Ramadan, a Celebration of Jihad

This year, the Islamic festival of Ramadan begins around February 18th. Most non-Muslims (Kafirs) are at least somewhat familiar with Ramadan in terms of its rituals and customs because of demands on schools, workplaces, and societies at large to accommodate them. One of the best known Ramadan customs is the month-long fast that Muslims observe from dawn to dusk, when they are expected to abstain from food and drink as well as any activity generally regarded as sinful.

Kafirs are told that Ramadan is a holy month because it was during this time that the Koran was revealed to Mohammed. In addition to fasting, there are extra prayers, particular focus on reading and reciting the Koran, and emphasis on charitable giving. But Ramadan’s religious aspects conceal a deep connection to jihad. The story of Ramadan is the story of Islamic conquest and it begins with Mohammed.

When Mohammed first began to preach monotheistic Islam publicly in Mecca, the Meccans were indifferent and he didn’t gain many converts. In an effort to attract more followers, he gradually amped up his rhetoric, threatening people with hell and telling them their polytheistic religion was evil. This put him on a collision course with his own tribe, the Quraysh, the ruling tribe of Mecca and the custodians of the great pagan shrine known as the Kaaba.

Mohammed’s preaching wasn’t merely critical of Arabian religious beliefs; it was often critical of the Quraysh themselves and it was bad for their yearly pilgrimage business. Mohammed’s clan, the Banu Hashim, was a powerful family of the Quraysh tribe. Their leader, his uncle, Abu Talib was well-respected and he protected Mohammed from the rest of the Quraysh and their allies. After Abu Talib died, things became more dangerous for Mohammed and his followers. Luckily for them, an invitation to relocate came from the people of Medina, who were looking for a neutral arbiter to help them with their own political issues. They chose Mohammed.

After Mohammed and his followers left Mecca to settle in Medina—an event known as the Hijra—it quickly became apparent that the Muslims had no ability to participate in the local economy. Islamic texts report that the Muslims left Mecca without any form of wealth or property. Whatever they left behind had been confiscated by the Meccans, but many of his followers were just poor to begin with. Not only were they penniless, but there were no jobs available for them in Medina.

Mohammed and his followers were wholly dependent on the hospitality of the Medinans. How long could that last? How could they support themselves? Mohammed began to consider the idea of robbing Meccan caravans. He reasoned that the Meccans owed him and his followers and in a place where resources were always in short supply, raiding was a deeply ingrained cultural practice, anyway. So, raiding was what they did.

The first few excursions were mainly about reconnaissance. Then the Nakhla Expedition turned into an illegal raid on a small trade caravan. Its owner was killed, his employees held for ransom, and his goods confiscated. The raid was conducted by some of Mohammed’s followers during the sacred month of Rajab in the second year after the Hijra (624 CE). Fighting was prohibited in sacred months and the Meccans were furious that the Muslims would dare to attack at such a time. But as was so often the case when Mohammed or his followers broke the rules, Allah sent down a verse to justify the wrongdoing:

“They question thee (O Muhammad) with regard to warfare in the sacred month. Say: Warfare therein is a great (transgression), but to turn (men) from the way of Allah, and to disbelieve in Him and in the Inviolable Place of Worship, and to expel His people thence, is a greater with Allah; for persecution is worse than killing. And they will not cease from fighting against you till they have made you renegades from your religion, if they can. And whoso becometh a renegade and dieth in his disbelief: such are they whose works have fallen both in the world and the Hereafter. Such are rightful owners of the Fire: they will abide therein.” (Koran 2:217)

The Meccans were enraged and the Muslims were emboldened. Several weeks later on 17 Ramadan (13 March, 624 CE), Mohammed led his followers on a caravan raid that escalated and became known as the Battle of Badr. It was Mohammed’s first major military victory. This battle kicked off the six-year Muslim-Quraysh War, which ended in the month of Ramadan (December 629 CE or January 630 CE) with the conquest of Mecca.

In Ramadan 636 CE, Islamic forces routed the Persians in the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah. The Persians never recovered from this loss and it led to the eventual annexation of Persia by the Rashidun caliphate. During Ramadan in 711 CE, Islamic forces conquered the Iberian peninsula and ruled Spain for nearly 800 years until Spanish forces under King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella finally defeated and drove them out in 1492 CE. The Battle of Hattin, fought during the month of Ramadan in 1187 CE crushed the Crusaders and paved the way for Saladin to return Jerusalem to Islamic rule. The historical record shows that Ramadan is indeed the month of jihad.

Ramadan is not just about conducting violent jihad. It’s also about making the money needed for jihad. Zakat, a religious tax payable by Muslims each year, is generally collected during Ramadan. There are eight categories of people who are entitled to receive funds from zakat, one of whom is the jihadi, the one who struggles for the cause of Allah:

“The alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free the captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarer; a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is Knower, Wise.” (Koran 9:60)

While in Kafir countries Ramadan is touted only as a month of peaceful religious devotion, in Islamic countries it is recognized as both a month of worship and a time of military struggle and triumph. Iranian dictator Ayatollah Khamenei declared that Ramadan is the month of jihad. Kafirs are ignorant of these facts but the connection between Ramadan and jihad is well-known in the Islamic community. It is a history in which much pride is taken.

Violent, armed jihad is the technique with which people are most familiar, but jihad is not always violent. The goal of jihad is for Political Islam to dominate and control the entire planet, so any activity meant to spread Islam or give it a positive image in the eyes of Kafirs can be considered jihad.

“He it is Who hath sent His messenger with the guidance and the Religion of Truth, that He may cause it to prevail over all religion, however much the idolaters may be averse.” (Koran 9:33)

The idolators are not the only people that Allah is not so fond of: