- Liberation is at the center of the message:
The beginning of Surah Al-Rum sets the stage for the theme of liberation by the statement “The Command is with Allah, before and after.” [30:4]. The Surah then elaborates on this fundamental concept by four verses, each starting right away by the word “Allah”:
“Allah begins creation, then repeats it, then you shall be brought back to Him.” [30:11]
“Allah who has created you: further, He provided for your sustenance, then He causes you to die, and again He will give your life. Are there any of your partners who can do any of these things? Glory to Him! And High is He above the partners they attribute to Him.” [30:40]
“Allah sends the wind, and they raise the clouds, then He spreads them in the sky as He wills and breaks them into fragments until you see the rains coming from their midst.” [30:48]
“Allah created you in a state of weakness, then gave you strength after weakness, then after strength gave you weakness and white hair.” [30:54]
The aim of these verses is for the readers of the Surah to:
- observe the creation of Allah
- reflect on the different phenomena of this creation
- believe that Allah is in total command and control of this existence
- model their behavior accordingly.
Consequently, each of the above verses is followed by the final outcome in the hereafter reflecting the choice of behavior made by the readers. The following are the verses that delineate such outcome: [30: 12-16], [30: 41-45], [30:49-50], [30: 55-57].
Then the Surah directs the attention of its readers to the different elements and the phenomena in the Universe and in human history in order to liberate them from the prison of causation and the prison of power respectively. In this Surah and many other places, Quran uses the term “Ayah” آية to describe the reality in the physical horizons and historical accounts
“Soon We will show them Our signs in the horizons and in their own social associations.” [41:53]
The term “Ayah” means the sign that points towards an unseen Truth behind it. In this way, it liberates humans from the confines of the physical world and hence, realizes that Allah is the actual Operator of this Universe. Similarly, the attention of the readers is directed to past history in order to derive the morals and hence, liberate themselves from the immediate effects of social laws and perceive the Divine control of such laws.
Neither the great phenomena in the Universe, nor the power of superpowers shall take away from the humans their ability to know Allah as the Creator and the Most and Ever Powerful and hence, get closer to Him in an ongoing journey. Quran refers to this journey as “Ibada” عبادة and considers it as the purpose of creation.
“I have only created Jinns and Humans, that they know Me.”
The following verses from Surah Al-Rum alternate beautifully between showing the concept of “Ayah” in the Universe and showing it in history and human association:
[30:8-10] in history and human association
[30: 17-27] in the Universe
[30: 28-29] in human association
[30:33-43] in human association
[30: 46] in the Universe
[30: 47] in human association
[30: 48-51] in the Universe
[30: 52-54] in human association
The believers in Mekka at the time of revelation of Surah Al-Rum and its readers across subsequent generations must come to the following conclusion:
Allah is not only the Creator of the Universe and the Humans in it, but He is in total command and control of this existence. Superpowers may use their power to oppress and destroy other nations and communities. However, they don’t last forever. Their power is temporary and ephemeral. Indeed, the Romans were defeated. This means it can happen to anyone including empires. Although the Muslim community in the Seventh Century CE had limited power and resources and were initially standing at the fringes of World politics, they were able to defeat the Roman and the Persian Superpowers in a relatively short period of time, and a strategic prediction was realized. “On that day shall the believers rejoice because of the victory of Allah.” [30:4-5]
By Dr. Walid Khayr