- The message behind the prediction:
Surah Al-Rum starts with very important news: “The Romans have been defeated in a land close by.” [30:2-3]
The Meccans, believers and non-believers, could not believe it. How come this great Empire is defeated? The Meccans had multiple contacts with this Empire during their Summer trade trips to Syria in the North “Securing their journeys by Winter and Summer” [106:2]. They had seen their urban cities and towns and their advanced social and economic life. “They were stronger than them: they tilled the soil, built it and populated it more than these have done” [30:9]. They were aware of the political and military power of the Romans. No wonder they were shocked by the new geopolitical developments. Nonetheless, the Romans were defeated by another world power, the Persian Empire.
At this juncture, the Surah makes a prediction:
“But they, after their defeat, will soon be victorious in a few years.” [30:3-4]
What is more important than the prediction itself is the message behind the prediction.
“The Command is with Allah, before and after.” [30:4]
Everything happening in this world, in the past or in the future, is under the command and control of Allah. The decision of victory and defeat are under his direct order.
“He makes victorious whom He will, and He is Ever powerful, Ever Merciful.” [30:5]
He is Al-Aziz, the Ever powerful- Nothing can prevent His order from going through. At the same time, He is Al-Raheem, the Ever Merciful- The believers must not doubt the mercy of Allah and despair must not creep into their hearts.
“Never give up hope of the Mercy of Allah, truly no one despairs the Mercy of Allah except those who do not have faith.”
In fact, the prediction was realized in less than ten years. Two years after the Hegira, the Romans defeated the Persians and by 628 CE they consolidated their victory over them. Two years after Hegira, another pivotal incident took place in Arabia: The Prophet (ﷺ) and his small army of followers defeated a larger army of the Meccan elites in the battle of Badr. The believers were joyful not because the Romans defeated the Persians but because they themselves were victorious. The prediction of their own victory was realized in less than ten years after the revelation of the Surah.
“On that day shall the believers rejoice because of the victory of Allah.” [30:4-5]
The day of the battle of Badr was an important landmark in the Biography of the Prophet (ﷺ) separating two different eras before and after. The Quran calls it: “Day of the Criterion” [8:41].
The promised victory went beyond Badr. In the context of an Empire being defeated, the believers got the message that they could be the victors of the whole world. However, this would require a lot of work and a lot of sacrifices. The first thing they had to do on the way to victory was to liberate themselves from the prison of the “superpower” and the prison of political, economic, and military power. All the statements recited to them from the beginning of the Surah solidify that message of liberation.
“The Command is with Allah, before and after.” [30:4]
“He makes victorious whom He will.” [30:5]
“It is the promise of Allah, never Allah departs from His promise.” [30:6]
If the believers, then and at any other time, fail that first step towards victory and behave like a superpower like their opponents, they refute their purpose.
In the next article, I will focus on the verses in the different sections of the Surah that emphasize the above message in various ways.
By Dr. Walid Khayr