سورة الفيل

And from his narration on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas that he said about the interpretation of Allah's saying (Hast thou not seen): '(Hast thou not seen) i.e. have you not been informed, O Muhammad, in the Qur'an (how thy Lord dealt with) how your Lord punished and destroyed (the owners of the Elephant) the people of the Negus who intended to destroy the House of Allah?
(And send against them) and set on them (swarms of flying creatures) in succession,
: (Which pelted them with) which threw on them (stones of baked clay) like baked bricks.
(And made them like green crops devoured) by worms?' And of the surah in which Quraysh is mentioned, which is all Meccan and consists of 4 verses, 17 words and 73 letters:

Have you not considered (an interrogative meant to provoke marvel, in other words, ‘marvel at’) the way in which your Lord dealt with the Men of the Elephant?, who was named Mahmūd, and the men were Abraha, King of Yemen and his troops. He had built a church in San‘ā’ in order to divert pilgrims away from Mecca to it. A man from among the Banū Kināna defecated in it and stained its prayer niche with a deflowered virgin’s blood, in contempt of it. Abraha then swore that he would knock down the Ka‘ba. So he approached Mecca with his troops riding Yemeni elephants with Mahmūd at the vanguard. But when they turned to destroy the Ka‘ba, God unleashed upon them what He relates in His words:
and unleashed upon them swarms of birds, [birds] in droves, one following the next (it is said there is no singular form for it [abābīl], like asātīr; but some say that the singular is abūl or ibāl or ibbīl, similar [in constructed pattern] to ‘ajūl, miftāh and sikkīn),
pelting them with stones of baked clay,
thus making them like devoured blades?, like the leaves of crops which have been consumed, trampled and destroyed by animals. God destroyed each one of them with his own stone, inscribed with his name, larger than a lentil [in size] but smaller than a chick-pea, able to pierce through an egg, a man, or an elephant and go through the ground. This took place in the year of the Prophet’s birth (s). Meccan or Medinese, consisting of 4 verses.

In the phrase alum tara [have you not seen], the second person pronoun refers to the Holy Prophet. It is interesting to note that the event took place before the blessed birth of the Holy Prophet. He could not have seen or witnessed it with his own eyes. However, the incident was so widely known as if the Prophet had seen it with his own eyes, which is a sign of the certainty of its happening. Such a knowledge is described by the word ru'yat [seeing]. As reported earlier, Sayyidah 'A'ishah and her sister, Sayyidah Asma', both say that they had seen the two camel drivers had become blind and paralyzed and used to go around begging . In this way, the traces of this event were seen even after the birth of the Holy Prophet.

The subject-matter of the Surah: This Surah refers to the story of the People of the Elephants who came with an army of elephants for the purpose of destroying the House of Allah in (The Holy Ka'bah) in Makkah. But their plan backfired and the Divine scourge overtook them. Allah destroyed the army with a flock of ordinary birds. Thus their plans were foiled and thwarted.
When did the event take place?
This event took place in the very year in which the Holy Prophet $&
was born at Makkah, according to some traditions and the popular view
among the historians. [Ibn Kathir]. The scholars of hadith have taken this
event as a special type of mu'jizah (miracle) of the Holy Prophet g, but the term mu'jizah, in its real sense, refers to an abnormal event shown by Allah to prove the claim of a prophet to having been sent by Him. Therefore, a mu'jizah is shown after a prophet's Divine commission. However, sometimes it happens that a miraculous event takes place before a prophet's claim to prophet-hood. This, in the parlance of the scholars of hadith, is called irhZi2 which means 'prologue or introduction'. The word rahs means a 'foundation stone' [Qamiis]. As the miraculous events taking place before the advent of prophets or before their claim to prophet-hood are meant to introduce and affirm that soon a particular prophet will be Divinely commissioned, they are referred to as irhEs. Many miraculous incidents of this nature [irhEsZit] occurred before the birth and the advent of the Holy Prophet g, and one of them was the incident of the 'People of the Elephants' who were miraculously prevented by the Heavenly scourge from destroying the House of Allah.
