سورة الروم
Surah Ar-Rum
The Romans
Surah Ar-Rum (The Romans) is the 30th surah of the Quran. It has 60 verses and is a Meccan surah. Below is the complete Arabic text with an English translation and transliteration, verse by verse.
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
الٓمٓ﴿١﴾
Aliflammeem
Alif, Lām, Meem.
غُلِبَتِ ٱلرُّومُ﴿٢﴾
Ghulibati alrroomu
The Byzantines have been defeated
فِيٓ أَدۡنَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَ هُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ غَلَبِهِمۡ سَيَغۡلِبُونَ﴿٣﴾
Fee adna alardi wahum min baʿdi ghalabihim sayaghliboona
In the nearest land. But they, after their defeat, will overcome
فِي بِضۡعِ سِنِينَ ۗ لِلَّهِ ٱلۡأَمۡرُ مِن قَبۡلُ وَ مِنۢ بَعۡدُ ۚ وَ يَوۡمَئِذࣲ يَفۡرَحُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ﴿٤﴾
Fee bidʿi sineena lillahi alamru min qablu wamin baʿdu wayawmaithin yafrahu almuminoona
Within three to nine years. To Allāh belongs the command [i.e., decree] before and after. And that day the believers will rejoice
بِنَصۡرِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ يَنصُرُ مَن يَشَآءُ ۖ وَ هُوَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ﴿٥﴾
Binasri Allahi yansuru man yashao wahuwa alʿazeezu alrraheemu
In the victory of Allāh. He gives victory to whom He wills, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.
وَعۡدَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ لَا يُخۡلِفُ ٱللَّهُ وَعۡدَهُۥ وَ لَٰكِنَّ أَكۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ﴿٦﴾
Waʿda Allahi la yukhlifu Allahu waʿdahu walakinna akthara alnnasi la yaʿlamoona
[It is] the promise of Allāh. Allāh does not fail in His promise, but most of the people do not know.
يَعۡلَمُونَ ظَٰهِرࣰا مِّنَ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَ هُمۡ عَنِ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ هُمۡ غَٰفِلُونَ﴿٧﴾
Yaʿlamoona thahiran mina alhayati alddunya wahum ʿani alakhirati hum ghafiloona
They know what is apparent of the worldly life, but they, of the Hereafter, are unaware.
أَوَلَمۡ يَتَفَكَّرُواْ فِيٓ أَنفُسِهِم ۗ مَّا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ وَ مَا بَيۡنَهُمَآ إِلَّا بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَ أَجَلࣲ مُّسَمࣰّى ۗ وَ إِنَّ كَثِيرࣰا مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ بِلِقَآيِٕ رَبِّهِمۡ لَكَٰفِرُونَ﴿٨﴾
Awalam yatafakkaroo fee anfusihim ma khalaqa Allahu alssamawati waalarda wama baynahuma illa bialhaqqi waajalin musamman wainna katheeran mina alnnasi biliqai rabbihim lakafiroona
Do they not contemplate within themselves? Allāh has not created the heavens and the earth and what is between them except in truth and for a specified term. And indeed, many of the people, in the meeting with their Lord, are disbelievers.
أَوَلَمۡ يَسِيرُواْ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَيَنظُرُواْ كَيۡفَ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ ۚ كَانُوٓاْ أَشَدَّ مِنۡهُمۡ قُوَّةࣰ وَ أَثَارُواْ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ وَ عَمَرُوهَآ أَكۡثَرَ مِمَّا عَمَرُوهَا وَ جَآءَتۡهُمۡ رُسُلُهُم بِٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتِ ۖ فَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيَظۡلِمَهُمۡ وَ لَٰكِن كَانُوٓاْ أَنفُسَهُمۡ يَظۡلِمُونَ﴿٩﴾
Awalam yaseeroo fee alardi fayanthuroo kayfa kana ʿaqibatu allatheena min qablihim kanoo ashadda minhum quwwatan waatharoo alarda waʿamarooha akthara mimma ʿamarooha wajaathum rusuluhum bialbayyinati fama kana Allahu liyathlimahum walakin kanoo anfusahum yathlimoona
Have they not traveled through the earth and observed how was the end of those before them? They were greater than them in power, and they plowed [or excavated] the earth and built it up more than they [i.e., the Makkans] have built it up, and their messengers came to them with clear evidences. And Allāh would not ever have wronged them, but they were wronging themselves.
ثُمَّ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسَٰٓـُٔواْ ٱلسُّوٓأَىٰٓ أَن كَذَّبُواْ بِـَٔايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَ كَانُواْ بِهَا يَسۡتَهۡزِءُونَ﴿١٠﴾
Thumma kana ʿaqibata allatheena asaoo alssooa an kaththaboo biayati Allahi wakanoo biha yastahzioona
Then the end of those who did evil was the worst [consequence] because they denied the signs of Allāh and used to ridicule them.
ٱللَّهُ يَبۡدَؤُاْ ٱلۡخَلۡقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُۥ ثُمَّ إِلَيۡهِ تُرۡجَعُونَ﴿١١﴾
Allahu yabdao alkhalqa thumma yuʿeeduhu thumma ilayhi turjaʿoona
Allāh begins creation; then He will repeat it; then to Him you will be returned.
وَ يَوۡمَ تَقُومُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ يُبۡلِسُ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُونَ﴿١٢﴾
Wayawma taqoomu alssaʿatu yublisu almujrimoona
And the Day the Hour appears the criminals will be in despair.
