The Qur’an tells us in an era when no man had got the knowledge to measure the lowest point on the surface of earth about a battle between the Romans and the Persians which was ended with a great victory to the Persians on the Romans , God says:( Alif-Lâm-Mîm. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur'an, and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings]* The Romans have been defeated.* in a land close by (close by in the original Arabic text is: Adnaa), and they, after their defeat, will be victorious.*within three to nine years. The decision of the matter, before and after (these events) is only with Allah, (before the defeat of the Romans by the Persians, and after the defeat of the Persians by the Romans). And on that Day, the believers (i.e. Muslims) will rejoice (at the victory given by Allah to the Romans against the Persians)* with the help of Allah. He helps whom He wills, and He is the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful.* (It is) a Promise of Allah (i.e. Allah will give victory to the Romans against the Persians), and Allah fails not in His Promise, but most of men know not.* They know only the outside appearance of the life of the world (i.e. the matters of their livelihood, like irrigating or sowing or reaping, etc.), and they are heedless of the Hereafter.)(Sûrat Ar-Rûm- verse1-7)

In this verse there is a determination for the location of the battle which was (in a land close by), so what does it mean? Can we understand it as the nearest land like old explainers or there is another meaning?

A trip of scrutiny

The old explainers had explained (in a land close by) as the nearest land (for the Romans to the Arabs) which is the area around the Dead Sea  .

I concentrated in God’s saying about Al-Aqsa Mosque  in the city of Jerusalem,

It is only 20 kilometer far from the Dead Sea (battle field), He be exalted says:

( Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allah) Who took His slave (Muhammad)  for a journey by night from Al-Masjid-al-Harâm (at Makkah) to Al-Masjid-al-Aqsâ (in Jerusalem), the neighborhood whereof We have blessed, in order that We might show him (Muhammad) of Our Ayât (proofs, evidence, lessons, signs, etc.). Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer) (Sûrat Al-Isrâ’- verse 1), here I started to wonder, how did Allah describe the area of the Dead Sea that it is (close by) (close by in the original Arabic text is: Adnaa as the word Adnaa means the nearer) after that God describes the mosque in Jerusalem with (Al-Aqsa) (Al- Aqsa in the original Arabic text means the farther)?

After that I started to study the geographical maps of the Battleground where I found that this area is one thousand and two hundred kilometer far from Mecca, so, how the Qur’an described this area with (close by) which was understood as the nearest place where it is in reality 1200 km far from Mecca (where prophet Mohamed and his people were living)?

Hence I realized that if Allah means the nearest so why did He used (close by)?

A satellite photo for the area of the Dead Sea which is the lowest area on earth, the scientists say that in this place there was a battle between the Romans and the Persians in the seventh century at the time of the message of prophet Mohamed (peace be upon him)

Many meanings for the word

Allah be He exalted had created seven heavens and He called the lowest heaven (the lower heaven), He says  So He completed them as seven firmaments in two Days, and He assigned to each heaven its duty and command. And we adorned the lower heaven with lights, and (provided it) with guard. Such is the Decree of (Him) the Exalted in Might, Full of Knowledge) (Sûrat Fussilat- verse12)in the verse the word(the lower heaven) has got the meaning of the nearing to earth but it has another meaning which is the lowest heaven of the seven heavens.  

Also God says  And verily, we will make them taste of the near (near in the original Arabic text is: Adnaa as the word Adnaa has another meaning which is the fewer) torment (i.e. the torment in the life of this world, i.e. disasters, calamities, etc.) prior to the supreme torment (in the Hereafter), in order that they may (repent and) return (i.e. accept Islam).)(Sûrat as-Sajdah -verse21).

The explainers say that the word (the near) means the torments in this life but God doesn’t mean by (the near) is near to us but He be exalted means the small torment because He be exalted and blessed is comparing between two kinds of torments:

1.                     The near torment (Adnaa)        which is the low torment.

2.                     The supreme torment          which is the big torment.

How can we understand this verse?

The word(close by)(Adnaa) has three meanings in the arabic language:

1.                   The nearer: as it is the nearest land of the Roman to the land of the Arabs.

2.                   The smaller:that area is so small and it doesn’t exceed several kilometers when comapring with the area of all earth.

3.                   The lower:this area is the lowest area on earth as its surface is 422 metres (1,385 ft) below  sea level.

This scientific preciseness can be found in God’s saying  Do they not then consider the Qur’an carefully? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein many a contradiction.)(Sûrat An-Nisâ’- verse82).this verse tells us that because this is a divine book not a human book so we can’t find any contradictions .where in the human books like science books we can find a proven theory in an era but in another era that theory could be corrected by another theory. But the Qur’an is valid for every era in every place.

A main characteristic in the Qur’an is that the Bedouin can understand it without any problem; also the nuclear scientists understand its meanings and the astronomers are the same. Which means it is a book that is valid for all people in all countries and in all eras.

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