Since Iranians overcame Romans...

Since Iranians overcame Romans, then the final victory belonged to polytheism and Islam would be vanished soon and they (the polytheists) might be victorious. Though such conclusions had no foundation, but, in that atmosphere and that environment, they were not far from effect for propagation amongst those ignorant people. Therefore, that event seemed heavy for the early Muslims.

The abovementioned verses were revealed, saying decisively that though Iranians became victorious in that war, after a short time they would bear a failure from Romans. The Qur’an stated even the time of that prophecy and said that that event would happen during a few years.

This decisive prediction of the Qur’an which, from one side, was the sign of the miracle of this heavenly Book and the sign of the relation of its bringer to the infinite knowledge of Allah (s.w.t.) unto the world of Unseen, and on the other side, it was a point opposite to the bibliomancy of the polytheists, encouraged the Muslims in a manner that, it is even said, some of them laid an important wager with the polytheists upon this matter.

(At that time the command of the prohibition of these sorts of betting had not been sent down yet.) However, this Surah is the twenty ninth Surah of the Qur’an which begins with the abbreviated letters. We have repeatedly discussed on the commentary of these abbreviated letters[^2].

The only thing which attracts attention here is that, contrary to many Suras of the Qur’an which begin with abbreviated letters and next to them the words are about the greatness of the Qur’an, in this Surah there is not any discussion upon the greatness of the Qur’an, while the words are about the Roman’s failure and their future victory.

But a careful study makes it clear that this discussion is also the statement of the greatness of the Qur’an, because this prediction is considered as one of the signs of the miracle of the Holy Qur’an and the greatness of this heavenly Book. After mentioning the abbreviated letters, it says: “The Romans have been defeated.” “In a near land…” This failure occurs in a land near you, the people of Mecca, in the North of Arabia, in the land of Syria, the western Rome.