Muhammad's Roman Prophecy
Note-I have quoted several translations by Muslim and non-muslim translators of various time periods to show consistency or inconsistency of the quranic passage under consideration.
Prophecy or good politics?
1/ Tafsir Ibn Kathir Vol 7: Foretelling the Victory of the Romans
These Ayat were revealed about the victory of Sabur, the king of Persia, over Ash-Sham (Greater Syria), the adjoining partisan states of the Arabian Peninsula, and the outlying regions of the land of the Romans. Heraclius, the emperor of the Romans, was forced to flee to Constantinople where he was besieged for a lengthy period. Then Heraclius regained the upper hand. Imam Ahmad recorded that Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, commented on this Ayah: He said, ‘They were defeated and then they were victorious.” He said. The idolaters wanted the Persians to prevail over the Romans, because they were idol worshippers, and the Muslims wanted the Romans to prevail over the Persians, because they were People of the Book.
Another Hadith
Abu Isa At-Tirmidhi recorded that Niyar bin Mukram Al-Aslami said: “When the following Ayat were revealed: on the day they were revealed, the Persians were prevailing over the Romans. The Muslims wanted the Romans to prevail over them (the Persians), because they were both people who followed a Book.
The Quraysh, on the other hand, wanted the Persians to prevail, because neither of them were people who followed a Book and neither of them believed in the Resurrection.
1. Alif Lam Mim.
2. The Romans have been defeated.
3. In Ihe nearest land, and they, after their defeat, will be victorious.
4. In Bid‘i years. The decision of the matter, befare and after is only with Allah. And on that day, the believers will rejoice.
5. With the help of Allah. He helps whom He wills, and He is the All-Mighty, fhe Most Merciful.
6. A promise from Allah, and Allah fails not in His promise, but most men know not.
The Quran, Vol 3
This chapter owes its title to the celebrated prophecy concerning the Greeks contained in the first and following verses. “The Greeks” were the inhabitants of the Constantinopolitan empire, which was, and still is, called Rúm by the Arabs. Excepting the prophecy of the first five verses, there is no other allusion to the Greeks or their empire in this chapter.
Surah 30 (1) A. L. M. The Greeks have been overcome by the Persians in the nearest part of the land; (2) but after their defeat, they shall overcome the others in their turn, within a few years. (3) Unto God belongeth the disposal of this matter, both for what is past, and for what is to come: and on that day shall the believers rejoice in the success granted by God; (4) for he granteth success unto whom he pleaseth; and he is the mighty, the merciful. (5) This is the promise of God: God will not act contrary to his promise; but the greater part of men know not the veracity of God.
1 Alif. Lam. Mim.
2 The Romans have been defeated
3 In the nearer land, and they, after their defeat will be victorious
4 Within ten years - Allah's is the command in the former case and in the latter - and in that day believers will rejoice
5 In Allah's help to victory. He helpeth to victory whom He will. He is the Mighty, the Merciful.
6 It is a promise of Allah. Allah faileth not His promise, but most of mankind know not.
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
ELIF. LAM. MIM. THE GREEKS have been defeated 2
In a land hard by: But after their defeat they shall defeat their foes,
In a few years. 3 First and last is the affair with God. And on that day shall the faithful rejoice
In the aid of their God: He aideth whom He will; and He is the Mighty, the Merciful.
It is the promise of God: To his promise God will not be untrue: but most men know it not.
Commentary
2 By the Persians; probably in Palestine in the 6th year before the Hejira, under Khosrou Parviz. (Ann. 615. See Gibbon's Decline and Fall, ch. xlvi.) The sympathies of Muhammad would naturally be enlisted on the side of the Christians rather than on that of the idolatrous fire-worshippers, with whom Islam had nothing in common.
3 This alludes to the defeat of the Persians by Heraclius, ann. 625. The Muhammadans appeal to this passage as a clear proof of the inspiration of their prophet. But it should be borne in mind that the vowel points of the consonants of the Arabic word for defeated in verse 1, not being originally written, and depending entirely on the speaker or reader, would make the prophecy true in either event, according as the verb received an active or passive sense in pronunciation. The whole passage was probably constructed with the view of its proving true in any event.
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
The Greeks are overcome in the highest parts of the land; but after being overcome they shall overcome 1 in a few years; to God belongs the order before and after; and on that day the believers shall rejoice in the help of God;--God helps whom He will, and He is mighty, merciful. [5]--God's promise!--God breaks not His promise, but most men do not know!
