Pick-Up 060: The Miracle (3)
Peace be upon you, dear friends,
Given our human limitations and almost utter ignorance in regard to what there is to know, prophecies, when fulfilled, fall within the miraculous. They inspire both fear and awe. How could anyone predict the future? And I’m not talking about those vague statements in ambiguous language that can be interpreted any other way nor about those astrologers that get one thing right amongst many false predictions. If it’s neither the case, meaning that when the prophecies are very clear and precise and they actualize one after the other, then, I would argue, they must be divinely inspired.
There are numerous prophecies in both The Quran and The Sunna or what we refer to as Hadith which are the recorded sayings of the prophet (pbuh). Some were fulfilled during his lifetime and others came true after his death and of which we have historical evidence. Some were actualized only in the last decades (14 centuries after they were prophesized) and others are yet to be fulfilled.
The Quran makes a series of precisely detailed predictions. You’re probably already aware of the prophecy about the victory of the Romans found at the beginning of chapter 30. In the early 7th century, when the believers were still in Mekkah suffering persecution by the Qureishi pagans, the two rival superpowers at the time were the Byzantine and Persian Empires. Battles between both entities have lasted centuries before the fire-worshippers of Persia defeated the Byzantine worshippers of God and won the war in a clear victory seizing both Damascus and Jerusalem. The disbelievers of Mekkah were thrilled and they would often mock the believers saying that “you possess a [divine] Book and so are the People of the Book and yet they were heavily defeated by our brethren from the Persians and so we will defeat you”. And so God revealed:
غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ ﴿2﴾فِي أَدْنَى الْأَرْضِ وَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ غَلَبِهِمْ سَيَغْلِبُونَ ﴿3﴾ فِي بِضْعِ سِنِينَ ۗ لِلَّهِ الْأَمْرُ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَمِنْ بَعْدُ ۚ وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿4﴾ بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ ۚ يَنْصُرُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۖ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ ﴿5﴾ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ ۖ لَا يُخْلِفُ اللَّهُ وَعْدَهُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ”﴿5
“The Roman Empire has been defeated in the nearer (lowest) land, and they, after their defeat will be victorious within few (three to nine) years. The power belongs to Allah after (their defeat) as (it belonged to Him) before it. And on that day the believers (too) will rejoice. Over the victory (given to them) by Allah. He gives victory to whom He will, and He is the All-Mighty, the Ever Merciful. The promise of Allah! Allah does not fail His promise, yet most people do not know.”
These verses were revealed at a time when the Romans were so weak and threatened not only by the Persians but also by other forces (Avars, Slavs, and Lombards…) and also at a time when the course of events was pointing to a doomed entity that will so likely soon vanish About 7 years after this verse was revealed, God’s promise actualized and the Romans became victorious and gained their lands back. And the believers indeed rejoiced.
You can find recounts of these historical events even in extra-Islamic resources. But what’s even wonderful about these verses, for us living in the 21st century, is that the adjective (أَدْنَى ) used to describe the place where the Romans were defeated can be translated to ‘nearest' and/or ‘lowest’. The main battles took place in Damascus and Jerusalem and these places lie in a vast area of low-lying land called the Great Rift Valley. Thanks to satellite images, we now know that the area around the Dead Sea (located in the Great Rift Valley) has the lowest altitude on Earth; around 400 meters below sea level and that’s a piece of information that could not be known in the 7th century.
There are many other prophecies and scientific facts that exist in the Islamic tradition that you can look up to yourself.
How can you be so sure that it’s not some evil spirit that inspired Mohamed?
Well, whether in regard to the Revelation itself or the prophecies it contained within it, we can’t say that it’s an evil spirit because first and foremost demons do not command what’s good; to worship one God and not associate partners with Him, to be just and kind and so on and so forth… that just doesn’t sound devilish to me. Does it to you? Also, none of God’s creation knows even parts of the future without His permission.
To be continued…
▶️ The Sphere of YouTube
Check out this must-see video [clickable link] about the purpose of life by Dr. Jeffrey Lang and his amazing interpretation of the story where it all started.
🎥 The Sphere of video
THANK GOD! FINALLY, a new video is out!
💭 This Week’s Quote
“There is no wealth like knowledge, no poverty like ignorance, and no inheritance like good manners.”
― Ali Ibn Abi Taleb.
Thanks for Reading!
Thoughts and feedback on the newsletter or on anything covered within are always welcome, just hit reply. Hope you enjoyed this. As always, I appreciate you.
Stay curious and have a great week. 🤟
Meriem.