Surah Ar-Rum Verse 2

3505 The remarkable defeats of the Roman Empire under Heraclius and the straits to which it was reduced are reviewed in Appendix VIII (to follow this Surah). It was not merely isolated defeats; the Roman Empire lost most of its Asiatic territory and was hemmed in on all sides at its capital, Constantinople . The defeat, "in a land close by" must refer to Syria and Palestine . Jerusalem was lost in 614-15 A.C., shortly before this Surah was revealed.