A defeat, and a promise of victory
غُلِبَتِ ٱلرُّومُ ﴿٢﴾ فِىٓ أَدْنَى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَهُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ غَلَبِهِمْ سَيَغْلِبُونَ ﴿٣﴾ فِى بِضْعِ سِنِينَ ۗ لِلَّهِ ٱلْأَمْرُ مِن قَبْلُ وَمِنۢ بَعْدُ ۚ وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿٤﴾
Surah Ar-Room · 30:2–4
Meaning (M. Pickthall, 1930): The Romans have been defeated, In the nearer land, and they, after their defeat will be victorious, Within ten years - Allah's is the command in the former case and in the latter - and in that day believers will rejoice,
The reflection
A defeat, and a promise of victory within a few years. Did it come true?
Al-Sa'di writes: the Persians and the Romans were the two great powers. The Persians defeated the Romans in the nearest land; the idolaters of Mecca rejoiced, and the Muslims grieved.
God promised that the Romans would be victorious "within ten years". Al-Sa'di explains the word as between three and nine or ten years. Ibn Kathir reports from Sa'id ibn Jubayr: fewer than ten.
Ibn Kathir reports that the Romans did win afterwards, as promised. "Allah's is the command in the former case and in the latter". And God knows best.
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Sources
- Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Qur'an al-'Azim
- al-Sa'di, Taysir al-Karim al-Rahman
- Quran text: Tanzil Project (tanzil.net)
- English meaning: M. Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930)
