فِى بِضْعِ سِنِينَ لِلَّهِ ٱلْأَمْرُ مِن قَبْلُ وَمِنۢ بَعْدُ وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ
Within three to nine years. To Allah belongs the command before and after. And that day the believers will rejoice
Ar-Rum 30:4
Juz 21 · Page 404Context
The defeat of Byzantium and Abu Bakr's wager
1–5When the Sasanian Persian army inflicted a heavy defeat on Byzantium, the Meccan polytheists rejoiced, for they identified themselves with the scriptureless Persians and the Muslims with the Byzantines, a people of the Book. Thereupon the verses were revealed: "The Romans have been defeated in the nearest land; but after their defeat they will be victorious within a few years (bid' sinin)." As narrated in Tirmidhi, Abu Bakr made a wager with the polytheists that Byzantium would prevail within the stated period; the foretold victory came to pass, to the joy of the believers.
Tirmizî 3193
Revelation context of the surah
Surah-wideAr-Rum is Meccan. It was revealed after Sasanian Persia inflicted a heavy defeat on Byzantium (roughly 613-619) and foretold that the Romans would prevail within a few years. The fulfilment of this prediction, which reports associate with the years around Badr, was counted as evidence of the truth of revelation.
Klasik tefsir mukaddimeleri; Tirmizî rivayetleri