Surah Ar-Rum: (1-4) Alif, Lam, Mim

Connection to the Previous Surah

The connection between this Surah and the preceding one (Al-'Ankabut) can be understood by examining the context of revelation.

In the previous Surah, Allah commanded:

"And do not argue with the People of the Scripture except in a way that is best..." (Al-'Ankabut: 46)

The polytheists used to argue with the Prophet by attributing irrationality to them, as in:

"...Deaf, dumb, blind, so they do not reason." (Al-Baqarah: 171)

However, the People of the Scripture agreed with the Prophet on the oneness of God:

"And our God and your God is one." (Al-'Ankabut: 46)

Many of them believed much of what the Prophet said; indeed, many were believers:

"And those to whom We gave the Scripture before it, they believe in it." (Al-'Ankabut: 47)

Because of this, the polytheists grew hateful toward the People of the Scripture and ceased debating them, even though they used to consult them previously. When the tide turned against the Romans (Byzantines) and the pagan Persians defeated them, the polytheists rejoiced.

Therefore, Allah revealed these verses to clarify that victory does not indicate truth. Rather, Allah may intend a greater reward for the beloved (the Romans, who are People of the Scripture) by afflicting them, or He may choose to hasten the lesser punishment upon the adversary before the greater punishment on the Day of Reckoning.

There are several issues concerning these verses:

It has been previously established that every Surah beginning with these letters mentions the Book, the Revelation, or the Qur'an early on (e.g., Alif, Lam, Mim. That is the Book [Al-Baqarah: 1-2]; Alif, Lam, Mim, Sad. A Book... [Al-A'raf: 1]; Ta, Ha. We have not sent down the Qur'an to you... [Taha: 1-2]; Alif, Lam, Mim. The revelation of the Book... [As-Sajdah: 1-2]; Ha, Mim. A revelation from the Most Merciful... [Fussilat: 1-2]; Ya, Sin. By the Qur'an... [Ya-Sin: 1-2]; Sad. By the Qur'an... [Sad: 1]).

This Surah, along with two others mentioned in the context of Surah Al-'Ankabut (where their wisdom was discussed), is an exception.

The wisdom concerning these Surahs is that those beginning with mention of the Revelation, the Book, or the Qur'an often introduce something miraculous early on, preceded by the letters themselves, as previously explained regarding Al-'Ankabut.

However, this Surah begins by announcing a miracle related to foretelling the unseen (al-Ghayb). Therefore, the letters whose meanings are unknown are presented first to alert the listener, causing the heart to turn attentively to the listening, before the miracle is presented to strike the ears.

This refers to the land of the Arabs, as the definite article (ال) signifies what is known and familiar to them—their land.

Regarding the phrase, "and they, after their defeat, will be victorious" (وَهُم مِّن بَعْدِ غَلَبِهِم), what is the benefit of mentioning it when the statement "they will be victorious" (سَيَغْلِبُونَ) comes after "The Romans have been defeated" (غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ)? Victory can only occur after a defeat.

The benefit lies in demonstrating God's absolute power and proving that this event occurs by Allah's command. If someone is victorious after being defeated, it implies weakness. If their victory were due to their own strength, they should have been victorious before their defeat. Since they were defeated and then victorious, it proves that this outcome is by Allah's decree. Mentioning "after their defeat" prompts them to reflect on their weakness and remember that this victory is not due to their own might, but by the command of Allah the Exalted.

The phrase "in the nearest land" (فِي أَدْنَى الْأَرْضِ) is to emphasize the severity of their weakness. It means their weakness reached such an extent that their enemy reached the routes of Hijaz and crushed them in their own lands. Then, they were defeated to the point where the enemy reached the cities (Madā’in), and the Romans established their settlements there. This highlights that this great victory, following such great weakness, occurred by Allah's permission.

It is stated that biḍ‘ (a few) means between three and ten years. Why was the time frame left ambiguous when specifying the time would make the miracle more complete?

Although the year, month, day, and hour are all known to Allah and He revealed what He permitted to His Prophet, the disbelievers were obstinate. Events occurring in distant lands are known to happen, making denial impossible, but the timing can be disputed. The obstinate person could spread rumors that the event occurred before its time to invalidate the Prophet's word.

When this verse was revealed, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) stated that the Romans would soon defeat the Persians. Ubayy ibn Khalaf and others denied this and challenged Abu Bakr to a wager (mūqāmarah) of ten she-camels within three years. The Prophet (peace be upon him) told Abu Bakr that biḍ‘ is between three and ten years. Abu Bakr then increased the stakes (the camels) and extended the time limit, settling on one hundred she-camels for a period of seven years. This incident proves the Prophet's knowledge of the exact timing of the victory.

Allah says: "To Allah belongs the command before and after." This means before the defeat and after it, or before this specified period and after it. If He had willed, He could have made them victorious before the few years, or He could have made them victorious after. This duration was not set due to inability, but because it is an irresistible Will.

The word qablu (before) and ba‘du (after) are built upon the ḍammah (vowel 'u') because they are cut off from being in an iḍāfah (genitive construction). If they retained the iḍāfah, they would take the vowel of naṣb (accusative) or jarr (genitive), which would cause confusion with the raf‘ (nominative) case. For example, in the accusative case: "I came before him or after him." In the genitive case: "from before him or from after him." They are built on ḍammah because this case (nominative) does not share the same vowel sound as the accusative or genitive cases when they are attached to a following word.

"And on that day the believers will rejoice."

It is suggested that they will rejoice over the Romans' victory over the Persians, just as the polytheists rejoiced over the Persians' victory over the Romans. However, the more correct view is that they will rejoice over their own victory over the polytheists. This is because the day the Romans were victorious coincided with the day the Muslims defeated the polytheists at Badr. If the former interpretation were correct, it would be flawed, because on that specific day, the news of the Roman victory had not yet reached them; their rejoicing would occur afterward.