وَ لَمۡ يَكُن لَّهُم مِّن شُرَكَآئِهِمۡ شُفَعَٰٓؤُاْ وَ كَانُواْ بِشُرَكَآئِهِمۡ كَٰفِرِينَ﴿١٣﴾
Walam yakun lahum min shurakaihim shufaʿao wakanoo bishurakaihim kafireena
And there will not be for them among their [alleged] partners any intercessors, and they will [then] be disbelievers in their partners.
وَ يَوۡمَ تَقُومُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ يَوۡمَئِذࣲ يَتَفَرَّقُونَ﴿١٤﴾
Wayawma taqoomu alssaʿatu yawmaithin yatafarraqoona
And the Day the Hour appears - that Day they will become separated.
فَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَ عَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ فَهُمۡ فِي رَوۡضَةࣲ يُحۡبَرُونَ﴿١٥﴾
Faamma allatheena amanoo waʿamiloo alssalihati fahum fee rawdatin yuhbaroona
And as for those who had believed and done righteous deeds, they will be in a garden [of Paradise], delighted.
وَ أَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَ كَذَّبُواْ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا وَ لِقَآيِٕ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ فَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ فِي ٱلۡعَذَابِ مُحۡضَرُونَ﴿١٦﴾
Waamma allatheena kafaroo wakaththaboo biayatina waliqai alakhirati faolaika fee alʿathabi muhdaroona
But as for those who disbelieved and denied Our verses and the meeting of the Hereafter, those will be brought into the punishment [to remain].
فَسُبۡحَٰنَ ٱللَّهِ حِينَ تُمۡسُونَ وَ حِينَ تُصۡبِحُونَ﴿١٧﴾
Fasubhana Allahi heena tumsoona waheena tusbihoona
So exalted is Allāh when you reach the evening and when you reach the morning.
وَ لَهُ ٱلۡحَمۡدُ فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَ عَشِيࣰّا وَ حِينَ تُظۡهِرُونَ﴿١٨﴾
Walahu alhamdu fee alssamawati waalardi waʿashiyyan waheena tuthhiroona
And to Him is [due all] praise throughout the heavens and the earth. And [exalted is He] at night and when you are at noon.
يُخۡرِجُ ٱلۡحَيَّ مِنَ ٱلۡمَيِّتِ وَ يُخۡرِجُ ٱلۡمَيِّتَ مِنَ ٱلۡحَيِّ وَ يُحۡيِ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ بَعۡدَ مَوۡتِهَا ۚ وَ كَذَٰلِكَ تُخۡرَجُونَ﴿١٩﴾
Yukhriju alhayya mina almayyiti wayukhriju almayyita mina alhayyi wayuhyee alarda baʿda mawtiha wakathalika tukhrajoona
He brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living and brings to life the earth after its lifelessness. And thus will you be brought out.
وَ مِنۡ ءَايَٰتِهِۦٓ أَنۡ خَلَقَكُم مِّن تُرَابࣲ ثُمَّ إِذَآ أَنتُم بَشَرࣱ تَنتَشِرُونَ﴿٢٠﴾
Wamin ayatihi an khalaqakum min turabin thumma itha antum basharun tantashiroona
And of His signs is that He created you from dust; then, suddenly you were human beings dispersing [throughout the earth].
وَ مِنۡ ءَايَٰتِهِۦٓ أَنۡ خَلَقَ لَكُم مِّنۡ أَنفُسِكُمۡ أَزۡوَٰجࣰا لِّتَسۡكُنُوٓاْ إِلَيۡهَا وَ جَعَلَ بَيۡنَكُم مَّوَدَّةࣰ وَ رَحۡمَةً ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَٰتࣲ لِّقَوۡمࣲ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ﴿٢١﴾
Wamin ayatihi an khalaqa lakum min anfusikum azwajan litaskunoo ilayha wajaʿala baynakum mawaddatan warahmatan inna fee thalika laayatin liqawmin yatafakkaroona
And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.
وَ مِنۡ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ خَلۡقُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَ ٱخۡتِلَٰفُ أَلۡسِنَتِكُمۡ وَ أَلۡوَٰنِكُمۡ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَٰتࣲ لِّلۡعَٰلِمِينَ﴿٢٢﴾
Wamin ayatihi khalqu alssamawati waalardi waikhtilafu alsinatikum waalwanikum inna fee thalika laayatin lilʿalimeena
And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colors. Indeed in that are signs for those of knowledge.
وَ مِنۡ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ مَنَامُكُم بِٱلَّيۡلِ وَ ٱلنَّهَارِ وَ ٱبۡتِغَآؤُكُم مِّن فَضۡلِهِۦٓ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَٰتࣲ لِّقَوۡمࣲ يَسۡمَعُونَ﴿٢٣﴾
Wamin ayatihi manamukum biallayli waalnnahari waibtighaokum min fadlihi inna fee thalika laayatin liqawmin yasmaʿoona
And of His signs is your sleep by night and day and your seeking of His bounty. Indeed in that are signs for a people who listen.
