The Majestic Quran

30. Ar-Rum The Romans This chapter was revealed in the fifth or sixth year of the mission of the Prophet r , at a time when tensions were intense. The chapter opens with a remarkable prediction: “The Romans were defeated in a nearby country, but within a few years of their defeat they will be victorious.’ (2–4) In 615 ce, the Persians defeated them. Their defeat made the Quraysh happy; they took this as an omen that the Muslims would be similarly defeated. The idea that the Romans would recover from this terrible defeat was not credible to them. However, the Quran predicted otherwise: At the time this prediction is said to have been delivered no prophecy could be more distant from its accomplishment, since the first twelve years of Heraclius announced the approaching dissolution of the Empire (E. Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire , Vol. 4, p. 514). The Quranic prediction was fulfilled on the same day as Battle of Badr (624 ce). The central theme of the chapter is the creative power of God that reinforces the belief in the resurrection. It explains the underlying problem with the disbelievers’ materialistic mindset: “People know the outer nature of worldly life, but are unaware of the Hereafter” (7). Fitrah , the natural human character, is how God created us: “So set your face towards the religion of God sincerely, in accordance with human nature, which God shaped.” (30). Islamic teachings nurture this pure heart. Others have translated this as “natural disposition, sound human nature”, which means “man’s inborn,