As we welcome another Ramadan this year, we can sense the eagerness and excitement with which the Ummah of the Prophet (saw) embraces and partakes in the ibadaat (worships) emphasized for this blessed month. In many places, the masajid are brimming with worshippers, we busy ourselves with the miracle of the Qur’an, and families and communities strive to strengthen their bonds and put their differences aside for the sake of Allah (swt).

At the same time, we can also sense the grim reality of places such as Gaza, Sudan and Yemen, where the colonial powers and their agents hold no sanctity for the month of Ramadan – only seeking to seize political control for the interest of the elites.

In spite of their evil efforts, the Ummah has shown it has only strengthened in its commitment to the deen by defiantly decorating the streets with string lights while under bombardment, performing Taraweeh prayers amid masajid ruins and rubble and observing the fast in the face of malnutrition and looming starvation. But how can this be acceptable?

This should compel us to further ask ourselves: What lessons can we learn from the past about the steadfastness of the Ummah in the month of Ramadan? How should we resist the current colonial world order, which has created nothing but pain and misery for humanity, in light of what the values of Ramadan teach us?

The Resilience of the Ummah 

Our brothers and sisters across the Muslims world are deprived from experiencing the sweetness of Ramadan that we often take for granted.

For example, in Gaza, Ramadan is coupled with critical food shortages, fear of daily airstrikes and crippling blockades by the Zionist entity, backed by Washington and the surrounding Arab regimes.

In Sudan, the month of fasting has not deterred the UAE-backed RSF militia from continuing to kill with impunity and displace tens of thousands as they flee from senseless violence, mass killings and sexual crimes.

In Yemen, Muslims have been essentially fasting around the year due to the struggle to find enough food, with one in three families facing severe hunger. Outside of these obvious warzone areas, the rest of the Muslim lands face daily hardships in the form of high food prices, lack of basic services like healthcare and an absence of personal security.   

Despite the horrendous state of the Muslim affairs today across the globe, let us not forget that our Ummah is an Ummah of resilience and resistance. While we should continue to resist the colonial powers, our glorious history demonstrates the strength of the Ummah under the Khilafah state, led by the Khulafah.

Ramadan is the Month of Victory

Allah (swt) has glorified the month of Ramadan in honour of the Holy Quran where He (swt) differentiated between the Haq (truth) and Batil (falsehood), and He (swt) guided people through it and took them out from darkness into light. Allah (swt) says in His glorious book: 

“The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong). [TMQ 2:185]

The Qur’an instructed the Muslims to implement and protect the deen, and bring light to the rest of humanity by inviting other nations to Islam. It is therefore fitting that Ramadan was the month in which many of the most pivotal victories took place. 

On the 17th of Ramadan, in the second year after the Hijrah, the Prophet (saw) led the battle of Badr in which the Muslims were outnumbered 3 to 1. Just over 300 believers defeated an army of over 900 kuffar. By Allah’s (swt) leave the disbelieving Quraysh were humiliated and the Muslims were victorious.

On the 20th of Ramadan, in the 8th year after Hijrah the Prophet (saw) returned to Makkah as a conqueror, when he brought it under the authority of Islam. Makkah was conquered without a fight. He entered Makkah and treated the people justly. Thus, Makkah was completely liberated and as a result, the main obstacle standing in the way of the Islamic Da’wa had finally been overcome.

Ninety-two years after the Hijrah, Al-Andalus (Spain) was under the tyrannical rule of King Roderic of the Visigoths. Tariq ibn Ziyad (rh) was sent at the head of 12,000 troops during the month of Ramadan of that year.

Tariq motivated the Muslims and reminded them that Paradise lays ahead of them, and that defeat and the sea were behind them.

They burst with great enthusiasm and Allah (swt) granted a clear victory over the forces of disbelief. Not only were Roderic and his forces defeated, but the Muslims succeeded in liberating all of Al-Andalus, Sicily, and parts of France. This was the beginning of the Golden Age of Al-Andalus where Muslims ruled for over 700 years.

On the 25th of Ramadan, in 658 A.H., the Muslims defeated the Mongols in the decisive battle of Ain Jaloot, led by Saifuddin Qutuz who united the Muslims, prepared them to fight and focused on the victory of Allah (swt) over the enemy. 

Indeed, it was under the Islamic system that the month of Ramadan was not only confined to fasting and performing additional night prayers, but it also provided the additional impetus for Muslims to achieve sweeping victories over their enemies and establish the Islamic world order and to bring real justice to the world.

The Illusion of the “Rules-Based Order” 

Let us contrast the justice established by the Islamic system on earth with the criminal and deceptive “International rules-based order” which was a construct fabricated by the colonial powers to perpetuate their dominance over the weak, and in particular the Muslim Ummah.

In a recent gathering at the World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney admitted to the unfair and unjust application of the law by Western powers: “We knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false, that the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient, that trade rules were enforced asymmetrically.

And we knew that international law applied with varying rigour depending on the identity of the accused or the victim.”

This international order was established by America after the Second World War and was shaped through the United Nations, its Security Council, and numerous other international organizations across all fields, to dominate the world, impose its authority, and plunder its wealth.

Therefore, it is very important not be deceived by the so-called “international community”, and “international law”.

The ongoing genocide in Gaza has proven without a shadow of a doubt that such international bodies are tools used by the strong to oppress the weak.

Resistance at All Costs

In light of recent events in the Muslim world, we should reflect upon the sacrifices that Muslims have made from the early generations until today. In this Ramadan, with the Ummah suffering immensely, Muslims continue to show incredible resilience and heroic resistance to the aggression of the colonial powers and the agent rulers despite having limited means to do so on their own.

We must not be satisfied by turning to Allah (swt) through prayer and fasting alone. The only solution is a state, committed to following Divine guidance, led by a righteous Khalifah that can unite the Ummah, and mobilize the resources, technology, and military might of the Muslim lands to defeat the occupiers and oppressors and depose the rulers of the Muslim lands once and for all.

The work to change the current corrupt rulers and re-establish the Khilafah in their place is not just a matter of life and death; it is an obligation from Allah (swt). We should take hope from the following ayah that Allah (swt) will indeed grant us victory if we work according to the Sunnah of RasulAllah (saw).

“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.” [TMQ, 24: 55]

May we resume witnessing victory after victory once again during the month of Ramadan under the shade of the Khilafah. May Allah (swt) accept our deeds this blessed month and make us amongst the steadfast. Ameen.