Al Qur'an: Selected verses from Sürah (30) ’Ar-Rūm (The Romans)

In our series of posts on Selected verses from Selected Surahs of AL Qur'an, we share today the selected surahs from the 30th Surah of Al Qur'an labelled as Surah ’Ar-Rūm (The Romans (Arabic: الروم). The Surah consisting of 60 verses (āyāt) is part of the Juzʼ 21 having six Rukus.

The Surah was revealed during the stay of Prophet Muhammad in Makkah. This surah is remarkable because it connects faith with real historical events, showing that world history unfolds under divine control, not blind chance, for its central historical reference being the defeat and later victory of the Byzantine (Roman) Empire, as predicted in this Surah.

We have already shared the Tafseer / Exegesis of the Surah which can be read from links given below:

| Historical Background | Exegesis |

Herein under we will only present a condensed overview of the entire Sūrah, for the scope of this post is to only to introduce the Sūrah and provide links to some of the selected verses from this Sūrah for selective reading / references. The following bird eye view includes the context, major themes and subjects and lessons that we can learn from this Sūrah, followed by references to  some of the selected verses already published.

Period of Revelation

The period of the revelation of this Surah is determined absolutely by the historical event that has been mentioned at the outset. It says: "The Romans have been vanquished in the neighboring land." In those days the Byzantine occupied territories adjacent to Arabia were Jordan, Syria and Palestine, and in these territories the Romans were completely overpowered by the Iranians in 615 A. D. Therefore, it can be said with absolute certainty that this Surah was sent down in the same year. This was the same year in which the migration to Habash took place.

Readers may open our earlier post: Historical Background of revelation of Surah ’Ar-Rūm, in order to have a peep of the time when this Surah was revealed for better understanding of the Surah itself.

 Core significance of Surah Ar-Rūm

Allah governs history, nature, and human hearts; faith is aligned with reality, not detached from it. 

Some of the Important Verses of the Surah with brief explanation

• A unique Qur’anic prophecy (30:2–4)
• The Verse: The Romans have been defeated… but after their defeat they will overcome, within a few years.”
• Why this is significant: At the time, the Romans’ defeat seemed final, but the Qur’an publicly predicted their comeback and the prophecy was fulfilled within the stated timeframe
• Lesson: What looks irreversible to humans is never beyond Allah’s power.
• Today’s relevance: (1) Decline is not destiny, (2) Political or moral collapse is not permanent, and that (3)Hope must be anchored in Allah, not trends
• Victory and defeat are moral tests, not proof of truth (30:4–5)
• The Verse: “On that day the believers will rejoice—by the help of Allah.”
• Muslims rejoiced not because Romans were perfect. But because truth is not tied to immediate power.
• Lesson: Do not judge right and wrong by who is winning.
• Human shortsightedness (30:6–7)
• The Verse: “They know what is apparent of worldly life, but of the Hereafter they are heedless.”
• A timeless diagnosis: People master economics, politics, technology, yet neglect ultimate purpose and accountability
• Signs of Allah in nature and society (30:8–27)
• Surah Ar-Rūm repeatedly uses the phrase: “ومن آياته” – “And among His signs…”
• These signs include: (1) Creation of humans, (2) Diversity of languages and colors (30:22), (3) Love and mercy between spouses (30:21), and (4) Sleep, rain, life after death
• Lesson: Faith is rooted in reflection, not blind belief.
• Marriage as a spiritual sign (30:21)
• “He created for you spouses… and placed between you affection and mercy.”
• Significance: Marriage is not merely social, rather it is a sign of divine design. 
• Fiṭrah – the natural moral compass (30:30)
• The Verse: “Adhere to the fiṭrah of Allah upon which He created mankind.”
• This verse means Islam aligns with human nature, while corruption comes from deviation, not religion
• Corruption as a human-made problem (30:41)
• The Verse: “Corruption has appeared on land and sea because of what people’s hands have earned.”
• A striking contemporary verse points towards Environmental damage, Social breakdown and Moral decay.
• Lesson: Crises are warnings, not accidents.
• Patience and long-term vision (30:60)
• The verse: “So be patient. Indeed, the promise of Allah is true.”
• This closes the surah by returning to its opening theme which tells that History moves slowly and the Truth prevails eventually

Surah Ar-Rūm teaches that Allah governs history and nature, worldly success is temporary, faith aligns with human nature, and patience anchored in divine promise is the key to navigating turbulent times.

