Fatwa ID: 09356
Answered by Mufti Yusuf Badshah
Question:
Here are the main controversial points we discussed about Surah Ar-Rum (30:2-5). Please explain your view with references:
Does the verse clearly indicate ‘ultimate/final victory’ (complete conquest of Persia) or only an initial reversal/turning point? The Arabic uses ‘sayaghlībūn’ (they will overcome) without qualifiers like ‘mubīn’ (clear/manifest) or ‘tām’ (complete), unlike other verses (e.g., Surah Al-Fath 48:1 ‘fath mubīn’). Classical tafsir (Ibn Kathir, Ma’ariful Quran) treats it as a limited reversal, not ultimate.
Is ‘fī bid‘i sinīn’ (in a few years) strictly limited to 3–9/10 years according to Arabic grammar and usage? (Lisān al-‘Arab by Ibn Manẓūr, Tirmidhi 3193-3194 where the Prophet limits it to ‘dūn al-‘ashr’ – below ten). Or can it be flexible to include 13–14 years up to 628 CE (Hudaybiyyah year)? Some scholars (e.g., Ibn Taymiyyah in his fatwa) prefer Hudaybiyyah, but majority classical sources (Ibn Kathir, Qurtubi, Maududi in Tafhim) insist on the strict range and favor 624 CE.
Does ‘yawma’idhin’ (that day/on that day) refer exactly to the day of Badr victory (17 Ramadan 2 AH / March 13, 624 CE) when the news of Roman victory arrived, causing believers to rejoice? (Explicit in Tirmidhi 3193-3194: ‘On the day of Badr, the Romans gained victory over the Persians, so the believers rejoiced’). Or does it point to the completion of victory in 628 CE?
How could the news of the Roman victory reach Madinah on the exact day of the event when the distance from Constantinople or the battlefields (Anatolia/Mesopotamia) to Madinah is ~2000–2500 km? Travel in the 7th century took weeks/months by camel or caravan. Does ‘yawma’idhin’ mean the day the news arrived in Madinah, not the day the battle happened? (Consensus in classical tafsir: it refers to the arrival of the news, coinciding with Badr).
Contemporary Arabs (both Muslims and mushriks) accepted the prophecy as fulfilled. Abu Bakr won the bet against the mushriks (who paid camels after the Roman reversal), and no contemporary critic claimed ‘timeline error’ (Tirmidhi 3193-3194, Ibn Kathir). Why do some modern English-speaking critics claim a ‘timeline error’ 1400 years later, focusing only on the final victory in 628 CE while ignoring early acceptance, linguistic context, and the majority scholarly view that fulfillment occurred in 624 CE (Badr year)?
Please share your thoughts with references to tafsir, hadith, or linguistics.”
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
It seems you are trying to argue against fabricated arguments used by non-Muslims against Islam. It also appears that you have already found the arguments and evidence against their claims, and thus the purpose behind your question is unclear.
Verses 2-5 of Surah Ar-Rum describe how the Persians have overpowered the Romans in a nearby land, and then prophesises that the Romans will gain victory (“Sayaghlibun”) within a few years (“Fi Bid’i Sineen”), and describes how on that day (“Yawma’ithin”) the Muslims will rejoice at the help of Allah ﷻ, a demonstration that all power belongs to Him and He may grant victory to whoever He wishes [1].
Within the Tafsir of the verses, it is narrated that the polytheists were celebrating the victory of the polytheistic fire-worshipping Persians over the Abrahamic Christian Romans [2]. We find the incident of Abu Bakr ﵁ narrated from multiple sources in which he agreed to a bet after these verses, before the prohibition of gambling, that the Romans would gain victory within 5 years. Upon hearing this the Prophet ﷺ asked why he did not make it within 10 years, since “Bid’” is less than 10, so Abu Bakr ﵁ went back and changed the terms of the agreement to 10 years. After the Roman victory occurred less than 10 years later, the one whom Abu Bakr ﵁ had made a bet with died, so Abu Bakr ﵁ returned to Makkah to collect his winnings from the family of the deceased and donated it to charity [3]. It is also narrated that this victory coincided with the victory of Badr, thus the Muslims rejoiced at both the victory of the Romans and the Muslim victory against the polytheists [4].
The verses of Surah Ar-Rum are a miracle on multiple levels. It prophesises the victory of the Romans over the Persians within 10 years of the verse being revealed, it prophesises the celebration of the Muslims at the help of Allah ﷻ, not only in the Roman’s victory but in the Muslim’s victory in Badr at the same time, it is supported by the historical narrations transmitted within the Tafsir and it lines up perfectly with the historical records we have regarding the Byzantine-Sasanian War of 602-628 CE.