وَ مِنۡ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ يُرِيكُمُ ٱلۡبَرۡقَ خَوۡفࣰا وَ طَمَعࣰا وَ يُنَزِّلُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءࣰ فَيُحۡيِۦ بِهِ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ بَعۡدَ مَوۡتِهَآ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَٰتࣲ لِّقَوۡمࣲ يَعۡقِلُونَ﴿٢٤﴾
Wamin ayatihi yureekumu albarqa khawfan watamaʿan wayunazzilu mina alssamai maan fayuhyee bihi alarda baʿda mawtiha inna fee thalika laayatin liqawmin yaʿqiloona
And of His signs is [that] He shows you the lightning [causing] fear and aspiration, and He sends down rain from the sky by which He brings to life the earth after its lifelessness. Indeed in that are signs for a people who use reason.
وَ مِنۡ ءَايَٰتِهِۦٓ أَن تَقُومَ ٱلسَّمَآءُ وَ ٱلۡأَرۡضُ بِأَمۡرِهِۦ ۚ ثُمَّ إِذَا دَعَاكُمۡ دَعۡوَةࣰ مِّنَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ إِذَآ أَنتُمۡ تَخۡرُجُونَ﴿٢٥﴾
Wamin ayatihi an taqooma alssamao waalardu biamrihi thumma itha daʿakum daʿwatan mina alardi itha antum takhrujoona
And of His signs is that the heaven and earth stand [i.e., remain] by His command. Then when He calls you with a [single] call from the earth, immediately you will come forth.
وَ لَهُۥ مَن فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ ۖ كُلࣱّ لَّهُۥ قَٰنِتُونَ﴿٢٦﴾
Walahu man fee alssamawati waalardi kullun lahu qanitoona
And to Him belongs whoever is in the heavens and earth. All are to Him devoutly obedient.
وَ هُوَ ٱلَّذِي يَبۡدَؤُاْ ٱلۡخَلۡقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُۥ وَ هُوَ أَهۡوَنُ عَلَيۡهِ ۚ وَ لَهُ ٱلۡمَثَلُ ٱلۡأَعۡلَىٰ فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ ۚ وَ هُوَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ﴿٢٧﴾
Wahuwa allathee yabdao alkhalqa thumma yuʿeeduhu wahuwa ahwanu ʿalayhi walahu almathalu alaʿla fee alssamawati waalardi wahuwa alʿazeezu alhakeemu
And it is He who begins creation; then He repeats it, and that is [even] easier for Him. To Him belongs the highest description [i.e., attribute] in the heavens and earth. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
ضَرَبَ لَكُم مَّثَلࣰا مِّنۡ أَنفُسِكُمۡ ۖ هَل لَّكُم مِّن مَّا مَلَكَتۡ أَيۡمَٰنُكُم مِّن شُرَكَآءَ فِي مَا رَزَقۡنَٰكُمۡ فَأَنتُمۡ فِيهِ سَوَآءࣱ تَخَافُونَهُمۡ كَخِيفَتِكُمۡ أَنفُسَكُمۡ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِ لِقَوۡمࣲ يَعۡقِلُونَ﴿٢٨﴾
Daraba lakum mathalan min anfusikum hal lakum mi mma malakat aymanukum min shurakaa fee ma razaqnakum faantum feehi sawaon takhafoonahum kakheefatikum anfusakum kathalika nufassilu alayati liqawmin yaʿqiloona
He presents to you an example from yourselves. Do you have among those whom your right hands possess [i.e., slaves] any partners in what We have provided for you so that you are equal therein [and] would fear them as your fear of one another [within a partnership]? Thus do We detail the verses for a people who use reason.
بَلِ ٱتَّبَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوٓاْ أَهۡوَآءَهُم بِغَيۡرِ عِلۡمࣲ ۖ فَمَن يَهۡدِي مَنۡ أَضَلَّ ٱللَّهُ ۖ وَ مَا لَهُم مِّن نَّٰصِرِينَ﴿٢٩﴾
Bali ittabaʿa allatheena thalamoo ahwaahum bighayri ʿilmin faman yahdee man adalla Allahu wama lahum min nasireena
But those who wrong follow their [own] desires without knowledge. Then who can guide one whom Allāh has sent astray? And for them there are no helpers.
فَأَقِمۡ وَجۡهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفࣰا ۚ فِطۡرَتَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِي فَطَرَ ٱلنَّاسَ عَلَيۡهَا ۚ لَا تَبۡدِيلَ لِخَلۡقِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلۡقَيِّمُ وَ لَٰكِنَّ أَكۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ﴿٣٠﴾
Faaqim wajhaka lilddeeni haneefan fitrata Allahi allatee fatara alnnasa ʿalayha la tabdeela likhalqi Allahi thalika alddeenu alqayyimu walakinna akthara alnnasi la yaʿlamoona
So direct your face [i.e., self] toward the religion, inclining to truth. [Adhere to] the fiṭrah of Allāh upon which He has created [all] people. No change should there be in the creation of Allāh. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know.
مُنِيبِينَ إِلَيۡهِ وَ ٱتَّقُوهُ وَ أَقِيمُواْ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَ لَا تَكُونُواْ مِنَ ٱلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ﴿٣١﴾
Muneebeena ilayhi waittaqoohu waaqeemoo alssalata wala takoonoo mina almushrikeena
[Adhere to it], turning in repentance to Him, and fear Him and establish prayer and do not be of those who associate others with Allāh
مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ فَرَّقُواْ دِينَهُمۡ وَ كَانُواْ شِيَعࣰا ۖ كُلُّ حِزۡبِۭ بِمَا لَدَيۡهِمۡ فَرِحُونَ﴿٣٢﴾
Mina allatheena farraqoo deenahum wakanoo shiyaʿan kullu hizbin bima ladayhim farihoona
[Or] of those who have divided their religion and become sects, every faction rejoicing in what it has.
