The opening verses of Surat ar-Rum (30:2–4) announce that the Romans (Byzantines) have been defeated "in the nearest land" and will be victorious within a few years. The verses are understood to refer to the Byzantine–Sasanian war of 602–628: the Sasanians took Damascus and Jerusalem in 613–614, while Emperor Heraclius regained the upper hand through the campaigns he launched from 622 and the Battle of Nineveh in 627.
The phrase "adna al-ard" can mean "the nearest land" (nearest to Arabia or to Byzantium) or "the lowest land". Ibn Kathir reports from Ibn Abbas and Ikrimah that the clash took place between Adhri'at and Bosra (in today's southern Syria); the main marker shows Adhri'at (modern Daraa). Some contemporary commentators have suggested that the phrase points to the Dead Sea basin, the lowest point on land on Earth.
Some details in this entry are still being verified.