Surah 30. Ar-Rum

Alif. Lam. Mim.¹

  - Mohammad Asad

See Appendix II.

Alif Lam M'im.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Alif. Lam. Mim.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

DEFEATED have been the Byzantines

  - Mohammad Asad

The Romans have been defeated (by the Persians, in Syria - A.D. 615; the Prophet Muhammad's sympathies were with the Romans who were Christians, while the pagan Arabs were on the side of the Persians who were idol worshippers)

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

The Romans have been defeated

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

in the lands close-by; yet it is they who, notwithstand-ing this their defeat, shall be victorious

  - Mohammad Asad

in the neighboring land, but they, after this defeat, will soon be victorious

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

In the nearer land, and they, after their defeat will be victorious

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

within a few years: [for] with God rests all power of decision, first and last.² And on that day will the believers [too, have cause to] rejoice

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "before and after". The defeats and victories spoken of above relate to the last phases of the centuries-long struggle between the Byzantine and Persian Empires. During the early years of the seventh century the Persians conquered parts of Syria and Anatolia, "the lands close-by", i.e., near the heartland of the Byzantine Empire; in 613 they took Damascus, and in 614, Jerusalem; Egypt fell to them in 615-16, and at the same time they laid siege to Constantinople itself. At the time of the revelation of this surah - about the seventh year before the hijrah, corresponding to 615 or 616 of the Christian era - the total destruction of the Byzantine Empire seemed imminent. The few Muslims around the Prophet were despondent on hearing the news of the utter discomfiture of the Byzantines, who were Christians and, as such, believed in the One God. The pagan Quraysh, on the other hand, sympathized with Persians who, they thought, would vindicate their own opposition to the One-God idea. When Muhammad enunciated the above Qur'an-verses predicting a Byzantine victory "within a few years", this prophecy was received with derision by the Quraysh. Now the term bid' (commonly rendered as "a few") denotes any number between three and ten; and, as it happened, in 622 - i.e., six or seven years after the Qur'anic prediction - the tide turned in favour of the Byzantines. In that year, Emperor Heraclius succeeded in defeating the Persians at Issus, south of the Taurus Mountains, and subsequently drove them out of Asia Minor. By 624, he carried the war into Persian territory and thus put the enemy on the defensive; and in the beginning of December, 626, the Persian armies were completely routed by the Byzantines.

within a few years. The command lies with Allah in the past instance as well as in the future. On that day the believers will rejoice

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Within ten years Allah's is the command in the former case and in the latter and in that day believers will rejoice

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

in God's succour:³ [for] He gives succour to whomever He wills, since He alone is almighty, a dispenser of grace.

  - Mohammad Asad

This is a prediction of the battle of Badr, which was to take place eight or nine years later, in the month of Ramadan, 2 H. (corresponding to January, 624, of the Christian era), when the Muslims decisively defeated a very much superior force of pagan Quraysh (see introductory note to surah {8}). The expression "on that day" has in this context the meaning of "at the same time", for although the battle of Badr began and ended on one day, the victories of Heraclius over the Persians took some years to materialize.

for the victory of the Romans as well as their own victory against the pagans with the help of Allah. He helps whom He pleases and He is the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

In Allah's help to victory. He helpeth to victory whom He will. He is the Mighty, the Merciful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall