The Call of the First Dawn: The Ramadan That Changed the Face of History

With the first rays of sunlight on this first day of Ramadan, the Islamic world breathes a sigh of relief, as if our souls had been imprisoned for an entire year and this month has come to set them free. Ramadan has arrived—the month God chose to be the vessel of the greatest miracle known to humanity: the Holy Qur’an, which God revealed as guidance for mankind and as clear proofs of guidance and criterion.

Here we stand today at the threshold of a spiritual appointed time, where the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils among humankind and jinn are restrained before the will of the fasting believer. Ramadan is not merely ritual acts of worship performed mechanically; rather, it is a peaceful revolution that a Muslim undertakes against the self, against desires, and against inner stinginess. It is the opportunity of a lifetime that renews itself every year, allowing us to reshape our humanity, which has been scarred by the struggles of material life. Fasting is not simply abstaining from permissible food and drink; it is a spiritual ascension through which we rise above trivialities, reorganize our priorities, and build a firm bridge with the Creator, hoping that He grants us fasting that purifies souls, night prayers that elevate ranks, and that He writes for us the greatest share of goodness and the purest share of happiness.

Amid the solemn silence that envelops Islamic cities during the first fasting day, the image of loyalty emerges as one of the highest meanings of this month. As we gather around the iftar tables for the first time this year, we cannot ignore those empty seats. During this same month last year, we had beloved ones and companions fathers and mothers, brothers and friends, who filled our gatherings with joy and supplication, and today they are guests of a Generous Lord beneath the earth. Let this Ramadan be an act of loyalty to their memory.

O Allah, forgive them, have mercy upon them, pardon them, make their graves gardens from the gardens of Paradise, comfort their loneliness with the coolness of Your forgiveness, and reunite us with them in the abode of Your mercy on the Day when neither wealth nor children will benefit, except one who comes to Allah with a sound heart. Our loyalty to those who have departed is a covenant that their memory will remain present in the supplications of dawn and in every prostration in which we seek acceptance.

Yet this spiritual silence is broken by a distant groan that resides deep within the heart. Ramadan arrives this year with a lump in the throat and a tear in the eye that barely dries, as we witness the bleeding wounds of the nation in steadfast “Gaza” and watchful “Palestine”. Ramadan in Gaza is unlike any other Ramadan. There, fasting is not limited to the daytime of the month; it is fasting from submission that has lasted for decades, and breaking the fast upon the tables of martyrdom and dignity. There, the fragrance of incense mingles with the scent of sacrifice, and the sound of Taraweeh prayers blends with the cries of grieving mothers and the resilience of heroes.

O Allah, on this first day of Your blessed month, we raise our hands in humble supplication: O Allah, grant victory and empowerment to our people in Gaza and Palestine, and in every place where a human being is oppressed. O Allah, they are unclothed, so clothe them; they are hungry, so feed them; they are wronged, so grant them victory. O Allah, be their supporter and helper, strengthen them with soldiers from You whom humans cannot see, steady the hearts of the patient mothers, mend the broken hearts of the steadfast fathers, guide their aim, and make their hunger a strength that terrifies their enemy, and their thirst a quenching drink from the basins of Your near victory which You promised to Your righteous servants.

Today, the hearts of Muslims around the world turn their compass toward Al-Aqsa, asking You, O Allah, to outmaneuver those who plot against our nation, to turn the schemes of aggressors back upon them, and to make this month a month of clear victory, in which distress is lifted from the oppressed everywhere.

In this blessed month, we —as an Islamic nation— are required to realize that our strength lies in our unity. O Allah, protect the lands of Muslims entirely from the plots of conspirators and the chaos of corrupters. Unite the word of this nation upon truth and guidance, and reconcile their hearts as You reconciled the hearts of the Muhajireen and the Ansar. How much we need today the unity of hearts before the unity of ranks, and how much we need Ramadan to be the starting point toward restoring lost dignity and sovereignty. Ramadan teaches us that shared hunger, a shared direction of prayer, and one God are constants that make us one body, if one limb suffers, the entire body responds with wakefulness and fever.

O Allah, You have servants in the East and West of the earth awaiting near relief, so give them glad tidings; sick people groaning under the weight of pain hoping for healing, so grant them recovery; distressed individuals upon whom the world has become narrow, seeking refuge in Your mercy, so have mercy upon them; and youth who seek success and the fulfillment of their hopes in the prostrations of dawn, so do not forsake them.

Ramadan is the month of answered prayers and the month of great transformation. If the seeds of goodness within our souls do not awaken in the presence of the Qur’an, then when will they awaken? And if we do not triumph over ourselves, our stinginess, and our desires in this month, how can we expect victory for our nation in the arenas of life?

True fasting is that which produces piety in behavior, not merely in words “piety” that makes a Muslim feel the pain of fellow Muslims in the farthest corners of the earth, and piety that makes us more sincere in our work and more compassionate in our dealings. It is an intensive educational school lasting thirty days, from which we graduate with the certificate of “piety,” which is the provision for the journey toward renaissance and empowerment. We do not fast merely to feel hunger; we fast to recognize the value of blessings and our duty toward those who have been unjustly deprived of them.

Finally, as we take our first steps into this great month, we extend our highest expressions of congratulations and greetings to every Muslim man and woman across the world. May Allah accept from us and from you fasting, night prayers, and righteous deeds. May He return it to us and to our nation with the liberation of holy sanctuaries, the healing of broken hearts, and the spread of peace and justice across our Arab and Islamic lands. O Allah, make us among those who fast the month, complete the reward, witness the Night of Decree, and attain the Gardens of Bliss.

Blessed be this holy month upon you. May you, and our dear nation, be well every year, in health, dignity, and honor.