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Can a book go beyond the boundaries of time and tell exactly what's going to happen in the future? That seemed impossible.
A Quran-focused video presenting two prophecies: the Byzantine victory over the Sassanids (Surah Ar-Rum) and the Hudaybiyyah treaty/Surah al-Fath, framed as miracles.
Key Takeaways
- The Quran's prophecy about Byzantine victory is presented as fulfilled within the stated timeframe.
- The Battle of Badr is framed as the second event referenced in the same Surah.
- The Hudaybiyyah treaty and the Kaaba dream are presented as the second prophetic miracle.
- The video argues that a Prophet's dreams and risky public claims indicate genuine revelation.
What the video covers
- Opens by framing the Quran as a book that foretells the future, promising two prophetic miracles tied to historical events.
- Sets the context around 603-616: Sassanid victories over the Byzantines, with lands like Syria, Egypt, and Anatolia occupied.
- Describes Meccan idol worshippers mocking Muslims, comparing their own alignment with the Zoroastrian Sassanids against the Christian Byzantines.
- Presents the first five verses of Surah Ar-Rum, predicting Byzantine victory within 3 to 9 years.
- Recounts Heraclius's coup, his failed plea to the Sassanid king, and his later campaign beginning in 622.
- Links the Byzantine success to the Battle of Badr in 624 as the 'victory of the believers' mentioned in the verse.
- Cites historians Theophanes, Edward Gibbon, and Susan Wise Bauer to support claims about Byzantine army weakness and Heraclius's transformation.
- Introduces the second prophecy: the Prophet's dream in the sixth year after Hijra of entering the Kaaba.
- Describes the Hudaybiyyah treaty's difficult terms and the believers' doubts about the dream's fulfillment.
- Explains that Surah al-Fath was revealed to resolve doubts, and concludes with the claim that the Quran's foretold events prove its divine origin.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction: Can a Book Foretell the Future?
- 00:56The Byzantine-Sassanid War and Its Losses
- 03:00Mecca's Mockery and the Revelation of Surah Ar-Rum
- 05:00Heraclius's Coup and the Doubts of the Time
- 07:00Byzantine Recovery and the Battle of Badr
- 09:16The Second Prophecy: The Dream and Treaty of Hudaybiyyah
- 11:36Surah al-Fath and the Final Reflection
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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Knowing the future has been one of the things that has interested us the most throughout history, right?
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Today we'll witness the miraculousness of the Quran in this matter. Centuries ago, the news about the future that the Quran gave at the most unexpected moments was going to turn all balances upside down.
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The Quran would shock everyone. One is witnessed by two different cities, and the other by two great empires.
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If you're ready to hear the prophetic miracles of the Quran in two critical historical events, let's begin.
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The year is 603. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is about 32 years old, but has not yet been given prophethood.
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In that year, two superpowers of that time are having a conflict. The Sassanids wage war against the Byzantines and achieve great victories.
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As a result of this, the Byzantine Empire experiences an unprecedented decline in its history.
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They lost many of their lands. Today's Armenia, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, and all of Anatolia are being occupied.
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Finally, the Sassanids gathered their armies up to the borders of Istanbul, their capital. In the same period, the Avars and Slavs also besieged Istanbul.
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For many years, the Byzantine Empire goes through serious and multiple defeats. In 616, news of these events comes and spreads through Mecca, and the idol worshippers in the area celebrated.
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It's the sixth year into the revelation, but what was it that made them so happy?
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Since the Byzantines were Christian, which is an Abrahamic religion, this made them seem closer to Muslims in terms of faith.
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On the other hand, the Sassanids were Zoroastrians, which was a belief closer to the idol worshippers of Mecca.
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Because of the similarity with the Sassanids, they felt a connection with them and wanted to humiliate our Prophet (saw).
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They said, just as the Sassanids defeated the people of the Book, we will defeat you as well.
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In other words, they were pleased with what was happening. They were laughing and trying to make fun of it, but they were completely unaware of what they were about to hear.
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Finally, the first five verses of Surah Ar-Rum are revealed, which brings news that would turn their laughter into shock.
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"The Romans have been defeated in a nearby land. Yet following their defeat, they will triumph within 3 to 9 years.
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The whole matter rests with Allah, before and after victory. And on that day the believers will rejoice at the victory willed by Allah.
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He gives victory to whoever He wills, for He is the Almighty, Most Merciful." Imagine living in that era.
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You see, the Sassanids continuously defeated the Byzantines for over ten years. They conquered Armenia, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, and all of Anatolia.