It would appear the argument you seek to counter is the claim that the Romans final victory against the Persians was in 628 CE, and thus verses 2-5 of Surah Ar-Rum are incorrect in claiming the Romans were victorious against the Persians within 10 years. This claim has many obvious issues, some of which you have already highlighted.
The word “Sayaghlibun” refers to a victory of the Romans over the Persians [5]. There is no reason for the verse to be referring to the final victory of the Romans over the Persians when the victory of the Persians mentioned before it was not their final victory against the Romans. Rather, it is far more logical that this refers to their first major victory against the Persians after their initial defeat, not their last victory.
It could refer to any single victory of the Romans in battle, whether this victory is recorded in other historical sources or not. It suffices that this victory is recorded in Muslim sources and was significant to the Muslims at the time, even if the Romans themselves deemed their final victory in the Battle of Ninevah in 627 CE or their peace treaty in 628 CE to be more significant.
The phrase “Fi Bid’i Sineen” refers to between 3 and 10 years [6], as indicated by the words of the Prophet ﷺ narrated within the Tafsir. This means that according to the verses of Surah Ar-Rum, between the date on which these verses were revealed, which was shortly after the news of the Persian victory reached the Arabs, and the Roman counteroffensive which followed, which according to the Tafsir occurred around the same time as the Battle of Badr, there were 3-10 years.
This raises two clear objections to the supposed timeline problem. The first is that the verse was not revealed on the day of the Persian victory, but sometime after, once the news had reached the Arabs of Makkah, and there is no indication how much time passed between the Persian victory and the revelation of the verse.
The second is that this lines up perfectly with the historical records we currently have regarding the Byzantine-Sasanian War of 602-628 CE. The Persians launched an offensive between 613 and 614 CE, gaining a decisive victory in the capture of Jerusalem in 614 CE and another in Chalcedon in 617 CE. Shortly after the news of the Persian victory reached the Arabs, the verses of Surah Ar-Rum were revealed prophesising the victory of the Romans over the Persians within ten years. The Romans then launched a counteroffensive eight years later in 622 CE, expelling them from Anatolia in 622 CE and gaining a decisive victory in the Battle of Ganzak in 624 CE, which lines up neatly with the version of events narrated within the Tafsir of the Roman victory occurring at the same time as Badr in 624 CE, and falls precisely within the 10 years prophesised by the verse.
While the Romans finished their counteroffensive in 627 CE and made a treaty in 628 CE, it is illogical to suggest the victory of the Romans referenced in the Tafsir and other historical Muslim sources must refer to their final victory in 627 CE. Thus, there is no need to adjust the meaning of “Fi Bid’i Sineen” to meet the criteria of those who demand that the victory being referenced must refer to the final victory of the Romans over the Persians in 627/628 CE when no such requirement exists.
The word “Yawma’ithin” refers to the Muslims hearing about the victory [7]. There is no linguistic requirement for the verse to refer to the actual day of the victory mentioned prior to it, rather the day being referred to may be determined from the context of the sentence itself, which clearly refers to the day the Muslims rejoice upon hearing news of the victory.
This claim is what is known as a strawman argument, giving the verse a meaning it does not have and then attempting to demonstrate that meaning to be false. Even if an argument could be made, it would simply imply a timeline error in the Tafsir connected to the verse, not in the verse itself, given the verse does not give a date for either victory, be it the Persian victory or the Roman victory. Both dates are suggested by the Tafsir, whose fallibility has no impact on the infallibility of the Qur’an.
As for why modern critics seek to promote this argument, it is because they are disingenuous. Thus, they have no issue employing strawman arguments and other logical fallacies so as to invent any argument they can against Islam, with their greatest tool being their own ignorance and the ignorance of their audience.
While it is good that someone provides a refutation to their intentional misinterpretations and flawed logic, there is little to be gained from engaging with them or those who follow them in lengthy debates when they refuse to accept the facts and basic logic in their repeated and desperate attempts to find a single solid argument against the miracle of the Qur’an [8]. The fact that they are forced to resort to such fallacies is itself an excellent proof of the infallibility of the Qur’an, that even with all of the historical and scientific resources we have today still no contradiction can be found.
As Allah ﷻ says:
وَعْدَ اللَّهِ ۖ لَا يُخْلِفُ اللَّهُ وَعْدَهُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
“(This is) the promise of Allah, and Allah never fails in his promise, but most of the people do not know.” (Surah Ar-Rum 6)
Only Allah ﷻ knows best.