Lessons for us today (in brief)

• Do not despair during decline
• Do not idolize power or progress
• Reflect on nature as a path to faith
• Protect fiṭrah in personal and social life
• See crises as moral wake-up calls
• Trust Allah’s timing

Selected verses explained

Now let us share herein some of the selected ayat / verses from this surah already shared:

• Verse 9: Have they not traveled through the land and observed how was the end of those who disbelieved?
• Verse 19: It is Allah Who brings forth the living from the dead and brings forth the dead from the living
• Verse 41: When does Evil become rife on land and sea
• Verse 60: Three verses which together form a complete Qur’anic framework for faith, Da'wah, and inner strength

In time we shall add more selected verses from this Surah for better understanding and awareness.

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”

That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.

For verses on Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .

You may also refer to our Reference Pages  and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Photo | Reference: | 1 | 2 | 3 |

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.  

In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.

Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook. You may also refer to our Facebook  Group Islam: The Ultimate Truth for more on Islam and Da'wah.

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Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on social media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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The Historical Background of Revelation of Surah Ar Rum - The Romans

Surah Ar-Rūm is the thirtieth surah with 60 ayahs with six rukus, part of the 21st Juzʼ  of the Holy Qur'an. The Surah takes its name Ar-Rum from the second verse in which the words ghulibat-ir-Rum have occurred. The term Rûm originated in the word "Romans" and in the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) referred to the Byzantine Greeks (Eastern Roman Empire), hence the title is sometimes also translated as "The Greeks" or "The Byzantines".

The Romans have been defeated in the neighbouring land; but after their defeat they shall gain victory in a few years [Verses 2-3 Surah Ar Rūm]

The prediction made in the initial verses of this Surah is one of the most outstanding evidences of the Quran's being the word of Allah and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) being a true Messenger of Allah. Otherwise how could have Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) predicted the victory for the Romans when they had been defeated overwhelmingly by the Persians and apparently there were no signs of the recovery from the defeat, what to talk of victory over the Zoroastrians. 

Before we present the translation / exegesis / Tafseer of Surah Ar Rūm, it would be appropriate to understand the historical background under which this surah was revealed. Let us have a look at the historical background relevant to the verses.

Eight years before the prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the Byzantine Emperor Maurice was overthrown by Phocus, who captured the throne and became king. Phocus first got the Emperor's five sons executed in front of him, and then got the Emperor also killed and hung their heads in a thoroughfare in Constantinople. A few days after this he had the empress and her three daughters also put to death. The event provided Khusrau Parvez, the Sassanid king of Iran; a good moral excuse to attack Byzantium, for Emperor Maurice had been his benefactor; with his help he had got the throne of Iran. Therefore, he declared that he would avenge his godfather's and his children's murder upon Phocus. He therefore waged a war against Byzantium in 603 A. D. and within a few years, he routed the Phocus' armies and reached Edessa (modern, Urfa) in Asia Minor and Aleppo and Antioch in Syria. When the Byzantine ministers saw that Phocus could not save the country, they sought the African governor's help, who sent his son, Heraclius, to Constantinople with a strong fleet. Phocus was immediately deposed and Heraclius made emperor. He treated Phocus as he had treated Maurice. This happened in 610 A. D., the year the Holy Prophet was appointed to Prophethood.

The moral excuse for which Khusrau Parvez had started the war was no more valid after the deposition and death of Phocus. Had the object of his war really been to avenge the murder of his ally on Phocus for his cruelty, he would have come to terms with the new Emperor after the death of Phocus. But he continued the war, and gave it the color of a crusade between Zoroastrianism and Christianity. The sympathies of the Christian sects (i. e. Nestorians and Jacobians, etc.) which had been excommunicated by the Roman ecclesiastical authority and tyrannized for years also went with the Magian (Zoroastrian) invaders, and the Jews also joined hands with them; so much so that the number of the Jews who enlisted in Khusrau's army rose up to 26,000.

Heraclius could not stop this storm. The very first news that he received from the East after ascending the throne was that of the Iranian occupation of Antioch. After this Damascus fell in 613 A. D. Then in 614 A.D. the Iranians occupying Jerusalem played havoc with the Christian world. Ninety thousand Christians were massacred and the Holy Sepulcher was desecrated. The Original Cross on which, according to the Christian belief, Jesus had died was seized and carried to Mada'in. The chief priest Zechariah was taken prisoner and all the important churches of the city were destroyed. How puffed up was Khusrau Parvez at this victory can be judged from the letter that he wrote to Heraclius from Jerusalem. He wrote:

"From Khusrau, the greatest of all gods, the master of the whole world: To Heraclius, his most wretched and most stupid servant: You say that you have trust in your Lord. why didn't then your Lord save Jerusalem from me?"

