📝 Footnotes
580) That is, close to the Arab lands, namely Syria and Palestine. 581) The Romans (at the time this verse was revealed) were a Christian nation that possessed a Scripture, whereas the Persians, who practiced Zoroastrianism, worshiped fire and idols (polytheists). When the news of the Romans' defeat by the Persians spread, the polytheists of Makkah welcomed it with great joy because they aligned themselves with the polytheistic Persians. Conversely, the Muslims grieved over it. This verse and the following verse were revealed to explain that after their defeat, the Romans would be victorious within a few years. And that is exactly what happened. A few years later, the Romans turned the tables and defeated the Persians. With this event, the truthfulness of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a prophet and messenger, as well as the truth of the Qur'an as the word of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He), became manifest.