Written by Mufti Yusuf Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
[1]
Surah Ar-Rum 1-5:
الم
غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ
فِي أَدْنَى الْأَرْضِ وَهُم مِّن بَعْدِ غَلَبِهِمْ سَيَغْلِبُونَ
فِي بِضْعِ سِنِينَ ۗ لِلَّهِ الْأَمْرُ مِن قَبْلُ وَمِن بَعْدُ ۚ وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ ۚ يَنصُرُ مَن يَشَاءُ ۖ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ
[2]
Tafsir As-Sa’idi, pg. 636, Mu’assasatul Risalah:
كانت الفرس والروم في ذلك الوقت من أقوى دول الأرض، وكان يكون بينهما من الحروب والقتال ما يكون بين الدول المتوازنة
وكانت الفرس مشركين يعبدون النار، وكانت الروم أهل كتاب ينتسبون إلى التوراة والإنجيل وهم أقرب إلى المسلمين من الفرس فكان المؤمنون يحبون غلبتهم وظهورهم على الفرس، وكان المشركون -لاشتراكهم والفرس في الشرك- يحبون ظهور الفرس على الروم
فظهر الفرس على الروم فغلبوهم غلبا لم يحط بملكهم بل بأدنى أرضهم، ففرح بذلك مشركو مكة وحزن المسلمون، فأخبرهم الله ووعدهم (١) أن الروم ستغلب الفرس
[3]
Tafsir At-Tabari, vol. 20, pg. 68, Darul Tarbiyah wal Turath:
حدثنا ابن المثنى، قال: ثنا محمد بن سعيد -أو، سعيد الثعلبي، الذي يقال له أبو سعد من أهل طَرَسُوس- قال: ثنا أبو إسحاق الفزاري، عن سفيان بن سعيد الثوري، عن حبيب بن أبي عمرة، عن سعيد بن جُبَير، عن ابن عباس، قال: كان المسلمون يُحبون أن تغلب الرومُ أهل الكتاب، وكان المشركون يحبون أن يغلب أهل فارس؛ لأنهم أهل أوثان، قال: فذكروا ذلك لأبي بكر، فذكره أبو بكر للنبيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال: “أَمَا إنَّهُمْ سَيُهْزَمُونَ”، قال: فذكر ذلك أبو بكر للمشركين، قال: فقالوا: أفنجعل بيننا وبينكم أجلا فإن غلبوا كان لك كذا وكذا، وإن غلبنا كان لنا كذا وكذا، وقال: فجعلوا بينهم وبينه أجلا خمس سنين، قال: فمضت فلم يُغلَبوا، قال: فذكر ذلك أبو بكر للنبيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، فقال له: “أَفَلا جَعَلْتَهُ دُونَ العَشْرِ”، قال سعيد: والبضْع ما دون العشر، قال: فَغَلَبَ الروم، ثم غلبت، قال: فذلك قوله: (الم غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ فِي أَدْنَى الأرْضِ وَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ غَلَبِهِمْ سَيَغْلِبُونَ فِي بِضْعِ سِنِينَ) قال: البضع: ما دون العشر، (لِلَّهِ الأمْرُ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَمِنْ بَعْدُ وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ) قال سفيان: فبلغني أنهم غلبوا يوم بدر
[4]
Tafsir At-Tabari, vol. 20, pg. 66, Darul Tarbiyah wal Turath:
ويوم يغلب الروم فارس يفرح المؤمنون بالله ورسوله بنصر الله إياهم على المشركين، ونُصْرة الروم على فارس (يَنْصُرُ) اللهُ تعالى ذكره (مَنْ يَشاءُ) من خلقه، على من يشاء، وهو نُصرة المؤمنين على المشركين ببدر
[5]
Tafsir At-Tabari, vol. 20, pg. 66, Darul Tarbiyah wal Turath:
وَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ غَلَبِهِمْ) يقول: والروم من بعد غلبة فارس إياهم (سَيَغْلِبُونَ) فارس
[6]
Tafsir As-Sa’idi, pg. 636, Mu’assasatul Risalah:
فِي بِضْعِ سِنِينَ} تسع أو ثمان ونحو ذلك مما لا يزيد على العشر، ولا ينقص عن الثلاث
[7]
Tafsir At-Tabari, vol. 20, pg. 69, Darul Tarbiyah wal Turath:
ففرحنا بنصر الله إيانا على المشركين، وفرحنا بنصر الله أهل الكتاب على المجوس، فذلك قوله: (وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ)
[8]
Surah Al-Ma’idah 105:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا عَلَيْكُمْ أَنفُسَكُمْ ۖ لَا يَضُرُّكُم مَّن ضَلَّ إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ ۚ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