Within a year after this victory the Iranian armies overran Jordan, Palestine and the whole of the Sinai Peninsula, and reached the frontiers of Egypt. Concurrently in those days another conflict of a far greater historical consequence was going on in Makkah. The believers in One Allah, under the leadership of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's peace be upon him), were fighting for their existence against the followers of shirk under the command of the chiefs of the Quraish, and the conflict had reached such a stage that in 615 A. D., a substantial number of the Muslims had to leave their homes and take refuge with the Christian kingdom of Habash, which was an ally of the Byzantine Empire. In those days the Sassanid victories against Byzantium were the talk of the town, and the pagans of Makkah were delighted and were taunting the Muslims to the effect: 

"Look the fire worshipers of Iran are winning victories and the Christian believers in Revelation and Prophethood are being routed everywhere. Likewise, we, the idol worshipers of Arabia, will exterminate you and your religion."

These were the conditions when this Surah of the Quran was sent down, and in it a prediction was made, saying:

"The Romans have been vanquished in the neighboring land and within a few years after their defeat, they shall be victorious. And it will be the day when the believers will rejoice in the victory granted by Allah." 

It contained not one but two predictions: First, the Romans shall be victorious; and second, the Muslims also shall win a victory at the same time. Apparently, there was not a remote chance of the fulfillment of the either prediction in the next few years. On the one hand, there were a handful of the Muslims, who were being beaten and tortured in Makkah, and even till eight years after this prediction there appeared no chance of their victory and domination. On the other, the Romans were losing more and more ground every next day. By 619 A. D. the whole of Egypt had passed into Sassanid hands and the Magian armies (Magi denotes followers of Zoroastrianism or Zoroaster) had reached as far as Tripoli. In Asia Minor they had beaten and pushed back the Romans to Bosporus, and in 617 A. D. they captured Chalcedon (modern, Kadikoy) just opposite Constantinople. The Emperor sent an envoy to Khusrau, praying that he was ready to have peace on any terms, but he replied, "I shall not give protection to the emperor until he is brought in chains before me and gives up obedience to his crucified god and adopts submission to the fire god." At last, the Emperor became so depressed by defeat that he decided to leave Constantinople and shift to Carthage (modern, Tunis). In short, as the British historian Gibbon says, even seven to eight years after this prediction of the Quran, the conditions were such that no one could even imagine that the Byzantine Empire would ever gain an upper hand over Iran. Not to speak of gaining domination, no one could hope that the Empire, under the circumstances, would even survive.

The initial portion of verse 3 spells out the time period of the glad tidings:

فِىۡ بِضۡعِ سِنِيۡنَ 

bid`i sinin, and the word bid` in Arabic applies to a number upto ten. Therefore, make the bet for ten years and increase the number of camels to a hundred." So, Hadrat Abu Bakr spoke to Ubayy again and bet a hundred camels for ten years.

In 622 A. D. as the Holy Prophet migrated to Madinah, the Emperor Heraclius set off quietly for Trabzon from Constantinople via the Black Sea and started preparations to attack Iran from rear. For this he asked the Church for money, and Pope Sergius lent him the Church collections on interest, in a bid to save Christianity from Zoroastrianism. Heraclius started his counter attack in 623 A. D. from Armenia. Next year, in 624 A. D., he entered Azerbaijan and destroyed Clorumia, the birthplace of Zoroaster, and ravaged the principal fire temple of Iran. Great are the powers of Allah, this was the very year when the Muslims achieved a decisive victory at Badr for the first time against the mushriks. Thus both the predictions made in Surah Rum were fulfilled simultaneously within the stipulated period of ten years.

The Byzantine forces continued to press the Iranians hard and in the decisive battle at Nineveh (627 A.D.) they dealt them the hardest blow. They captured the royal residence of Dastagerd, and then pressing forward reached right opposite to Ctesiphon, capital of Iran in those days. In 628 A. D. in an internal revolt, Khusrau Parvez was imprisoned and 18 of his sons were executed in front of him and a few days later he himself died in the prison. This was the year when the peace treaty of Hudaibiya was concluded, which the Quran has termed as "the supreme victory", and in this very year Khusrau's son, Qubad II, gave up all the occupied Roman territories, restored the True Cross and made peace with Byzantium. In 628 A. D., the Emperor himself went to Jerusalem to install the "Holy Cross" in its place, and in the same year the Holy Prophet entered Makkah for the first time after the Hijrah to perform the `Umra-tul-Qada'.