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While the Byzantine Empire was suffering unprecedented and catastrophic losses, it would be impossible for you to think that they would become victorious in such a short time, right?
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But the Ayah states this very clearly. The Sassanids are winning, but in a certain time the Byzantines, also known as the Romans, will become victorious.
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There's a very strange atmosphere. Everyone is wondering how this could happen. As the events are going on, Heraclius, the governor of Africa of the Byzantine Empire, takes the throne in a coup.
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And as soon as he comes into power, he writes letters to the Sassanid king begging him to stop the war.
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We still have these letters today. However, since the Sassanids are winning, they do not accept this offer.
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When this attempt fails and Emperor Heraclius is rejected, he tries to flee to Africa with his gold but gets caught.
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What will happen next? Will the course of events change? Remember what the Ayah said?
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It said, in Arabic, this phrase means "a few years," which refers to a period of 3 to 9 years.
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After the Ayah is revealed, the defeat of the Byzantines still continues. The Mushrikun who heard the verse are very confident that this can never happen.
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But there's something they don't know. Allah says "Be, and it is!" This is how the system works in Islam.
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It doesn't matter how much power anyone has. Therefore, the Companions of the Prophet who heard this verse are also very confident.
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A few years passed without any change. But then finally, Heraclius starts the campaign in 622.
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His previous state of mind is completely gone now, and it is as if another person has taken his place.
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English historian Edward Gibbon describes it like this. Such a change in character is not something that has many examples in history.
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Did Allah make a promise? Yes, He did. Then that promise will surely be fulfilled.
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That's the only reason for this change. Do you realize something here? Even the emperor did not think that his empire would survive.
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But under those circumstances, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) says something and puts his entire message, his whole mission, at such a big risk!
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If what he says does not come true, his entire cause will come to an end.
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If he had wanted, he would not have gone into this matter at all and would not have risked himself in any way.
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If he was not really receiving revelation, if he was not being informed by Allah and commanded to recite these words, why would he take such a huge risk that would potentially end everything?
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So what happens next? After the preparations finish, the Byzantine army sets out and starts advancing.
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They become so successful that they reclaim their occupied territories and turn their defeat into victory.
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Now let's pause here and turn our focus to what was going on at that time between the Muslims and the idol worshippers of Mecca.
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The Muslims had now migrated to Medina because they were not allowed to practice their religion in Mecca, where they faced torture and oppression.
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In 624, the Battle of Badr takes place. If you remember, there was a detail in the verses that we mentioned in the beginning.
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"And on that day the believers will rejoice at the victory willed by Allah." Meaning, when the Byzantines win, the believers will also rejoice with the help of Allah.
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So there must be another event apart from the victory of the Byzantines. Then what could be the second event?
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It's, of course, the victory against the idol worshippers of Mecca. Despite being outnumbered three-to-one and being weak in terms of equipment, the Muslims win the Battle of Badr.
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So it's now the year 624. When were the verses revealed? In the year 616.
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So these two prophecies take place in the period that the Ayah mentions. Now the Muslims rejoice at their victory at Badr, and at the same time see the fulfillment of the news about the Romans given in the verse.
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Do you know what the other interesting detail about this shocking success is? The Byzantine historian Theophanes says that while these events were taking place, there were no experienced soldiers in the Byzantine army.
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Similarly, another historian, Susan Wise Bauer, reports that the Byzantine army was untrained, lazy, without military equipment and combat experience.
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"He gives victory to whoever He wills." So surely this happened by the will of Allah.
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The Quran foretells an event that seemed impossible and proves itself to be the Book of Truth by showing a miracle that leaves people speechless.
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Now let's talk about the second miracle of the Quran that we mentioned in the beginning.
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Years later, after the first one, another prophetic miracle takes place. We're going to Medina, to the sixth year of the Hijra.
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To describe the context briefly, after the migration to Medina, Prophet Muhammad (saw) and the believers went through three major battles.
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Badr, Uhud, and Ahzab. We are now in the sixth year after the Hijra. There's a tense atmosphere in the air.
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One night, the Prophet (saw) sees a dream that will change the course of Islam.
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In the dream, he is visiting the Kaaba with his Companions. But why is this dream important?
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Because the dreams of Prophets are accepted as revelations. This event must happen. The Prophet wakes up and tells his dream to his Companions, and they become extremely happy.
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Because they have been away from the Kaaba for a long time, as Mecca was in the hands of idol worshippers.
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This means that it's very difficult to get there safely, but the dream has been seen, so they must go now.
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The preparations begin, but in order to prevent the Meccans from seeing this as a siege or an attack, the Prophet and the Companions decide not to take any weapons with them, just their knives to sacrifice their animals that they take for Umrah.