وَ إِذَا مَسَّ ٱلنَّاسَ ضُرࣱّ دَعَوۡاْ رَبَّهُم مُّنِيبِينَ إِلَيۡهِ ثُمَّ إِذَآ أَذَاقَهُم مِّنۡهُ رَحۡمَةً إِذَا فَرِيقࣱ مِّنۡهُم بِرَبِّهِمۡ يُشۡرِكُونَ﴿٣٣﴾
Waitha massa alnnasa durrun daʿaw rabbahum muneebeena ilayhi thumma itha athaqahum minhu rahmatan itha fareequn minhum birabbihim yushrikoona
And when adversity touches the people, they call upon their Lord, turning in repentance to Him. Then when He lets them taste mercy from Him, at once a party of them associate others with their Lord,
لِيَكۡفُرُواْ بِمَآ ءَاتَيۡنَٰهُمۡ ۚ فَتَمَتَّعُواْ فَسَوۡفَ تَعۡلَمُونَ﴿٣٤﴾
Liyakfuroo bima ataynahum fatamattaʿoo fasawfa taʿlamoona
So that they will deny what We have granted them. Then enjoy yourselves, for you are going to know.
أَمۡ أَنزَلۡنَا عَلَيۡهِمۡ سُلۡطَٰنࣰا فَهُوَ يَتَكَلَّمُ بِمَا كَانُواْ بِهِۦ يُشۡرِكُونَ﴿٣٥﴾
Am anzalna ʿalayhim sultanan fahuwa yatakallamu bima kanoo bihi yushrikoona
Or have We sent down to them an authority [i.e., a proof or scripture], and it speaks of what they have been associating with Him?
وَ إِذَآ أَذَقۡنَا ٱلنَّاسَ رَحۡمَةࣰ فَرِحُواْ بِهَا ۖ وَ إِن تُصِبۡهُمۡ سَيِّئَةُۢ بِمَا قَدَّمَتۡ أَيۡدِيهِمۡ إِذَا هُمۡ يَقۡنَطُونَ﴿٣٦﴾
Waitha athaqna alnnasa rahmatan farihoo biha wain tusibhum sayyiatun bima qaddamat aydeehim itha hum yaqnatoona
And when We let the people taste mercy, they rejoice therein, but if evil afflicts them for what their hands have put forth, immediately they despair.
أَوَلَمۡ يَرَوۡاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَبۡسُطُ ٱلرِّزۡقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَ يَقۡدِرُ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَٰتࣲ لِّقَوۡمࣲ يُؤۡمِنُونَ﴿٣٧﴾
Awalam yaraw anna Allaha yabsutu alrrizqa liman yashao wayaqdiru inna fee thalika laayatin liqawmin yuminoona
Do they not see that Allāh extends provision for whom He wills and restricts [it]? Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe.
فَـَٔاتِ ذَا ٱلۡقُرۡبَىٰ حَقَّهُۥ وَ ٱلۡمِسۡكِينَ وَ ٱبۡنَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ خَيۡرࣱ لِّلَّذِينَ يُرِيدُونَ وَجۡهَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡلِحُونَ﴿٣٨﴾
Faati tha alqurba haqqahu waalmiskeena waibna alssabeeli thalika khayrun lillatheena yureedoona wajha Allahi waolaika humu almuflihoona
So give the relative his right, as well as the needy and the traveler. That is best for those who desire the face [i.e., approval] of Allāh, and it is they who will be the successful.
وَ مَآ ءَاتَيۡتُم مِّن رِّبࣰا لِّيَرۡبُوَاْ فِيٓ أَمۡوَٰلِ ٱلنَّاسِ فَلَا يَرۡبُواْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَ مَآ ءَاتَيۡتُم مِّن زَكَوٰةࣲ تُرِيدُونَ وَجۡهَ ٱللَّهِ فَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُضۡعِفُونَ﴿٣٩﴾
Wama ataytum min riban liyarbuwa fee amwali alnnasi fala yarboo ʿinda Allahi wama ataytum min zakatin tureedoona wajha Allahi faolaika humu almudʿifoona
And whatever you give for interest [i.e., advantage] to increase within the wealth of people will not increase with Allāh. But what you give in zakāh, desiring the face [i.e., approval] of Allāh - those are the multipliers.
ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَكُمۡ ثُمَّ رَزَقَكُمۡ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمۡ ثُمَّ يُحۡيِيكُمۡ ۖ هَلۡ مِن شُرَكَآئِكُم مَّن يَفۡعَلُ مِن ذَٰلِكُم مِّن شَيۡءࣲ ۚ سُبۡحَٰنَهُۥ وَ تَعَٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يُشۡرِكُونَ﴿٤٠﴾
Allahu allathee khalaqakum thumma razaqakum thumma yumeetukum thumma yuhyeekum hal min shurakaikum man yafʿalu min thalikum min shayin subhanahu wataʿala ʿamma yushrikoona
Allāh is the one who created you, then provided for you, then will cause you to die, and then will give you life. Are there any of your "partners" who does anything of that? Exalted is He and high above what they associate with Him.