In some traditions Heraclius is seen as a just ruler of great piety, who had direct contact with the emerging Islamic forces. The 14th-century scholar Ibn Kathir (d. 1373) went even further, stating that "Heraclius was one of the wisest men and among the most resolute, shrewd, deep and opinionated of kings. He ruled the Romans with great leadership and splendor." Some historians often cite a letter that they claim Heraclius wrote to Muhammad: "I have received your letter with your ambassador and I testify that you are the messenger of God found in our New Testament. Jesus, son of Mary, announced you." According to the Muslim sources reported by El-Cheikh, he tried to convert the ruling class of the Empire, but they resisted so strongly that he reversed his course and claimed that he was just testing their faith in Christianity. El-Cheikh notes that these accounts of Heraclius add "little to our historical knowledge" of the emperor; rather, they are an important part of "Islamic kerygma," attempting to legitimize Muhammad's status as a prophet.

Scroll down for an informative video on this subject

After this no one could have any doubt about the truth of the prophecy of the Quran, with the result that most of the Arab polytheists accepted Islam. The heirs of Ubayy bin Khalaf lost their bet and had to give a hundred camels to Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddiq. He took them before the Holy Prophet, who ordered that they be given away in charity, because the bet had been made at a time when gambling had not yet been forbidden by the Shari`ah; now it was forbidden. Therefore, the bet was allowed to be accepted from the belligerent disbelievers, but instruction given that it should be given away in charity and should not be brought in personal use.

Theme of the Surah:
The discourse begins with the theme that the Romans have been overcome and the people the world over think that the empire is about to collapse, but the fact is that within a few years the tables will be turned and the vanquished will again become victorious.

This introductory theme contains the great truth that man is accustomed to seeing only what is apparent and superficial. That which is behind the apparent and superficial he does not know. When in the petty matters of life, this habit to see only the apparent and superficial can lead man to misunderstandings and miscalculations, and when he is liable to make wrong estimates only due to lack of knowledge about "what will happen tomorrow", how stupendous will be his error if he risks his whole life-activity by placing reliance only upon what is visible and apparent with respect to his worldly life as a whole.

In this connection, the Signs of the universe which have been presented as evidence to prove the doctrine of the Hereafter arc precisely the same which support the doctrine of Tauhid. Therefore from verse 28 onward, the discourse turns to the affirmation of Tauhid and the refutation of shirk, and it is stressed that the natural way of life for man is none else but to serve One God exclusively. Shirk is opposed to the nature of the universe as to the nature of man. Therefore, whenever man has adopted this deviation, chaos has resulted. Again here, an allusion has been made to the great chaos that had gripped the world on account of the war between the two major powers of the time, and it has been indicated that this chaos too, is the result of shirk, and all the nations who were ever involved in mischief and chaos in the history of mankind were also mushriks.

In conclusion, a parable has been presented to make the people understand that just as dead earth comes to life, all of a sudden, by a shower of rain sent by God and swells with vegetation and plant life, so is the case with the dead humanity. When God sends a shower of His mercy in the form of Revelation and Prophethood, it also gives a new life to mankind and causes it to grow and develop and flourish. Therefore: "If you take full advantage of this opportunity, the barren land of Arabia will bloom by Allah's mercy and the whole advantage will be your. But if you do not take advantage of it, you will harm only yourselves. Then no regret will avail and no opportunity will be provided to make amends."

This is the general historical perspective under which this important surah was revealed and the theme of the surah which sets forth the mindset for better understanding of the exegesis / tafseer of the surah which will be presented in our next post.

You may like to watch a video about the letter by the Prophet ﷺ to Heraclius, the Roman Emperor:

Photo | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Reading the Holy Quran should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully.

You may refer to our reference pages: 

• Al Qur'an: Selected verses from Sürah Ar Rum (The Romans) for selected verses from this surah.
• Selected verses from Selected Sūrahs of Al-Qurʾān.

You may refer to our post "114 Chapters (Sūrahs) of the Holy Qur'an" for translation, meaning and summary / exegesis of other chapters (Though not complete but building up from 30th Juzʼ / Part backwards for chapters in 30th Juzʼ / Part are shorter and easier to understand). 

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Holy Qur'an from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that:

• The plain translation has been taken from the Holy Quran officially published by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [3]
• And the exegesis of the chapters of the Holy Quran are basically based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi. [1]
• In addition the references of  other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. 

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook
Follow @IslamUltimate

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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