Story of the People of the Elephants: Ibn Kathir, the leading authority on Prophetic Tradition and history, recounts the story as follows: Yemen was under the control of the rulers of Himyar. They were idolaters. Their last king was Dhu Nuwas, an idolater himself, was the enemy of the righteous Christians of his time, who believed in and worshipped One Allah. He persecuted the believers, who were opposed to idol-worship, by burning them alive. Most scholars agree that he killed, in cold blood, by throwing about 20 000 sincere and righteous Christians in his city into a large fire pit, burning them alive in an effort to get them to give up their sincere religion. This is the story of the 'People of Fire-Pit' referred to in [85:4-71. Two men somehow managed to escape from him. They fled to Syria and took refuge with Caesar, who was himself a Christian and the emperor of Syria. They requested the emperor to avenge this cruel act of Dhu Nuwas. Caesar wrote to Najashi (Negus), the king of Abyssinia [now Ethiopia], who was closer to the home of the man. Najashi sent two governors with him: Arbat and Abrahah, along with a huge army. The army invaded Yemen and freed the whole country from the possession of Himyar. Dhu Nuwas tried to escape, but was drowned in the sea and died. Yemen thus became part of the Abyssinian dominion and Abrahah was appointed its viceroy. However, he and Arbat fought each other until Arbat was eventually killed and Abrahah emerged victorious. The latter was appointed the commander of the Abyssinian army in Yemen, and the governor of that region. Having captured Yemen, he built a superbly luxurious cathedral in his area. The purpose was to attract the people of Yemen to make pilgrimage to this cathedral instead of Ka'bah in Makkah. It was huge and tall so that a person standing at the bottom was not able to see the top. He decorated the structure with gold, silver and other precious gems. In short, he meant it to be an architectural masterpiece, second to none or unsurpassed in the world, to be revered by all and sundry and divert pilgrims from the Sacred Mosque in Makkah to his cathedral in Yemen. He did this after he had witnessed the love and enthusiasm of the Yemeni Arabs - which were the same as those felt all over the Arabia - for the Ka'bah, with the aim of making them forsake their attachment to the Mosque of Makkah and turn instead to his new luxurious cathedral. Thus he proclaimed throughout his kingdom that no one should ever visit the Ka'bah in Makkah, and that the pilgrimage should from now on take place to his so-called 'Ka'bah' in Yemen. Although the Arabs were idol-worshippers, the love and reverence for the religion of Prophet 1brEh;m w\ and the Ka'bah had permeated their hearts. As a result, the 'Andan, QahtZn and Quraish tribes were enraged and infuriated by this proclamation. One night, someone entered the church and defecated in it. According to other narratives, a nomadic tribe halted near the church and started a fire for their own needs. The wind on that day was blowing violently and the cathedral caught on fire and , sustained much loss. When Abrahah came to know about it, and learnt 1 that a Quraishi had done this, he swore to march to the House of Makkah and destroy it stone by stone. Thus he prepared himself and set out with a huge and powerful army, so that none might prevent him from carrying out his mission. He asked for Najashi's permission. He permitted him and sent for him, particularly for this expedition, a special elephant whose name was Mahmud. It was unusually huge in size and powerful in strength the like of which had never been seen before. The king of Abyssinia sent in eight more elephants as reinforcements for the army. Their intention was to use this extraordinary elephant to demolish the Ka'bah. They planned to do this by fastening chains to the pillars of the Ka'bah and placing the other ends around the neck of the elephant. Then they would make the elephant pull on them in order to tear down the walls of the Ka'bah [God forbid!] all at once. When the Arabs heard of Abrahah's expedition, they considered it their moral obligation to defend the Sacred House and thwart the evil plans of the conspirators. Thus, the Arabs raised a large army under the command of Dhu Nafr, a Yamenite Arab. He called the Arabs to go to war against Abrahah and fight in defense of the Sacred House, so that the enemy is unable to tear it down. The people responded to him readily and entered into battle with the enemy, but he defeated them. This was due to Allah's will that no humans should protect His House and His intent to expose the enemy to embarrassment and venerate the Sacred Sanctuary to the highest degree. DhE Nafr was captured and taken prisoner. The army continued on its way until it came to the settlement of the BanE Khath'am tribe. Their leader, Nufail Ibn Habib, led his entire tribe against the army, but they too were defeated and Nufail was taken prisoner. Abrahah at first decided to kill him, but at second thought he forgave him and took him as his guide to show him the way to Hijaz. When the army approached Taif, the people of Thaqif went out to Abrahah. They wanted to pacify him, because