ظَهَرَ ٱلۡفَسَادُ فِي ٱلۡبَرِّ وَ ٱلۡبَحۡرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتۡ أَيۡدِي ٱلنَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعۡضَ ٱلَّذِي عَمِلُواْ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَرۡجِعُونَ﴿٤١﴾
Thahara alfasadu fee albarri waalbahri bima kasabat aydee alnnasi liyutheeqahum baʿda allathee ʿamiloo laʿallahum yarjiʿoona
Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea by [reason of] what the hands of people have earned so He [i.e., Allāh] may let them taste part of [the consequence of] what they have done that perhaps they will return [to righteousness].
قُلۡ سِيرُواْ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَٱنظُرُواْ كَيۡفَ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلُ ۚ كَانَ أَكۡثَرُهُم مُّشۡرِكِينَ﴿٤٢﴾
Qul seeroo fee alardi faonthuroo kayfa kana ʿaqibatu allatheena min qablu kana aktharuhum mushrikeena
Say, [O Muḥammad], "Travel through the land and observe how was the end of those before. Most of them were associators [of others with Allāh].
فَأَقِمۡ وَجۡهَكَ لِلدِّينِ ٱلۡقَيِّمِ مِن قَبۡلِ أَن يَأۡتِيَ يَوۡمࣱ لَّا مَرَدَّ لَهُۥ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ يَوۡمَئِذࣲ يَصَّدَّعُونَ﴿٤٣﴾
Faaqim wajhaka lilddeeni alqayyimi min qabli an yatiya yawmun la maradda lahu mina Allahi yawmaithin yassaddaʿoona
So direct your face [i.e., self] toward the correct religion before a Day comes from Allāh of which there is no repelling. That Day, they will be divided.
مَن كَفَرَ فَعَلَيۡهِ كُفۡرُهُۥ ۖ وَ مَنۡ عَمِلَ صَٰلِحࣰا فَلِأَنفُسِهِمۡ يَمۡهَدُونَ﴿٤٤﴾
Man kafara faʿalayhi kufruhu waman ʿamila salihan falianfusihim yamhadoona
Whoever disbelieves - upon him is [the consequence of] his disbelief. And whoever does righteousness - they are for themselves preparing,
لِيَجۡزِيَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَ عَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ مِن فَضۡلِهِۦٓ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ﴿٤٥﴾
Liyajziya allatheena amanoo waʿamiloo alssalihati min fadlihi innahu la yuhibbu alkafireena
That He may reward those who have believed and done righteous deeds out of His bounty. Indeed, He does not like the disbelievers.
وَ مِنۡ ءَايَٰتِهِۦٓ أَن يُرۡسِلَ ٱلرِّيَاحَ مُبَشِّرَٰتࣲ وَ لِيُذِيقَكُم مِّن رَّحۡمَتِهِۦ وَ لِتَجۡرِيَ ٱلۡفُلۡكُ بِأَمۡرِهِۦ وَ لِتَبۡتَغُواْ مِن فَضۡلِهِۦ وَ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ﴿٤٦﴾
Wamin ayatihi an yursila alrriyaha mubashshiratin waliyutheeqakum min rahmatihi walitajriya alfulku biamrihi walitabtaghoo min fadlihi walaʿallakum tashkuroona
And of His signs is that He sends the winds as bringers of good tidings and to let you taste His mercy [i.e., rain] and so the ships may sail at His command and so you may seek of His bounty, and perhaps you will be grateful.
وَ لَقَدۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا مِن قَبۡلِكَ رُسُلًا إِلَىٰ قَوۡمِهِمۡ فَجَآءُوهُم بِٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتِ فَٱنتَقَمۡنَا مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَجۡرَمُواْ ۖ وَ كَانَ حَقًّا عَلَيۡنَا نَصۡرُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ﴿٤٧﴾
Walaqad arsalna min qablika rusulan ila qawmihim fajaoohum bialbayyinati faintaqamna mina allatheena ajramoo wakana haqqan ʿalayna nasru almumineena
And We have already sent messengers before you to their peoples, and they came to them with clear evidences; then We took retribution from those who committed crimes, and incumbent upon Us was support of the believers.
ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِي يُرۡسِلُ ٱلرِّيَٰحَ فَتُثِيرُ سَحَابࣰا فَيَبۡسُطُهُۥ فِي ٱلسَّمَآءِ كَيۡفَ يَشَآءُ وَ يَجۡعَلُهُۥ كِسَفࣰا فَتَرَى ٱلۡوَدۡقَ يَخۡرُجُ مِنۡ خِلَٰلِهِۦ ۖ فَإِذَآ أَصَابَ بِهِۦ مَن يَشَآءُ مِنۡ عِبَادِهِۦٓ إِذَا هُمۡ يَسۡتَبۡشِرُونَ﴿٤٨﴾
Allahu allathee yursilu alrriyaha fatutheeru sahaban fayabsutuhu fee alssamai kayfa yashao wayajʿaluhu kisafan fatara alwadqa yakhruju min khilalihi faitha asaba bihi man yashao min ʿibadihi itha hum yastabshiroona
It is Allāh who sends the winds, and they stir the clouds and spread them in the sky however He wills, and He makes them fragments so you see the rain emerge from within them. And when He causes it to fall upon whom He wills of His servants, immediately they rejoice
وَ إِن كَانُواْ مِن قَبۡلِ أَن يُنَزَّلَ عَلَيۡهِم مِّن قَبۡلِهِۦ لَمُبۡلِسِينَ﴿٤٩﴾
Wain kanoo min qabli an yunazzala ʿalayhim min qablihi lamubliseena
Although they were, before it was sent down upon them - before that, in despair.