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After a long and exhaustive journey, they finally approach Mecca and decide to camp in Hudaybiyyah, a region close to Mecca.
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When the Meccans hear about the coming of the Muslims, they send an ambassador to negotiate with them.
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After long discussions, both sides decide to sign a treaty to avoid chaos and war.
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To represent Mecca, Suhayl ibn Amr comes. He had not embraced Islam at that time.
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While discussing the terms, some disagreements come up. For example, when writing the names of the parties to the treaty, the Prophet's name is written as "Muhammadun Rasulullah" meaning, "Muhammad the Messenger of Allah".
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But Suhayl refuses the title of "Rasulullah" and says, "Write Muhammad, son of Abdullah". Ali (ra) was writing the agreement and the Prophet, peace be upon him, says to him, "Erase it. All right, write as he says." And Ali says, "I will not erase the phrase
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Messenger of Allah." The Prophet says, "Then show me where it is written and I will erase it." But this is not the only problem.
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The terms of the treaty are completely against the Muslims. For example, it says "You will make Umrah next year." Meaning, you have come all the way here, but you will return without entering Mecca and wait an entire year to see the Kaaba.
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And when that time comes, you will only be allowed to stay in the city for three days.
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Apart from that, there is another term saying that if someone from Mecca becomes Muslim and flees to Medina, the Muslims will have to return him.
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But if someone from Medina abandons Islam and flees to Mecca, the Meccans will not return him.
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The terms proposed by the Meccans are totally against the Muslims, but the Prophet (saw) accepts those terms to avoid a disaster.
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Imagine how the Companions might have felt. That's a great disappointment. But as far as the treaty is concerned, it seems as if the Muslims were defeated without a fight.
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There are questions like, now what will happen? Why did we accept these conditions? But the Messenger of Allah saw it in his dream.
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Why can't we enter the Kaaba? Will the promised news not come true? As everyone is returning back to Medina, troubled and worried, Allah sends an entire Surah, Surah al-Fath, that clears all the doubts and answers all the questions in their minds.
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Allah says the following. "Indeed, Allah will fulfill His Messenger's vision in all truth, God willing, you will surely enter Al-masjid al-Haram, meaning the Kaaba, in security, some with heads shaved and others with hair shortened without fear.
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He knew what you did not know, so He first granted you the triumph at hand." In this verse, there are two miracles about the future.
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Just imagine, Muslims are in a situation where they seem to be completely defeated. According to the treaty, even if the Muslims come for Umrah, it's impossible for them to do this without fear.
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The idol worshippers might try to harm them, might set a trap, no one can be sure of that.
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So for this news to come true, either the majority of them will accept Islam or Mecca will be conquered by the Muslims.
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Not much later, in just two years, both of these things happen, and they conquer Mecca without any war.
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They take the city which they couldn't even enter before. In other words, just as the Ayah says, the Prophet's dream becomes fulfilled and Muslims perform their Umrah without any fear.
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So what is the second news about the future in this Ayah? Remember what the Ayah says at the end.
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"He knew what you did not know, so He first granted you the triumph at hand." In other words, it's a victory closer in time to the return from Hudaybiyyah, a victory before the conquest of Mecca.
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So what could that be? It's the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah itself. Okay, the conquest of Mecca is clearly foretold in the verse, but how can Hudaybiyyah be a conquest?
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After the treaty, while everything seemed bad at first, over time what happened is, because the peace treaty had now been signed, they no longer saw each other as enemies and got together.
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And the Mushrikun started to look at Islam and the Quran, not with hatred, but with fairness, without any bias.
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And they came to the conclusion that this religion is the truth. And one by one, people started becoming Muslim.
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Historians have even said that the number of people who became Muslims after Hudaybiyyah is much greater than the number of Muslims who converted since the beginning of the revelation, meaning in the period of two years between Hudaybiyyah and the conquest of Mecca,
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more people have become Muslim than in almost 20 years. So before even its conquest, Mecca is becoming a Muslim city.
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Remember the part of the verse? "He knew what you did not know." Allah makes it happen by saying the most unexpected thing in the most unexpected situation, leaving the people of that time, and today the whole world in awe and amazement.
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By giving such mind blowing news about the future, Quran shows that it's a book that is beyond time, and that its author is the owner of time, the owner of causes, the universe, and everything in it.
Topics:Quran prophecySurah Ar-RumByzantine Sassanid warBattle of BadrTreaty of HudaybiyyahSurah al-FathIslamic historyProphet MuhammadHeracliusQuran miracles
