21. THE QUR’ĀN’S PROPHECY (1)

The first proof of the authenticity of the Qur’ān as the words of Allah is its inimitability through its eloquence. The second is its prophecy, and the third is its scientific expression.
We have seen in history many prophecies that did not come true. The Communist Manifesto stated in 1848 that Germany would be the first country that will lead Communist revolution. More than 130 years have passed and the revolution has not taken place in Germany. Karl Marx predicted that the sun of the Red Republic would rise in the sky of Paris, and until now this has not yet occurred. Hitler stated in a speech in Munich in March 14, 1931 that victory would be on his side, and the whole world knows that his end was defeat and suicide. But the prophecy of the Qur’ān has been proved by history to become true.
The Prophet and early Muslims were facing three groups of potential oppositions: the Meccan idolaters, the Jewish capitalists, and the hypocrites. When the situation at Mecca became worse, the Prophet and his followers migrated to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and then to Madinah. They were in great difficulties for they had left their property at Mecca. They lived at the courtyard of the mosque at Madinah, for they had no place to live. They were about 400 in number. Among them was Abū Hurayrah, who said: “You saw me staggering between the pulpit of the Prophet and the room of ‘Ā'ishah [the Prophet’s wife], and people said that I was mad. I was not mad, but I was hungry.”
In this worse condition of Muslims the Qur’ān repeatedly promised and prophesized the victory on their side. Allah says:
كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَأَغْلِبَنَّ أَنَا وَرُسُلِي إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ (المجادلة:۲۱).
“Allah decreed. It is I and My messengers who must
prevail. For Allah is Strong, Mighty.” 93
Again Allah says:
يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطْفِئُوا نُورَ اللَّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ
وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ. هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَى وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ
لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ.
(الصف:٨-٩)
“Their intention is to extinguish Allah’s light (by blowing) with
their mouths: but Allah will complete His light, even though the
unvelievers may detest (it). It is He Who has sent His Messenger
with the guidance and the religion of truth, that he
make it prevail over all religion, though
the unbelievers be averse.” 94
This prophecy came true later when the whole of Arabia came under Muslim rule.
The use of singular in the verse “over all religion” instead of using “over all other religions” in plural in the above verse, A.Y. Ali gives us his commentary as follows:
“There is really only one true Religion,
the Message of Allah submission to the will of Allah:
this is called Islam. It was the religion preached by Moses and
Jesus; it was the religion of Abraham, Noah, and all the prophets,
by whatever name it may be called. If people corrupt that pure
light, and call their religions by different names, we must
bear with them, and we may allow the names for
convenience. But Truth must prevail over all.”
The second prophecy was the victory of the Romans over the Persians a few years after they have been defeated. Allah says:
الم. غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ. فِي أَدْنَى الْأَرْضِ وَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ غَلَبِهِمْ
سَيَغْلِبُونَ. فِي بِضْعِ سِنِينَ لِلَّهِ الْأَمْرُ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَمِنْ بَعْدُ وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ
الْمُؤْمِنُونَ. بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ يَنْصُرُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ. وَعْدَ اللَّهِ
لَا يُخْلِفُ اللَّهُ وَعْدَهُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ.
(الروم:۱-٦).
“A.L.M. The Romans have been defeated—in a land close-by
[i.e., Syria and Palestine]: but they (even) after (this) defeat of
theirs,will soon be victorious—within a few years. With Allah
is the command,in the past and in the future: on that day
shall the believers rejoice—with the help of Allah. He
gives victory to whom He will, and He isExalted in
Might, Most Merciful.(It is) the promise of Allah.
Never does Allah depart from His promise:
but most men understand not” 95
These verses were revealed in 616 C.E., the seventh year of the prophetic mission, shortly after the defeat of the Romans. The Persians were Magians, sun and fire worshippers with whom the Meccan idolaters took side, while the Romans were Christians, People of the Book, with whom the Muslims took side. When the Persians defeated the Romans, the Meccan idolaters wanted to ridicule the Muslims and said: “Our friends, the Persians, are defeating your friends, the Romans. In the same way we shall defeat and crush you if you do not give up your new religion.” But the Muslims told them that the Romans would be the victors in a few years. They made a bet. At that time making a bet was not yet prohibited. Ten camels for every year passed. If the Romans were not the victors within three years, the Meccans would win the bet and take thirty camels from the Muslims. The Prophet told Abū Bakr to extend the time of the bet to nine years, because the word بِضْع (a few) in Arabic means the number between 3 to 9, and the Romans would be victorious in 9 years at the latest according to Qur’ānic prophecy. The Meccans agreed to extend the time to nine years.
This is what happened: The Roman emperor at the end of the 7th century was Maurice, but he neglected the political condition of the empire. He was dethroned by Phocas. But Maurice had helped Chosroes II of Persia to regain his throne, had even given him his daughter to marry. Chosroes was angry and attacked Phocas. Antioch and Jerusalem fell to the Persians in 614-5 C.E.
At the same time, a son of the governor of the Roman colony in North Africa, Heraclius, secretly dispatched his force by sea and succeeded in killing Phocas. But he could not resist the Persians. Chosroes destroyed the churches, killing nearly 100 thousand peaceful Christians, built temples for worshipping fire, forced people to convert to Magian and worship the sun and fire, and took the cross to his capital Madā’in (Ctesiphon) in Iraq. From Jerusalem he wrote to Heraclius asking him why he did not ask his God to help him to take Jerusalem back from his (Chosroes’) hand.
Heraclius sent a messenger and sued for peace, but Chosroes was angry and said: “I want Heraclius to be brought and chained under my throne. I will not make peace with the Romans until they abandon their religion and worship the sun, our god.”
After six years of fighting, Chosroes agreed to make peace on condition that the Roman emperor paid him: 100 talents of gold (one talent equals to 26 kg), 1000 talents of silver, 1000 horses, 1000 cloth of silk (one cloth equals to appr. 30 m), and 1000 slave girls.
Heraclius was desperate. He fought and won in six battles using his sea force in which his enemy was weak. The fourth battle occurred in 624 C.E., the same year of the battle of Badr, the eighth year of the bet. The Muslims were very happy for their victory at Badr and the Romans’ victory in Syria. This was meant by the Qur’ān ic verse: “…on that day the believers shall rejoice in Allah’s help.”
The fifth battle occurred in 625 C.E., the same year in which the battle of Uh.ud occurred where the Muslims were defeated. The Romans succeeded in freeing all territories captured by the Persians. It was also the ninth year of the bet. The Meccans should have paid 90 camels to the Muslims for their lost in the bet, but this did not happen.
The last battle between the Romans and the Persians took place in Iraq in December 627 C.E. A few months earlier Chosroes had torn the Prophet’s letter asking him to accept Islam. On this, the Prophet said that in the same way the Persian empire would be torn into pieces.
Chosroes was arrested and imprisoned in his palace by his own son who had killed eight of his brothers. Chosroes died on his fifth day in the prison, while his son, after eight months rule, was killed by his own brother who sued later for peace with the Romans. In March 628 C.E. Heraclius entered his capital Constantinople welcomed by thousands people of the inhabitants of the city.
The comment of the great historian Edward Gibbon on this event is that the Qur’ānic prophecy was the remotest one to come true because the first decade of Heraclius’ rule indicated the fall of the Roman empire.96

Footnotes:
93. Qur’ān, al-Mujādilah [58]:21
94. Qur’ān, al-S.aff [61]:8-9
95. Qur’ān, al-Rūm [30]:1-6
96. Qur’ān, al-Shu‘arā’ [26]:214