they had heard about the fate of those who had resisted him previously. Also, they were afraid that he would demolish their temple consecrated in the name of their idol Al-Lat. Therefore, they did not resist him on the understanding that he would not touch the idol of Lat. He was compassionate to them, and they sent a guide with him by the name of Abu Righal. When they arrived in a place called Al-Maghmas, near Makkah, they settled there. This was the pasture where the camels of the Quraish grazed. Abrahah sent his troops on a foray to capture the camels and other grazing animals of the Makkans. They accomplished their mission. They also drove away about two hundred camels of 'Abdul-Muttalib, grandfather of the Holy Prophet Muhammad and the leader of the Quraish. Abrahah then sent an emissary named HanZtah Al-Himyari to enter Makkah and bring to him the leader of the Quraish. He mandated him to convey to the leader of the Quraish his message that the king did not come to fight with the Makkans unless they stood in his way of destroying their Sacred Sanctuary. Arriving in the city, HanZtah was directed to 'Abdul-Muttalib Ibn Hashim, to whom he communicated Abrahah's message. According to Ibn Ishaq's narration, 'Abdul-Muttalib replied: "By Allah! We too have no desire to fight him, nor do we have the might to do so. This is the Sacred Sanctuary of Allah built by His friend Prophet Ibrahim. If He wills to prevent Abrahah from pulling it down, He will protect it. And if He allows him to approach it, by Allah, we have no means to defend it." So HanZtah told him: "Come with me to Abrahah." So 'Abdul-Muttalib went with him. When Abrahah saw him, he was highly impressed, because 'Abdul-Muttalib had the most handsome, charming and attractive personality. He descended from his throne and sat with the latter on a carpet on the ground. He then said to his interpreter to ask him: "What do you need?" 'Abdul-Muttalib replied to the interpreter: "I want the king to give back my two hundred camels which his soldiers have taken from me." Then Abrahah told his interpreter to relay to him: "When I first set my eyes on you, I admired you greatly and had great respect for you. But all that is now lost. You speak only of your two hundred camels while you fully well know that I have come to tear down your Ka'bah which is the embodiment of your religion and the religion of your forefathers. You did not even say a single word to persuade me to spare it." 'Abdul-Muttalib calmly responded: "I am the owner of my camels and am concerned about them. I am not the owner of Allah's House. The Master of the House knows how best to protect His House." Abrahah rudely rebuffed: "Your God cannot protect it from me." 'Abdul-Muttalib made a rejoinder: "Then do as you like or [take your chance!]" According to other narratives, there were other chiefs of Quraish with 'Abdul-Muttalib at the time of this negotiation. They proposed to Abrahah that if he withdrew from the Sanctuary, the entire region of Tihamah would pay him a third of their agricultural produce annually as tribute. But he turned down the offer. He then gave back 'Abdul-Muttalib's camels to him. 'Abdul-Muttalib took his camels and went back home, ordering his people to leave Makkah and seek shelter at the top of the mountains. He feared that atrocities might be committed by the army against them. Then he went with a few figures of the Quraish to the Sacred Sanctuary. He held the metal ring of the door of Ka'bah and prayed Allah to give them victory over Abrahah and his army. While hanging on to the ring of the Ka'bah's door, he earnestly implored: "We have no strength to face the army of Abrahah. So, 0 my Lord! Defend Your Ka'bah." Having so prayed in all earnestness, 'Abdul-Muttalib led all the Makkans to the neighbouring mountains, because they were convinced that Allah's scourge would overtake Abrahah and his troops. This is the reason why they spoke to Abrahah about their camels, and not about the House of Allah. When the next morning dawned, Abrahah prepared to enter the sacred city of Makkah. He prepared the elephant named Mahmud and mobilized his army, and they turned the elephant towards the Ka'bah. At that moment Nufail Ibn Habib, whom Abrahah had captured earlier, approached it and stood next to it, and taking it by its ear, he said: "Return safely where you came from, because you are, verily, in the Sacred City of Allah." Then he released the elephant's ear and it knelt and sat down forthwith. The elephant drivers exerted all efforts to persuade the elephant to enter the City, but their efforts were in vain. Then they tried striking it with large iron spears and putting iron arrowheads in its trunk. They beat it on its head with axes and used hooked staffs to pull it out of its resistance and make it stand, but it refused. So they turned it towards Yemen, and it rose and walked quickly. Then they turned it towards Syria, it walked fast. Then they turned it towards the east and it walked briskly. Then they turned it towards Makkah, it knelt and sat down again. This was one aspect of the manifestation of the Divine power unfolding itself miraculously. On the other hand, some flocks of birds were seen