CLARIFICATION OF A MISUNDERSTANDING

CLARIFICATION OF A MISUNDERSTANDING For Better Understanding M ANY Muslims reckon the month of Ramazan as the month of victory. What is the basis of this understanding? The answer is that it is a fact that the battle of Badr took place during the life of the Prophet in the month of Ramazan in 624 CE. In this battle, the Prophet and his Companions emerged victorious. This was the logic used to regard Ramazan as the month of victory. But this is a flawed assumption. The battle of Badr was not a matter of choice for the Prophet of Islam. It was a war fought to defend against an enemy who had marched towards Madinah in this month to attack the Prophet and his Companions. This armed aggression led to the defensive war at Badr. None of the other defensive battles in the initial history of Islam were fought during Ramazan. This is a clear proof that the month of Ramazan has nothing to do with war. War is never the choice of the believers. Islam states that war can be waged only in defence. And it is more than clear that it is the aggressor who fixes the date according to his choice, leaving no option to the defender. The Prophet is reported to have said: ‘Do not wish for confrontation with the enemy, instead ask for peace from God.’ (Sahih alBukhari) This illustrates the basic principle of Islam vis-a-vis war. Peace is the rule and war an exception. In Islam war is an act of compulsion rather than an option. The situation of war is not created by the believers but forced on them requiring a response in self-defence. The month of Ramazan is called the month of patience. It is the month of self-control; curbing of desires; not being provoked in spite of provocation; developing spirituality by enduring the pangs of hunger and thirst; and striving to come closer to God by remembering Him The month of Ramazan is called the month of patience. It is the month of self-control; curbing of desires; not being provoked in spite of provocation; developing spirituality by enduring the pangs of hunger and thirst; and striving to come closer to God by remembering Him through prayer and the reading of the Quran.