2 Preface غُلِبَتِ الرّومُYusuf AliThe Roman Empire1 has been defeated-The remarkable defeats of the Roman Empire under Heraclius and the straits to which it was reduced are reviewed in Appendix 8 (to follow this Sūra). 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 Sūra was revealed.