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We (Ibn Katheer) have mentioned various routes for this narration in our “Tafseer”,<br />
and have mentioned that the one who engaged in the wager with Abu Bakr was<br />
Umayyah Ibn Khalaf, and that the bet was for five young ostriches and that it had a<br />
time limit. And on the words of the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>laah ,ﷺ Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq<br />
increased the bet. And the victory of the Romans over the Persians was on the day of<br />
the battle of Badr, or it was on the day of the truce of Hudaibiyah. And <strong>Al</strong>laah knows<br />
best.<br />
In another narration, al-Tirmidhee reported that from Niyaar Ibn Mukram al-Aslamee: “When (the following) was<br />
revealed: {<strong>Al</strong>if Laam Meem. The Romans have been defeated. In the nearer land…} - on the day that these<br />
Aayaat were revealed, the Persians had defeated the Romans, and the Muslims had wanted the Romans to be<br />
victorious over them because they were the people of the Book. So <strong>Al</strong>laah said about that: {And on that day, the<br />
believers will rejoice - with the help of <strong>Al</strong>laah. He helps whom He wills, and He is the <strong>Al</strong>mighty, the Most<br />
Merciful}. The Quraish wanted the Persians to be victorious since they (Quraish) were not people of the Book, nor<br />
did they believe in the Resurrection. So when <strong>Al</strong>laah revealed these Aayaat, Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq رضيُاهللُعنه went<br />
out, proclaiming throughout Makkah: {<strong>Al</strong>if Laam Meem. The Romans have been defeated. In the nearest land,<br />
and they, after their defeat, will be victorious, in Biḍh` years}. Some of the Quraish said: ‘Then this is (a bet)<br />
between us and you. Your companion claims that the Romans will defeat the Persians in Biḍh` years, so why not<br />
have a bet on that between us and you?’ Abu Bakr said: ‘Yes.’ This was before betting has been forbidden. So Abu<br />
Bakr and the idolaters made a bet, and they said to Abu Bakr: ‘What do you think – Biḍh` means something<br />
between three and nine years, so let us agree on the middle.’ So they agreed on six years. Then six years passed<br />
without the Romans being victorious. The idolaters took what they won in the bet from Abu Bakr. When the<br />
seventh year came and the Romans were finally victorious over the Persians, the Muslims rebuked Abu Bakr for<br />
agreeing to six years because <strong>Al</strong>laah تعاىل said: {In Biḍh` years.} After this, many people became Muslims.” [Sunan<br />
al-Tirmidhee (3194), and graded as “Ḥasan” by Shaikh al-<strong>Al</strong>baanee]<br />
Ḥadeeth (3191) of Sunan al-Tirmidhee has been graded as “Ḍha`eef” by Shaikh al-<strong>Al</strong>baanee. See also “al-<br />
Ḍha`eefah” (3354) of Shaikh al-<strong>Al</strong>baanee for the discussion of some the other routes for this narration.]<br />
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