Surah Ar-Room (30) — Ayah 4

The tafsir of this verse may be read with the following verses.

The exegesis of this verse has been done along with the previous verse.

Before and after (the defeat and victory), the command belongs to Allah alone. And on that day, the believers will rejoice [1].

[1]
Two Great Prophecies in Surah Ar-Rum:

In these opening verses of Surah Ar-Rum, two such prophecies have been made which are a tremendous proof of the truth of Islam and the Prophethood of the Messenger of Islam. The first prophecy among them is that if today Rome has been defeated, then within a few years Rome will again prevail over Iran. And the second prophecy was that if today the Muslims are oppressed and subdued at the hands of the polytheists of Makkah, then they too will gain dominance over the polytheists of Makkah on the very day when Rome will prevail over Iran. And the Quran stated both these prophecies at a time when there was no sign whatsoever of their fulfillment anywhere in the foreseeable future. The detail of this summary is that at the time when you ﷺ were granted Prophethood (in 610 CE), there were two great superpowers around Arabia. One was the Christian government of Rome, which was close to the Muslims in two respects: first, both were People of the Book, and second, both believed in the Hereafter. Therefore, the sympathies of the Muslims were with them. Another reason for the Muslims’ sympathy with the Christian government was that at the same time, the Muslims had migrated to Abyssinia, and despite the efforts of the Quraysh to bring the Muslims back, the Christian king of Abyssinia, Najashi, gave the Muslims refuge in his land, and the Quraysh’s delegation had to return from there in utter failure. The other was the government of Iran, which for two reasons was close to the polytheists of Makkah: first, both were polytheists—the Iranians believed in two gods and were fire-worshippers, and the polytheists were idol-worshippers; and second, both denied the Hereafter. For these reasons, the sympathies of the polytheists of Makkah were with Iran. You ﷺ were born in 570 CE and granted Prophethood in 610 CE. The war between Rome and Iran started in 602 CE and continued until 614 CE, and these war reports kept reaching Makkah. Whenever news of an Iranian victory arrived, the polytheists of Makkah would rejoice and consider this a good omen for themselves, saying that just as Iran has crushed Rome, so too will we one day crush the Muslims. And in reality, after 610 CE, this was no longer a war between two countries, but had become a war between Magianism and Christianity. In 614 CE, Khosrow Parviz inflicted a deadly and decisive defeat on Rome. All the regions of Syria, Egypt, and Asia Minor slipped from the hands of the Romans.

The Wager Between Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and the Polytheists:

Heraclius, the Caesar of Rome, was forced by the Iranian armies to take refuge in Constantinople, and even the Roman capital was in danger. The leading priests were killed or imprisoned. The most sacred Christian cross of Jerusalem was also taken away by the Iranian victors, and the power of the Caesar of Rome was completely destroyed. This news was very pleasing to the polytheists of Makkah; they began to taunt the Muslims and said to Abu Bakr ؓ that just as Iran has destroyed Rome, so too will we wipe you out. This was the fifth year of your Prophethood. The Muslims had migrated to Abyssinia. In such circumstances, these verses of Surah Ar-Rum were revealed. Although apparently there was no sign of the Romans’ victory, and the polytheists of Makkah were mocking these verses as well, nevertheless, Abu Bakr As-Siddiq ؓ, based on this prophecy, made a wager with the polytheists that if within the maximum period of “bid‘” (which refers to three to nine years), that is, if within nine years the Romans did not prevail, he would give them one hundred camels, otherwise they would give him the same number of camels. At that time, wagering was not yet forbidden. Now the situation turned such that the Caesar of Rome secretly resolved that he would surely regain his lost power. On one hand, he made a vow before Allah that if Allah granted him victory over Iran, he would walk on foot from Homs to Aelia (Jerusalem). On the other hand, he began to prepare for a massive attack in utmost secrecy. In 623 CE, he launched his campaign from Armenia, entered Azerbaijan, destroyed Urmia, the birthplace of Zoroaster, and razed the greatest fire temple of the Iranians to the ground. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ migrated to Madinah in 622 CE, and in 623 CE, the Muslims inflicted a crushing defeat on the polytheists of Makkah at Badr. On the same day, the Muslims received the news that Rome had inflicted a crushing defeat on Iran and liberated its territory. In this way, the Muslims received double joy, and the polytheists of Makkah were subjected to double humiliation. Witnessing the truth of this magnificent and astonishing prophecy of the Quran, many people accepted Islam, and Abu Bakr As-Siddiq ؓ received one hundred camels from the polytheists of Makkah, which, according to the command of the Prophet ﷺ, were given in charity.