فَٱنظُرۡ إِلَىٰٓ ءَاثَٰرِ رَحۡمَتِ ٱللَّهِ كَيۡفَ يُحۡيِ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ بَعۡدَ مَوۡتِهَآ ۚ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ لَمُحۡيِ ٱلۡمَوۡتَىٰ ۖ وَ هُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيۡءࣲ قَدِيرࣱ﴿٥٠﴾
Faonthur ila athari rahmati Allahi kayfa yuhyee alarda baʿda mawtiha inna thalika lamuhyee almawta wahuwa ʿala kulli shayin qadeerun
So observe the effects of the mercy of Allāh - how He gives life to the earth after its lifelessness. Indeed, that [same one] will give life to the dead, and He is over all things competent.
وَ لَئِنۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا رِيحࣰا فَرَأَوۡهُ مُصۡفَرࣰّا لَّظَلُّواْ مِنۢ بَعۡدِهِۦ يَكۡفُرُونَ﴿٥١﴾
Walain arsalna reehan faraawhu musfarran lathalloo min baʿdihi yakfuroona
But if We should send a [bad] wind and they saw [their crops] turned yellow, they would remain thereafter disbelievers.
فَإِنَّكَ لَا تُسۡمِعُ ٱلۡمَوۡتَىٰ وَ لَا تُسۡمِعُ ٱلصُّمَّ ٱلدُّعَآءَ إِذَا وَلَّوۡاْ مُدۡبِرِينَ﴿٥٢﴾
Fainnaka la tusmiʿu almawta wala tusmiʿu alssumma aldduʿaa itha wallaw mudbireena
So indeed, you will not make the dead hear, nor will you make the deaf hear the call when they turn their backs, retreating.
وَ مَآ أَنتَ بِهَٰدِ ٱلۡعُمۡيِ عَن ضَلَٰلَتِهِمۡ ۖ إِن تُسۡمِعُ إِلَّا مَن يُؤۡمِنُ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا فَهُم مُّسۡلِمُونَ﴿٥٣﴾
Wama anta bihadi alʿumyi ʿan dalalatihim in tusmiʿu illa man yuminu biayatina fahum muslimoona
And you cannot guide the blind away from their error. You will only make hear those who believe in Our verses so they are Muslims [in submission to Allāh].
ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن ضَعۡفࣲ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ ضَعۡفࣲ قُوَّةࣰ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ قُوَّةࣲ ضَعۡفࣰا وَ شَيۡبَةࣰ ۚ يَخۡلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُ ۚ وَ هُوَ ٱلۡعَلِيمُ ٱلۡقَدِيرُ﴿٥٤﴾
Allahu allathee khalaqakum min daʿfin thumma jaʿala min baʿdi daʿfin quwwatan thumma jaʿala min baʿdi quwwatin daʿfan washaybatan yakhluqu ma yashao wahuwa alʿaleemu alqadeeru
Allāh is the one who created you from weakness, then made after weakness strength, then made after strength weakness and white hair. He creates what He wills, and He is the Knowing, the Competent.
وَ يَوۡمَ تَقُومُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ يُقۡسِمُ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُونَ مَا لَبِثُواْ غَيۡرَ سَاعَةࣲ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ كَانُواْ يُؤۡفَكُونَ﴿٥٥﴾
Wayawma taqoomu alssaʿatu yuqsimu almujrimoona ma labithoo ghayra saʿatin kathalika kanoo yufakoona
And the Day the Hour appears the criminals will swear they had remained but an hour. Thus they were deluded.
وَ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلۡعِلۡمَ وَ ٱلۡإِيمَٰنَ لَقَدۡ لَبِثۡتُمۡ فِي كِتَٰبِ ٱللَّهِ إِلَىٰ يَوۡمِ ٱلۡبَعۡثِ ۖ فَهَٰذَا يَوۡمُ ٱلۡبَعۡثِ وَ لَٰكِنَّكُمۡ كُنتُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ﴿٥٦﴾
Waqala allatheena ootoo alʿilma waaleemana laqad labithtum fee kitabi Allahi ila yawmi albaʿthi fahatha yawmu albaʿthi walakinnakum kuntum la taʿlamoona
But those who were given knowledge and faith will say, "You remained the extent of Allāh's decree until the Day of Resurrection, and this is the Day of Resurrection, but you did not used to know."
فَيَوۡمَئِذࣲ لَّا يَنفَعُ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ مَعۡذِرَتُهُمۡ وَ لَا هُمۡ يُسۡتَعۡتَبُونَ﴿٥٧﴾
Fayawmaithin la yanfaʿu allatheena thalamoo maʿthiratuhum wala hum yustaʿtaboona
So that Day, their excuse will not benefit those who wronged, nor will they be asked to appease [Allāh].
وَ لَقَدۡ ضَرَبۡنَا لِلنَّاسِ فِي هَٰذَا ٱلۡقُرۡءَانِ مِن كُلِّ مَثَلࣲ ۚ وَ لَئِن جِئۡتَهُم بِـَٔايَةࣲ لَّيَقُولَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓاْ إِنۡ أَنتُمۡ إِلَّا مُبۡطِلُونَ﴿٥٨﴾
Walaqad darabna lilnnasi fee hatha alqurani min kulli mathalin walain jitahum biayatin layaqoolanna allatheena kafaroo in antum illa mubtiloona
And We have certainly presented to the people in this Qur’ān from every [kind of] example. But, [O Muḥammad], if you should bring them a sign, the disbelievers will surely say, "You [believers] are but falsifiers."