Commentary
1 In Arabic Rûm, by which is meant the Byzantine or eastern Roman empire.
Sura 30:1
A. L. M.
2. The Roman Empire
Has been defeated—
3. In a land close by;
But they, (even) after
(This) defeat of theirs,
Will soon be victorious—
4. Within a few years.
With God is the Decision,
In the Past
And in the Future:
On that Day shall
The Believers rejoice—
5. With the help of God.
He helps whom He will,
And He is Exalted in Might,
Most Merciful.
6. (It is) the promise of God.
Never does God depart
From His promise:
But most men understand not
In the Name of Allah
the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
1. Alif-Lam-Mim.
[These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur’an, and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings].
2. The Romans have been defeated.
3. In the nearest land (Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine), and they, after their defeat, will be victorious.
4. Within three to nine years. The decision of the matter, before and after (these events) is only with Allah, (before the defeat of the Romans by the Persians, and after the defeat of the Persians by the Romans). And on that Day, the believers (i.e. Muslims) will rejoice (at the victory given by Allah to the Romans against the Persians) —
5. With the help of Allah. He helps whom He wills, and He is the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful.
6. (It is) a Promise of Allah (i.e. Allah will give victory to the Romans against the Persians), and Allah fails not in His Promise, but most of men know not.
In the name of Allah, the
Beneficent, the Meiciful.
1 I am Allah, the best Knower
2 The Romans are vanquished, 1929
3 In a near land, and they,
after being vanquished, shall overcome, 1930
4 Within a few years, Allah’s is the command before
and after; and on that day the believers shall rejoice,
5 With the help of Allah He helps whom He pleases ; and He is thfer* Mighty, the Merciful;
6 (This is) Allah’s promise! Allah Will not fail His promise, but most people do not know.
Commentary
1929 The people of the empire called themselves Romans, and to them Greek, which was synonymous with heathen, was a term of reproach (Butler’s Arab Conquest of Egypt, foot-note, p. 141). Hence the lendering of Hum into Greeks, generally adopted by English translators, does not convey the correct idea.
1930 The struggle between Persia and the Roman Empire had existed for a long time.
The great struggle, m which Persia was victorious, began in 602 of the Christian era, when Chosroes II of Persia began war with Rome to avenge the death of Maurice, who was murdered by Phocas. “ His armies plundered Syria and Asia Minor, and in 608 advanced to Chalcedon. In 613 and 614 Damascus and Jerusalem were taken by the geneial Shahabaraz, and the Holy Cross was carried away in triumph. Soon after, even Egypt was conquered. The Romans could offer but little resistance, as they were torn by internal dissensions and pressed by the Avars and Slavs” (En. Br., Art. “ Chosroes II ”). When the news of this conquest reached Mecca the Quraish were jubilant, as their sympathies were with the fire-worshipping Persians more than with the Christians, who, being the followers of the scriptures, were classed by them with the Muslims. One reason for their joy seems to have been founded on the belief that this defeat of the Christians foreboded vanquishment for the Muslims, to whom the Qur-an had repeatedly prophesied success and triumph over themselves. It was in the year 615 or 616 that the Qur-an announced this revelation, containing two different prophecies, one about the vanquishment of the victorious Persians, who had reached the very gates of Constantinople, by the Romans, who were by this time quite exhausted, and the other about the vanquishment of the powerful Meccans by the handful of persecuted Muslims.
