Byzantine Comeback
This article is a branch from another article. Please read the other one for more context, if you’d like.
Allah the Almighty says in the Qur’an:The Byzantines have been defeated in the nearest land. But they, after their defeat, will triumph within three to nine years. The whole matter rests with Allah before and after victory.
And on that day the believers will rejoice in the victory of Allah. He gives victory to whom He wills, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.
Surah Ar-Rum, verses 2-5
The Persian Sassanids were at their peak in strength and morale.
There were two world superpowers at the time, the “Roman” Byzantines, and the Persian Sassanids. The two had begun a massive war with one another, with the Sassanids clearly coming out on top. The Sassanids had taken Byzantine Armenia, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Libya, Anatolia, and even the Byzantine True Cross artifact. Thus, the Byzantine empire was headed for ruin. They lost everything to the Persian Sassanids in a major war, and hope was low. [1]
During this time of absolute loss for the Byzantines, the Qur’an made a bold claim. It stated that the Byzantines would make a huge comeback against the Sassanids within 3 to 9 years.
Imagine the consequences of this.
The risk is very high with this claim. If 9 years pass and this prophecy does not come true, the Prophet (ﷺ) will be proven to be a false prophet. Does it make sense for a liar to do something so risky?
Here is what Edward Gibbon had to say in “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” about this prophecy:
“At the time when this prediction is said to have been delivered, no prophecy could be more distant from its accomplishment, since the first twelve years of [the Byzantine King] Heraclius announced the approaching dissolution of the [Byzantine] empire.” [2]
So not only is the prophecy an incredibly risky one, but it also makes no sense to say such a thing if you did not know the future. The only thing that you can see is the Sassanids demolishing the Byzantines and the incoming dissolution of the Byzantine empire.
Of course, the prophecy did come true despite this. After about 7 years from the Byzantines defeat, they made a huge comeback and started to take back all of the lands they lost.
This is how much land the Sassanids lost control of by the end of the Byzantine comeback.
About a third of their landmass was gone.
The Byzantines made a huge comeback within the 3 to 9 year time period and shocked the world. Every observer thought that the Byzantine empire was done for and that there was no coming back, yet the Muslims knew otherwise.
Once again, another specific and unintuitive prophecy that came true in every detail.
References:
Daryaee, Touraj. SASANIAN PERSIA: the Rise and Fall of an Empire. BLOOMSBURY, 2021, pp. 33.
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, by Edward Gibbon, vol. 8, DeFau, 1907, p. 48.