كَذَٰلِكَ يَطۡبَعُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ﴿٥٩﴾
Kathalika yatbaʿu Allahu ʿala quloobi allatheena la yaʿlamoona
Thus does Allāh seal the hearts of those who do not know.
فَٱصۡبِرۡ إِنَّ وَعۡدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقࣱّ ۖ وَ لَا يَسۡتَخِفَّنَّكَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُوقِنُونَ﴿٦٠﴾
Faisbir inna waʿda Allahi haqqun wala yastakhiffannaka allatheena la yooqinoona
So be patient. Indeed, the promise of Allāh is truth. And let them not disquiet you who are not certain [in faith].
Translation: Saheeh International · Transliteration
About this surah
Name
The Surah takes its name Ar-Rum from the second verse in which the words ghulibat-ir-Rum have occurred.
Period of Revelation
The period of the revelation of this Surah is determined by the historical event that has been mentioned at the outset. It says: "The Romans have been vanquished in the neighboring land."In those days the Byzantine occupied territories adjacent to Arabia were Jordan, Syria and Palestine, and in these territories the Romans were completely overpowered by the Iranians in 615 A.D. Therefore, it can be said with absolute certainty that this Surah was sent down in the same year, and this was the year in which the migration to Habash took place.
Historical Background
The prediction made in the initial verses of this Surah is one of the most outstanding evidences of the Quran's being the Word of Allah and the Holy Prophet Muhammad being a true Messenger of Allah. Let us have a look at the historical background relevant to the verses.
Eight years before the advent of the Holy Prophet, the Byzantine Emperor Maurice was overthrown by Phocus, who captured the throne and became king. Phocus executed the five sons of Maurice in front of him, and then had the Emperor killed and hung their heads on a thoroughfare in Constantinople. A few days later he had the empress and her three daughters also put to death. This event provided Khusrau Parvez, the Sassanid King of Iran with a good excuse to attack Byzantium. Emperor Maurice had been his benefactor; with who's help he had got the throne of Iran. Khusrau therefore declared that he would avenge his godfather's murder and that of his children. He started the war against Byzantium in 603 A.D. and within a few years, putting the Phocus armies to rout in succession, he reached Edessa (modern, Urfa) in Asia Minor, on the one hand, and Aleppo and Antioch in Syria, on the other. When the Byzantine ministers saw that Phocus could not save the country, they sought the African governor's help, who sent his son, Heraclius, to Constantinople with a strong fleet. Phocus was immediately deposed and Heraclius made emperor. He treated Phocus as he had treated Maurice. This happened in 610 A. D., the year the Holy Prophet was appointed to Prophethood.
The moral excuse for which Khusrau Parvez had started the war was no more valid after the deposition and death of Phocus. Had the object of his war really been to avenge the murder of his ally on Phocus for his cruelty, he would have come to terms with the new Emperor after the death of Phocus. But he continued the war, and gave it the color of a crusade between Zoroastrianism and Christianity. The sympathies of the Christian sects (i. e. Nestorians and Jacobians, etc.) which had been excommunicated by the Roman ecclesiastical authority and tyrannized for years also went with the Magian (Zoroastrian) invaders, and the Jews also joined hands with them; so much so that the number of the Jews who enlisted in Khusrau's army rose up to 26,000.
Heraclius could not stop this storm. The very first news that he received from the East after ascending the throne was that of the Iranian occupation of Antioch. After this Damascus fell in 613 A. D. Then in 614 A.D. the Iranians occupying Jerusalem played havoc with the Christian world. Ninety thousand Christians were massacred and the Holy Sepulcher was desecrated. The Original Cross on which, according to the Christian belief, Jesus had died was seized and carried to Mada'in. The chief priest Zacharia was taken prisoner and all the important churches of the city were destroyed. How puffed up was Khusrau Parvez at this victory can be judged from the letter that he wrote to Heraclius from Jerusalem. He wrote: "From Khusrau, the greatest of all gods, the master of the whole world: To Heraclius, his most wretched and most stupid servant: You say that you have trust in your Lord. why didn't then your Lord save Jerusalem from me?"
Within a year after this victory the Iranian armies over-ran Jordan, Palestine and the whole of the Sinai Peninsula, and reached the frontiers of Egypt. In those very days another conflict of a far greater historical consequence was going on in Makkah. The believers in One God, under the leadership of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's peace be upon him), were fighting for their existence against the followers of shirk under the command of the chiefs of the Quraish, and the conflict had reached such a stage that in 615 A. D., a substantial number of the Muslims had to leave their homes and take refuge with the Christian kingdom of Habash, which was an ally of the Byzantine Empire. In those days the Sassanid victories against Byzantium were the talk of the town, and the pagans of Makkah were delighted and were taunting the Muslims to the effect: "Look the fire worshipers of Iran are winning victories and the Christian believers in Revelation and Prophethood are being routed everywhere. Likewise, we, the idol worshipers of Arabia, will exterminate you and your religion."