As to the fulfilment of these two prophecies, which uttefly turned the tables against the powerful Persian Empire and the mighty opponents of the helpless and homeless Muslims within the short period of nine years, that being the time-limit given in the prophecy (the word bid'-un denoting, according to all authorities, a period from three to nine or ten years), one need only cast a glance, at history in and after the year 624- “In 624 he (Heraclius) advanced into northern Media, where he destroyed the great fire-temple of Goudzak ” (En. Br., Art. “ Chosroes")
In the same year, 313 Muslims, many of whom were raw, inexperienced youths without any arms, routed a strong foroe of about a thousand of the Quraish warriors, killing all the leaders and dealing a death-blow to the power of the enemy. The successes of the Muslim army, on the one hand, and of the Romans on the other, continued until the Quraish were utterly crashed by the conquest of Mecca in 680, while “ the Persian Empire, from the apparent greatness which it had reached ten years ago, sank into hopeless anarchy ” (Eh. Br.j)
I leave it for the unbiased judgment of the reader to consider whether it is possible for mere political forecast to determine such highly improbable events with such exactness, or whether there is a single instance in history in which a political forecast may claim equal rank with the two prophecies contained here. When did forecast have the courage to declare that a mighty conqueror that had laid waste another mighty empire, taking province after province during a long com se of years, until its soldiers came to the door of the vanquished enemy’s capital, would, within a fixed period— a period too short to either bring about debacle in the conquering troops or to allow the vanquished and almost annihilated armies to regain sufficient stiength and organization — not only recapture its lost territory, but attack the very heart of the victorious country? Or when was forecast ever able to say that a handful of men whose numbers did not exceed a hundred, and who were so persecuted and oppressed that most of them had to take refuge in another country, would within nine years vanquish a whole nation of warriors ? The Arabians, too, had the gift of forecast with which Mr. Wherry’s “ daily newspapers are gifted,” and they called these prophecies, as a similar prophecy would be called in our day, the ravings of a madman. And here is Palmer’s opinion, which gives the lie to Wherry’s note: “The Greeks were so distressed that there appeared little likelihood of their being able to retrieve their fortune, and in the following year the Persians proceeded to lay siege to Constantinople itself.”
Rodwell contrives to mitigate the force of the prophecy by saying that the vowel-points were given later, and therefore the prophecy could be read either way, i.e. either as translated above, “And they, after being vanquished, shall overcome,” or reading sayughlabun, “ And they, after being vanquished, shall be vanquished.” Apart from the apparent absurdity of the words becoming quite meaningless, what would be the significance of on that day the, believers shall rejoice? for, adopting Rodwell’s reading, we should have grieve instead of rejoice and the vowel-points cannot change yafrahun into yahzanun. But there is no doubt that the actual ignorance of the manner in which the revelation of the Qur-an was propagated is the only excuse we can offer for such an absurd suggestion. Every portion revealed was committed to memory by many men and was repeated over and over in prayers in congregation, and the vowel-points could not be left undecided. Moreover, there is clear evidence that when this verse was revealed Abu Bakr asserted in a public assembly that the Romans would overcome (the correct rendering of sa-yaghlibun) their enemies within three years, and Ubayy bin Khalf, an unbeliever, denied this, and ten camels were betted on the issue. This coming to the Holy Prophet's knowledge, he told Abu. Bakr that the time-limit of three years was not correct, for bid-un signified from three to ten years. The time-limit was accordingly extended and the bet raised to a hundred camels. This shows how sure were the companions and the Holy Prophet himself of the fulfilment of the prophecy (Rz).
1031 The help of Allah is the help that was over and over again promised to the believers against the idolatrous Meccans. Thus we have here a clear prophecy of the victory Of the Muslims over the Meccans within nine years from the pronouncement of the prophecy. It was fulfilled in the battle of Badr.
Analysis
So, as is obvious, much has been written. Therefore, to conclude in short: this is not a prophecy. And the reason is given by the Quran itself. In all 8 different Qurans, whether the text stated 'Greeks', 'Romans' or 'Byzantines', verse 6 states that this is a promise of Allah. Not a prophecy given to Muhammad. A promise is not a prophecy. A prophecy is not ambiguous-Rodwell's point.
Surah 30
- 6. A promise from Allah, and Allah fails not in His promise, but most men know not.
- (5) This is the promise of God: God will not act contrary to his promise; but the greater part of men know not the veracity of God.
- 6 It is a promise of Allah. Allah faileth not His promise, but most of mankind know not.
- It is the promise of God: To his promise God will not be untrue: but most men know it not.
- [5]--God's promise!--God breaks not His promise, but most men do not know!
- 6. (It is) the promise of God.
- Never does God depart
- From His promise:
- But most men understand not
- 6. (It is) a Promise of Allah (i.e. Allah will give victory to the Romans against the Persians), and Allah fails not in His Promise, but most of men know not.
- 6 (This is) Allah’s promise! Allah Will not fail His promise, but most people do not know.
Even if the definition of promise is stretched to it's breacking point, it still would fail being a prophecy. The reason is simple. The Romans, Greeeks or Byzantines (whichever precise word that a muslim might like to use) would still be ruling to this present day where they were victorious. For there is nil prophecy fulfilled time limit given.
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