Ramadan: the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and sexual activities from dawn until sunset. Fasting is intended to teach Muslims about patience, humility and spirituality and is a time for Muslims to fast for the sake of God (Arabic: الله, trans: Allah) and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramadan, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds.
Wikipedia
There is, however, something else that Ramadan is known for:
- 624 - Battle of Badr. On 17 Ramadan, Makkan idolaters attacked the young islamic state of Madina. Muhammad led his forces in Arabia to victory over Makkan idolaters. "The great battle of Badr" , was the first battle between Muslims and infidels.
- 627 - The Battle of the Ditch. Muslims trained for this battle during Ramadan, though it occurred in the following month of Shawal.
- 630 - Battle of Tabouk (also called the Battle of Tabuk). The soldiers of Islam, under the leadership of Muhammad, established a training and fighting camp in Tabouk during the month of fasting, the Byzantine army shown no aggression so the Muslims returned back without fighting peacefully.
- 653 - Conquest of Rhodes. Muslims plundered the Colossus of Rhodes, melted it and turned it into arms for the soldiers.
- 680 - Battle of Karbala- Grandson of Prophet Muhammad, Husyain Ibn Ali was killed by Yazid I.
- 710 - Muslims led by Tarek bin Ziyad, invaded Spanish southern frontier cities on the Andalusian coast defeating King Roderick. They stayed for eight hundred years, disseminating Islam. From there, Islam spreads out through Europe.
- 1099 - Battle of Ascalon. Took place on 22 Ramadan (August 12), the newfound crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem defeated Fatimid Egypt.
- 1187 - Battle of Hattin. Took place at dawn -- after the Night of Power (Lailat ul-Qadr); a night during the last ten days of Ramadan when tradition says that the angel Gabriel descended and God called Muhammad to be His messenger. (It is sometimes translated as the Night of Destiny.) Sultan Saladin (Salah Al-Din Al-Ayubi) wiped out the Frankish army and went on to reclaim Jerusalem for Islam. The battle took place on July 4.
- 1260 - Battle of Ain Jalut. Qutuz defeated the Mongols in Palestine.
- 1962 to 1970 - Yemeni Civil War. Fighting continued through nine Ramadans.
- 1973 - Ramadan War (Elsewhere known as the Yom Kippur War). Egypt and Syria launched an attack on Israel called Operation Badr, and foot soldiers were given religious slogans. The Yom Kippur War is also known as the 6th of October war of 1973 and the 10th of Ramadan War.
- 1975 to 1990 - Lebanon's civil war. Fighting took place over the course of seventeen Ramadans.
- 1981 - Iran rejected Iraqi offers for a Ramadan cease-fire.
- 1982 - Iran launched an attack on Iraq that they explicitly called "Operation Ramadan."
- 1986 - Christian forces called for a Ramadan cease-fire, which lasted two weeks.
- 1987 - Iran again rejected Iraqi offers for a Ramadan cease-fire.
- 1987 to 1993 - The first Palestinian Intifada was waged over six Ramadans.
- 1990s - There were at least 20 examples of Ramadan violence by Muslims during the Algerian civil war.
- 2000 - Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee stated that India would initiate a unilateral cease-fire in observance of the holy month of Ramadan as a step towards peace in Kashmir. Nonetheless, widespread fighting continued between Indian forces and the guerrillas in Jammu-Kashmir.
- 2003 to 2007 - Iraq War. Fighting took place over the course of four Ramadans.
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