Wars in Ramadan: Coincidence, History, or Something Deeper?

I arrive home tired, hungry, weary and completely deplete of energy. Some foolish rider who had no business driving a tricycle and who looked like he belonged in a cell somewhere had brushed my car, smearing it with that characteristic ugly yellow paint. I was livid. My laptop bag felt heavy on my shoulder- like […]

I arrive home tired, hungry, weary and completely deplete of energy. Some foolish rider who had no business driving a tricycle and who looked like he belonged in a cell somewhere had brushed my car, smearing it with that characteristic ugly yellow paint. I was livid. My laptop bag felt heavy on my shoulder- like it is filled with rocks, instead of just a computer and a few items as I entered my house through the kitchen door. I am instantly greeted with chaos. The kitchen looks like it has been hit by Hurricane Katrina: dirty bowls and pots everywhere, a filthy floor littered with onions, tomato and pepper, oil smeared over the walls.

My domestic help smiled and greeted me, oblivious of what I am about to unleash.

As I open my mouth to rant, my mind reminds me that I am fasting. I nod my head to acknowledge her greetings, not trusting myself to speak.

‘Inni Sa’imun’ my mind says as I pick up a broom and start sweeping. I am fasting.

Last week, while discussing world war III (as I am calling the war in the middle east) among colleagues, someone posed a question angrily ‘Are these people not aware that we are fasting?’

Ah! Wetin concern Netanyahu with your fasting?’

Every year, Ramadan arrives as a season of reflection, restraint, and spiritual renewal. Muslims across the world wake before dawn to fast, gather in mosques for prayers, and attempt, at least for thirty days, to purify their intentions and their hearts. It is a month associated with mercy and discipline, a time when believers are urged to avoid anger, conflict, and wrongdoing. Yet history tells us something surprising: some of the most consequential conflicts in Muslim history happened during this sacred month.

Today, as the world watches tensions and open hostilities between Iran and Israel escalate, many Muslims find themselves asking a troubling question: why do wars seem to erupt during Ramadan? Is there something about the month itself that draws humanity into conflict? Or is this simply coincidence?

To answer that question, we must turn to history.

The most famous example is the Battle of Badr, fought on the 17th day of Ramadan in the year 624 CE between the early Muslim community led by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and the Quraysh of Mecca. This battle is often remembered as the moment when a fragile Muslim community, numbering only about 313 fighters, faced a much larger Quraysh force (of about 1000 people) and prevailed.

For Muslims, Badr was not just a military victory; it was a spiritual milestone. The Qur’an itself refers to it as Yawm al-Furqan, the Day of Distinction, because it separated truth from falsehood and ensured the survival of the early Muslim community. The fact that this decisive event happened in Ramadan gave the month a symbolic association with resilience, sacrifice, and divine assistance.

But Badr was not the only historical event tied to Ramadan.

Across centuries, several important battles occurred during this sacred month.

One of them was the Conquest of Mecca, which occurred on the 20th of Ramadan in 630 CE. Unlike many conquests in history, it was largely bloodless and ended years of hostility between the Muslims and the Quraysh. Then there was the Battle of Guadalete in 711 CE, where the Muslim commander Tariq ibn Ziyad defeated the Visigoth king Roderic, opening the Iberian Peninsula to centuries of Islamic civilization.

Centuries later came the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260, fought in Ramadan between the Mamluks and the Mongols. The Mamluk victory halted the Mongol expansion into the Muslim world and is often considered one of the most decisive turning points in medieval history. Even in modern times, the 1973 Arab Israeli war known in the Arab world as the October War or 10th of Ramadan War began during Ramadan.

Clearly, Ramadan has witnessed both moments of spiritual reflection and moments of armed struggle. The real question remains: does Islam encourage fighting during Ramadan?

The Qur’an does not glorify war; it regulates it. Islam permits fighting only under specific conditions, primarily self-defense or protection against oppression. The Qur’an states:

“Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not love the transgressors.” (Qur’an 2:190)

This verse establishes a fundamental principle: warfare is not a first option but a response to aggression. Ramadan itself is never presented as a month meant for violence. Instead, it is described as a time for self-control, charity, prayer, and compassion. If anything, the spirit of Ramadan should make war less likely.

Many Muslim leaders and scholars have called for the cessation of hostilities during Ramadan, arguing that the spirit of the month should encourage dialogue and reconciliation. The Prophet Muhammad himself often sought to avoid conflict during Ramadan, except when absolutely necessary.

While examining wars that have occurred during Ramadan, one might be tempted to draw a direct connection between the timing and the outbreak of conflict. Why do wars Happen during Ramadan?

The explanation is simple. History rarely waits for the religious calendar.

Political conflicts, territorial disputes, and ideological rivalries follow their own momentum. When tensions escalate, wars begin when leaders decide not when the calendar is spiritually convenient. In the case of Badr, the battle occurred during Ramadan not because Muslims sought war during the fasting month, but because the confrontation with the Quraysh had been building for years. Similarly, modern conflicts from the Middle East to other regions are driven by geopolitics, strategic calculations, and long-standing grievances.

Ramadan simply happens to fall within the timeline.

Another factor may be psychological. For believers, Ramadan is a time when faith and moral conviction are heightened. Armies in the past sometimes believed that fighting during Ramadan could inspire greater courage, patience, and endurance.

But that does not mean Ramadan causes war. It simply means humans carry their conflicts with them even into sacred time.

If Ramadan teaches us anything, it is that the human being is capable of discipline and transformation. For thirty days, millions of people around the world voluntarily give up what they desire most: food, drink, and comfort in order to grow spiritually.

Imagine if the same discipline were applied to anger, revenge, and power.

Wars might still happen. But perhaps far fewer of them would begin in the first place.

Ramadan is not a month of war. It is a month that reminds us that even in a violent world, restraint is possible and that the greatest victory is not over an enemy, but over the impulses within ourselves that make enemies inevitable.