These were the conditions when this Surah of the Quran was sent down, and in it a prediction was made, saying:"The Romans have been vanquished in the neighboring land and within a few years after their defeat, they shall be victorious. And it will be the day when the believers will rejoice in the victory granted by Allah." It contained not one but two predictions: First, the Romans shall be victorious; and second, the Muslims also shall win a victory at the same time. Apparently, there was not a remote chance of the fulfillment of the either prediction in the next few years. On the one hand, there were a handful of the Muslims, who were being beaten and tortured in Makkah, and even till eight years after this prediction there appeared no chance of their victory and domination. On the other, the Romans were losing more and more ground every next day. By 619 A. D. the whole of Egypt had passed into Sassanid hands and the Magian armies had reached as far as Tripoli. In Asia Minor they beat and pushed back the Romans to Bosporus, and in 617 A. D. they captured Chalcedon (modern, Kadikoy) just opposite Constantinople. The Emperor sent an envoy to Khusrau, praying that he was ready to have peace on any terms, but he replied, "I shall not give protection to the emperor until he is brought in chains before me and gives up obedience to his crucified god and adopts submission to the fire god." At last, the Emperor became so depressed by defeat that he decided to leave Constantinople and shift to Carthage (modern, Tunis). In short, as the British historian Gibbon says, even seven to eight years after this prediction of the Quran, the conditions were such that no one could even imagine that the Byzantine Empire would ever gain an upper hand over Iran. Not to speak of gaining domination, no one could hope that the Empire, under the circumstances, would even survive.
bid\`i sinin, and the word bid\` in Arabic applies to a number upto ten. Therefore, make the bet for ten years and increase the number of camels to a hundred." So, Hadrat Abu Bakr spoke to Ubayy again and bet a hundred camels for ten years.
In 622 A. D. as the Holy Prophet migrated to Madinah, the Emperor Heraclius set off quietly for Trabzon from Constantinople via the Black Sea and started preparations to attack Iran from rear. For this he asked the Church for money, and Pope Sergius lent him the Church collections on interest, in a bid to save Christianity from Zoroastrianism. Heraclius started his counter attack in 623 A. D. from Armenia. Next year, in 624 A. D., he entered Azerbaijan and destroyed Clorumia, the birthplace of Zoroaster, and ravaged the principal fire temple of Iran. Great are the powers of Allah, this was the very year when the Muslims achieved a decisive victory at Badr for the first time against the mushriks. Thus both the predictions made in Surah Rum were fulfilled simultaneously within the stipulated period of ten years.
The Byzantine forces continued to press the Iranians hard and in the decisive battle at Nineveh (627 A.D.) they dealt them the hardest blow. They captured the royal residence of Dastagerd, and then pressing forward reached right opposite to Ctesiphon, capital of Iran in those days. In 628 A. D. in an internal revolt, Khusrau Parvez was imprisoned and 18 of his sons were executed in front of him and a few days later he himself died in the prison. This was the year when the peace treaty of Hudaibiya was concluded, which the Quran has termed as "the supreme victory", and in this very year Khusrau's son, Qubad II, gave up all the occupied Roman territories, restored the True Cross and made peace with Byzantium. In 628 A. D., the Emperor himself went to Jerusalem to install the "Holy Cross" in its place, and in the same year the Holy Prophet entered Makkah for the first time after the Hijrah to perform the \`Umra-tul-Qada'.
After this no one could have any doubt about the truth of the prophecy of the Quran, with the result that most of the Arab polytheists accepted Islam. The heirs of Ubayy bin Khalaf lost their bet and had to give a hundred camels to Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddiq. He took them before the Holy Prophet, who ordered that they be given away in charity, because the bet had been made at a time when gambling had not yet been forbidden by the Shari\`ah ; now it was forbidden. Therefore, the bet was allowed to be accepted from the belligerent disbelievers, but instruction given that it should be given away in charity and should not be brought in personal use.
Theme and Subject matter
The discourse begins with the theme that the Romans have been overcome and the people the world over think that the empire is about to collapse, but the fact is that within a few years the tables will be turned and the vanquished will again become victorious.
This introductory theme contains the great truth that man is accustomed to seeing only what is apparent and superficial. That which is behind the apparent and superficial he does not know. When in the petty matters of life, this habit to see only the apparent and superficial can lead man to misunderstandings and miscalculations, and when he is liable to make wrong estimates only due to lack of knowledge about "what will happen tomorrow", how stupendous will be his error if he risks his whole life-activity by placing reliance only upon what is visible and apparent with respect to his worldly life as a whole.
In this connection, the Signs of the universe which have been presented as evidence to prove the doctrine of the Hereafter arc precisely the same which support the doctrine of Tauhid. Therefore from verse 28 onward, the discourse turns to the affirmation of Tauhid and the refutation of shirk, and it is stressed that the natural way of life for man is none else but to serve One God exclusively. Shirk is opposed to the nature of the universe as to the nature of man. Therefore, whenever man has adopted this deviation, chaos has resulted. Again here, an allusion has been made to the great chaos that had gripped the world on account of the war between the two major powers of the time, and it has been indicated that this chaos too, is the result of shirk, and all the nations who were ever involved in mischief and chaos in the history of mankind were also mushriks.
In conclusion, a parable has been presented to make the people understand that just as dead earth comes to life, all of a sudden, by a shower of rain sent by God and swells with vegetation and plant life, so is the case with the dead humanity. When God sends a shower of His mercy in the form of Revelation and Prophethood, it also gives a new life to mankind and causes it to grow and develop and flourish. Therefore: "If you take full advantage of this opportunity, the barren land of Arabia will bloom by Allah's mercy and the whole advantage will be your. But if you do not take advantage of it, you will harm only your selves. Then no regret will avail and no opportunity will be provided to make amends."
Source: Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Quran