According to Rahyafte (the missionaries and converts website):Ar-Rum is the 30th chapter or surah of the Quran. Having a total of 60 verses, the surah is situated in the 21st Juz of the Quran. A Makki surah, it is the 84th surah revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Rum refers to an ancient civilization located in Europe and Anatolia which was ruled by the Roman and Byzantine empires.
The reason behind the naming of the surah is because of verses that refer to the defeat of Romans against Persians and a prediction of Romans’ victory against Persians which was realized in the next years.
Heraclius (575-641 CE) was the only Roman king concurrent with the prophethood of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) and the battles named in the Quran happened during his rule.
At that time, the Persians were the superior power, having achieved numerous victories. The Quran refers to the defeats of the Rum but also predicts that they would soon emerge victorious.
Not long afterward, Romans gained victories and eventually defeated Sasanians in the Battle of Nineveh in 627 CE (6 AH) and the Quran’s prediction came true.
Romans had a religious government but Persians were not a so-called religious society and polytheists were mocking the Muslims who sought to establish a religious society but the Quran made this promise that polytheists would soon be humiliated.
By telling this example and prophecy, God has pointed to His definite promise in helping the believers. Among other topics of the surah are the resurrection and the separation of groups and destinies, the call to monotheism, human nature, the direct relationship between people’s actions and world events, and the impact of human behavior on the emergence of sedition, corruption, and discord.
Among famous verses of this surah is Al-Fiṭra Verse or Verse of Innateness which notes that the human tendency to the religion is “fitri” or “innate”.
This Quranic chapter also discusses some of the laws of creation and divine customs, such as the issue of marriage, love and mercy between humans, the difference between night and day, languages, and colors, the falling of rain and the revival of the dead earth, and the consistency of the sky and the earth in space. It also stresses some rules such as the prohibition of usury and the necessity of helping the needy.
iqna
