this, Qutuz climbed on a rock, throwing his helmet away, shouting “Wa Islamah. Wa Islamah”, urging the army to keep firm and fight Allah’s سبحانه وتعالى enemies. Inspired by Qutuz’s flushed face, striking vigorously with his sword and engaging the enemy the Muslim army shifted the battle in its favour of the Muslims, until the Tartar army was shattered and fled from the battle. Victory was for Islam and the Muslims. As for the Tartars, when they realized their incursion and dominance in the Islamic East was fading and that Muslims regained their power, they escaped towards their homeland, which eased Qutuz’s efforts to liberate all of Shaam (modern day Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, etc.) within weeks.
The essential question is how to restore Ramadhan to its proper status, a month of victory over the enemies of Allah and His Messenger. What is it that prevents the Muslim armed forces from heeding the cries of the injured men, the dishonored women and the orphaned children? How is it that RasulAllah is defamed and there is no befitting answer, such that the Kuffar are encouraged to repeat their evil again and again? In answer it is the fact that the Muslims are no longer ruled by Islam and led by righteous rulers. Instead they are ruled by traitors against the Muslims, who serve their enemies and implement other than Islam. Today these traitors receive the officials of the enemies and take orders from them rather than sending a message of defiance through them such that they shake in their thrones. The response of the traitors to the cries for help from the Muslims of Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Kashmir and Afghanistan is to firmly lock the armed forces in their barracks, awaiting instructions from the Kuffar masters so as to send them to assist Kufr and its people all over the world! The duty upon those who are sincere in the armed forces is to grant the Nussrah for the immediate re-esablishment of the Khilafah. Only then will the armed forces of Muslims will set forth as they are meant to, spreading the pure Risaalah of Islam throughout the earth. Allah سبحانه وتعالى said:
إِنَّا لَنَنصُرُ رُسُلَنَا وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيَوْمَ يَقُومُ الأَشْهَادُ
“Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our Messengers and those who believe, in this world’s life and on the Day when the witnesses will stand forth (Day of Judgment)”
(Surah Ghafir 40:51)
Musab Umayr