It was previously reported that `Ikrimah said: "Chosroes sent his deputy and his army against Caesar, and they fought.' It is well-known that Chosroes himself fought in the army that invaded his land, and he defeated Caesar and overwhelmed him until he had nothing left except the city of Constantinople, where Chosroes besieged him for a long time, until things became very difficult for him. He was highly venerated among the Christians, and Chosroes was not able to conquer the city because it was well fortified, and half of it faced the land while the other half faced the sea, from where supplies were able to reach them. After this had gone on for a long time, Caesar thought of a clever trick. He asked Chosroes to let him leave his city in return for money given as a peace-offering, on whatever terms he (Chosroes) wanted. Chosroes agreed to that and asked for a huge amount of wealth -- gold, jewels, fabric, servant-women, servants, and much more -- such that no king on earth could ever pay. Caesar went along with that and gave him the impression that he had all that he had asked for, although he thought he was crazy for asking for such a thing, because even if the two of them were to combine all of their wealth, it would not amount to even one-tenth of that. He asked Chosroes to let him go out of the city to Ash-Sham and the other regions of his kingdom, so that he could gather that from his storehouses and places where his wealth was buried. Chosroes let him go, and when Caesar was about to leave Constantinople, he gathered his people together and told them: "I am going out on a mission I have decided to do so with some soldiers I have selected from my army; if I come back to you before one year passes, I will still be your king but if I do not come back after that, you will have the choice. Then, if you wish, you may remain loyal to me, or if you wish you may appoint someone instead of me.” They replied, “You are our king for as long as you live, even if are gone for ten years.” When he left Constantinople, a cavalry detachment left with him, and Chosroes camped outside Constantinople to await his return, Caesar went straight away to the land of the Persians, where he started to kill all the men of fighting age, one by one, and he did not stop killing until he reached Al-Madain, which was the seat of power of the kingdom of Chosroes. He killed everyone in the city, and took all its treasures and wealth. He captured the women of Chosroes, shaved his son’s head and made him ride on his donkey, sending him with the leaders of of his people in a state of utmost humiliation. He wrote to Chosroes saying, “This is what you asked for, so take it.” When this reached Chosroes, he was extremely distressed, to an extent known only by Allah. His anger was directed against the city of Constantinople and he renewed his siege with increased vehemence, but he was not able to besiege it for long, nor was he able to go to the ford of the river Jayhun, which was the only route through which Caesar could reach Constantinople. When Caesar heard of this, he came up with an unprecedented strategy, whereby he left his troops and goods by the ford, and went off with some of his army commanded them to pick up some straw and animal droppings, and to travel approximately one day upstream. Then he told them to throw those things unto the water. When they passed by Chosroes, he and his soldiers thought that the Romans had gone that way, so they rode off in pursuit of them, and the ford was no longer occupied by the Persians. Then Caesar commanded his men to get up and jump into the river, which they did, thus escaping Chosroes and his troops, then they entered Constantinople.

That was a great day for the Christians. Chosroes and his army remained in a state of confusion, not knowing what they were doing. They had not been able to conquer the land of Caesar, and their own land was devastated by the Romans, who seized their wealth, and captured their women and children. This was how the Romans defeated the Persians, and this happened nine years after the Persians and the Romans continued until the Romans prevailed between Adhru’at (Ash-Sham) and Busra, according to what was stated by Ibn Abbas, Ikrimah and others. This is a place on the edge of of Ash-Sham, along the border with Al-Hijaz. Mujahid said, “That was a place in the Arabian Peninsula which is closer to the land of the Romans than to Persia.” And Allah knows best.

«إِنَّهُمْ افْتَرَقُوا عَلَى اثْنَتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَة»

(The decision of the matter, before and after is only with Allah)

Before that and after that

«وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ يَنصُرُ»

(And on that day, the believers will rejoice – with the help of Allah.)

They will rejoice because the Romans, the companions of Caesar, the king of Ash-Sham, defeated the Persians, the companions of Chosroes, who were Zoroastrians. According to many of the scholars, such as Ibn Abbas, Ath-Thawri, As-Suddi and others, the victory of the Romans over the Persians happened on the same day as the battle of Badr. It was reported in the Hadith recorded by At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim and Al-Bazaar that Abu Said said: “On the day of Badr, the Romans defeated the Persians, and the believers were happy and rejoiced about that. And Allah revealed the words:

«وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ يَنصُرُ»

(And on that day, the believers will rejoice – with the help of Allah. He helps whom He wills, and He is the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful.)

Ibn Abi Htim recorded that Az-Zubayr Al-Kilabi said, I saw the victory of the Persians over the Romans, then I saw the victory of the Romans over the Persians, then I saw the victory of the Muslims over both the Persian and Romans, and all of that happened within fifteen years.” Allah’s saying:

«وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ يَنصُرُ»

(and He is All-Mighty), means, in His defeat of and vengeance upon His enemies. His saying:

«وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ يَنصُرُ»

(the Most Merciful.) means, towards His believing servants.

«وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ يَنصُرُ»

(It is) a promise of Allah, and Allah fails not in His promise.

Means, ‘this that We have told you, O Muhammad, that the Romans will defeat the Persians, is a true promise from Allah, truth which cannot be changed and which will surely come to pass, because Allah has decreed that the one of the two parties that is closer to the truth will prevail and that victory will be theirs.’

«وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ يَنصُرُ»

They know only the outer appearance of the life of the world, and they are heedless of the Hereafter.

Means, most people know only about this world and how to make a living and so on. They are clever when it comes to getting what they need and earning a living, but they are heedless of that which will benefit them in the Hereafter; they are unaware of it and have no idea about it. Al-Hassan Al-Basri said, “It has reached the state that in this world one of them could put a Dirham on his finger and tell how much it weighs, but he does not know how to pray properly.”

«وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ يَنصُرُ»

(They know only the outer appearance of the life of the world and they are heedless of the Hereafter.)

Ibn Abbas said, “This means that the disbelievers know how to prosper in this world, but they are ignorant of matters of religion.”

«أَوَلَمْ يَتَفَكَّرُوا فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى وَإِنَّ كَثِيراً مِّنَ النَّاسِ بِلِقَاء رَبِّهِمْ لَكَافِرُونَ - أَوَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَانُوا أَشَدَّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً وَأَثَارُوا الْأَرْضَ وَعَمَرُوهَا أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا عَمَرُوهَا وَجَاءتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلَكِن كَانُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ - ثُمَّ كَانَ عَاقِبَةَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاؤُوا السُّوأَى أَن كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَكَانُوا بِهَا يَسْتَهْزِئُون»

(8. Do they not reflect on themselves? Allah has create not the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, except with truth and for an appointed term. And indeed many of mankind deny meeting with their Lord.) (9. Do they not travel in the land, and see what was the end of those before them? They were superior to them in strength, and they tilled the earth and populated it in greater numbers than these have done, and there came to them their Messengers with clear proofs. Surely, Allah wronged them no, but they used to wrong themselves.) (10. Then evil was the end of those who did evil, because they denied the Ayat of Allah and made a mockery of them.)