Ramadan and the Making of Victory: Allah’s Established Ways in Muslims’ Battles Throughout History
In the life of the nation, the month of Ramadan is not just a month of fasting and worship, but at its core, it is a school for building willpower and renewing the energy of faith.
In the history of Muslims, there are bright pages associated with this holy month, when the purity of faith combined with the strength of determination, so Allah’s established ways of victory were activated, and the balance of history changed. From the Battle of Badr to the Conquest of Makkah, from the Battle of Qadisiyah to the Battle of Ain Jalut, up to the Tenth of Ramadan (Sixth of October) War in the modern era (1393 AH), the same message is repeated over and over again: that victory is not born of chance but is made by faith when it is combined with awareness and good preparation.
Allah Almighty said in Surat Mohammad: ﴾ O you who have believed, if you support Allah, He will support you and plant firmly your feet. ﴿ (Mohammad : 7)
In Islam, Ramadan is not only a month for social customs, but it is also an annual school for instilling faith and building willpower. In the act of fasting, the Muslim trains himself to control his desires and break the power of habit, as he abandons what Allah has permitted of food and drink, in compliance with His command, and thus learns to abandon what Allah has forbidden, all the more so. Therefore, the Quran linked fasting with piety, as Allah Almighty said in Surat Al-Baqarah: ﴾ O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous - ﴿ (Al-Baqarah: 183)
During the month of Ramadan, the elements of faith-based education come together to create a person capable of undertaking the message (of Islam). Fasting strengthens the will and teaches patience, the Quran refines awareness, and night prayers revive the heart and renew the connection with Allah Almighty. In fact, a believer who is capable of giving and sacrifice is formed from the convergence of these qualities; and the nation can only face challenges and bear the burdens of advancement through such individuals.
Victory in the balance of the Holy Quran
The Holy Quran presents a clear vision of the meaning of victory. It is not a passing incident, nor is it the result of material superiority alone, but rather it is part of Allah’s laws in the struggle of nations. History, in the balance of the Quran, is governed by established laws that link values and outcomes.
Therefore, the Quran presented the early battles of Muslims in an educational manner, revealing the principles of victory and defeat. When faith, patience, unity, and sound preparation are combined, the scales of history tip towards the triumph of truth. But, when these values are disrupted, the nation is exposed to trials and decline.
Examples of victories during Ramadan
Ramadan witnessed a number of victories that have changed the course of Islamic history, where these battles -despite their temporal distance- reveal that the principles of victory are constant and unchanging, most significantly:
The Greater Battle of Badr (2 AH):
The Greater Battle of Badr is the clearest example of the laws of victory in Islam. It was through this battle that Allah changed the course of history and announced the birth of a new phase in the journey of the Islamic call. The Battle of Badr revealed a set of values that contributed to achieving victory, despite the small number of fighters and their humble equipment, most prominently: Shura (consultation), taking responsibility, decisive and conscious leadership, fulfilling promises, application of human values in dealing with prisoners, purifying souls in the matter of spoils, and giving precedence to the bond of faith over the bonds of kinship.
The Conquest of Makkah (8 AH):
The Conquest of Makkah was a historic moment in which several qualities were manifested, including: insightful patience, wisdom in leadership, forgiveness when able, and the consolidation of monotheism.
The Battle of Qadisiyah (15 AH)
The Battle of Qadisiyah was a decisive battle that contributed to the fall of the Persian Empire. Several factors stood out in it, including: steadfastness, efficient leadership, and faith in the cause.
The Battle of Ain Jalut (658 AH):
The Battle of Ain Jalut halted the advance of the Tatars, who had swept through the Islamic world after the fall of Baghdad and the Levant, after the Tatars had thought that they were invincible. It also demonstrated certain qualities, including: national unity, courageous leadership, and readiness for confrontation.
The Tenth of Ramadan War (1393 AH/1973 AD)
The crossing of the Suez Canal in the Tenth of Ramadan War (Sixth of October) War demonstrated the nation’s ability to regain its will when determination, good preparation, military planning, and breaking the barrier of fear are available.
Anyone who reflects on these facts will realize that the victory did not come about by military chance, but rather it was the result of the combination of faith, unity of ranks, conscious leadership and good preparation.
Elements and Obstacles to Victory
The Quran shows that victory has clear elements, most significantly: the strength of faith, unity of ranks, wise leadership, patience and steadfastness, taking the necessary steps and undertaking good preparation, and sincerity of intention in supporting the truth.
The Quran also revealed the reasons for defeat, including: discord and division, disobedience to leadership, attachment to worldly things, sins and transgressions, neglect of taking the necessary steps, subservience and loss of will.
Does Ramadan have any special significance regarding victory?
In fact, victory is not tied to a specific time, for Allah’s laws do not change with the changing of months. However, the month of Ramadan is distinguished by being a school for building willpower; in it, the connection with Allah is renewed, souls are purified, and determination is consolidated, so that a person is prepared for steadfastness and giving.
The lesson to be learned by the nation today
Victory is not a fleeting military event, but rather the result of a long process of faith, development, and preparation. Restoring the foundations of strength is a shared responsibility among the peoples, elites, and leaders.
The pages of history written by Muslims in the month of Ramadan should not be read merely as glorious memories, but as living lessons concerning the laws of victory. These events have proven that victory is not born on the battlefield alone, but is made before that in the human conscience, in the cultivation of faith, and in building a will that does not break in the face of adversity.
Given that the month of Ramadan witnessed the Battle of Badr, the Conquest of Makkah, the Battle of Ain Jalut, and other milestones of victory, then its message to the nation today is not only to take pride in the past, but to revive the path that created that past.
When the spirit of faith is renewed in the nation, its ranks are united, its will is restored, and its strength is built upon the guidance of Allah’s laws, then Allah’s promise remains valid and will never fail.
Perhaps Gaza, the symbol of pride, in our time offers the nation a living lesson in the meaning of the school of Ramadan. The world has seen how the Quran and fasting create a person capable of patience, steadfastness, and sacrifice, and how the cultivation of faith transforms into a willpower that stands against the machinery of aggression and occupation, reminding the nation that victory begins first with building the human being before it appears on the battlefield.
O Allah, we pray to You to restore to our nation the spirit of faith that had created the Battle of Badr, and to revive in it the will of pride that had created the Conquest of Makkah, and to unite its hearts as You united them on the day of the Battle of Ain Jalut when the nation stood up against tyranny.
O Allah, our nation today faces a wave of aggression and arrogance, and is subjected to an attack targeting its religion, identity, and dignity, so be its protector and helper. O Lord, strengthen the feet of the oppressed therein, especially in the land of ribat (defence and resistance) in Palestine, and grant them from Yourself strength, victory, and empowerment.
O Allah, remove the distress from this nation, inspire it with the path of unity and insight, and save it from the plots of its enemies and from the treachery of those who aid them against it, so that it may regain its role in supporting the truth and establishing justice on earth.
O Allah, we are certain of Your promise which will never fail, so make us among those who support Your religion, so that You may grant them victory and fulfill Your eternal promise to us: ﴾…And Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might. ﴿ (Al-Haj: 40)
Allah is the greatest, and praise be to Allah,
Dr. Salah Abdel Haq
Acting Muslim Brotherhood General Guide
(Friday, 23 Ramadan 1447 AH / 13 March 2026 AD)