coming from the sea. Each bird carried three pebbles of the size of gram seeds or lentils, one in each claw and two in its beak. According to Waqidi's narration, the birds looked unusual which were never seen before. They looked smaller than pigeons, and their claws were red in colour. They flew over Abrahah's army and pelted them with the pebbles. Each pebble was more devastating than the bullet of a revolver . When it fell on anything, it tore directly through the body and settled deep in the ground. Seeing this scourge, the elephants fled in panic, except one which was harmed and destroyed by the pebble. Not all of Abrahah's men were destroyed instantly. People escaped in different directions. They died excruciatingly on their way back. As Allah had willed that the most distressful scourge should be inflicted upon Abrahah, He did not allow him to die immediately. In fact, Allah afflicted him with a deadly disease. A kind of poison spread thoroughly through his entire body and caused every single part to decay - his limbs began to rot and separate from the rest of his body and he started losing one finger after another. His body was carried back in that state to Yemen. By the time they arrived back in San'a', the capital of Yemen, his body was broken down limb by limb until he eventually died. Two of Mahmud's (name of elephant) drivers remained in Makkah, but both of them became blind and paralyzed. Muhammad Ibn Ishaq reports that Sayyidah 'A'ishah narrates that she saw them blind and paralyzed. Her sister, Sayyidah Asma', says that she saw the two blind and paralyzed men begging. The 'People of the Elephants' is a momentous event in Arab history, which was witnessed by hundreds of Arabs. It is to this well-known historical incident that this Surah refers.

The reference is to Abrahah, the Christian governor of Yemen, who erected a magnificent church in Yemen, so that it might be a center of pilgrimage instead of Ka'bah in Makkah. He prevented the people of Yemen from visiting Makkah and ordered them to take that church as a substitute for it. Angry with this, a man of the tribe of Quraish polluted the church with filth, and some people set a part of it on fire. In retaliation, Abrahah sworn an oath that he would demolish the Ka'bah of Makkah and would level it to ground. He prepared a huge army for the purpose with some elephants sent by Negus, the emperor of Ethiopia, to help him in demolishing the Sacred House. On his way to Hijaz, he defeated a number of tribes who tried to interrupt him, and reached Maghmas, a place near Makkah. Abdul-Muttallib, the grandfather of the Holy Prophet ijjg who was leading the people of Makkah wenot to the Ka'bah, and holding its door supplicated t Allah to save His Sacred House. On the next morning, Abrahah set out to attack Makkah, but his elephant refused to proceed towards it, and then some flocks of the birds came from seaside, each one of them having in its beak three pebbles of the size of gram seeds or lentils. They flew over the army of Abrahah and pelted them with pebbles, which worked like bullets and pierced the bodies of the soldiers. The soldiers and elephants fled in panic. Many of them died instantly and rest of them died on their way back. Abrahah was afflicted by a deadly disease that spread poison all over his body, and finally he died in Yemen in a miserable state. This episode is referred to in this Surah to make two points. Firsdy, it is meant to remind the people of Makkah how Allah may punish those who rebel against him. Secondly, their attention is drawn to the fact that they were saved from the attack of such a huge army, only because of Ka‘bah, the Sacred House that was meant for worshipping Allah alone, without ascribing any partner to Him. If they deviate from the very purpose of establishing this House, they deserve no leniency. And He sent upon them flying birds in flocks,
throwing upon them stones of baked clay,
and thus He turned them into an eaten-up chaff.

The word 'fil" is an Arabic adaptation of the Persian word 'pil", meaning " elephant". Because Arabic does not have a letter with a " p" sound, the closest equivalent is the ' / (called 'fa" in Arabic). Therefore, the word fil" is used. The ' people of the elephants" refers to a person called Abraha and his army. Abraha was appointed by the king of Abyssinia to act as the governor of Yemen. When he was appointed as governor, he decided to build a temple which would be an architectural masterpiece to be revered by one and all. He desired that the Arabs abandon the Ka'ba in Makkah and pay homage to this "Yemeni Kabah". Consequently, he built a temple that wasso tall that a person standing at the base was unable to see the top. He had the structure embellished with gold,silver and precious gems. He then made a proclamation that no one in Yemen should ever visit the Ka'ba in Makkah and that pilgrimage should now take place to his "Ka'ba ". Although the Arabs were idol-worshippers, the love and reverence for the Ka'ba had permeated their hearts. Consequently, the Adnan, Qahtan and Quraysh tribes became extremely upset. One night, a member of the Malik bin Kinanah tribe defecated in Abraha's temple. When Abraha learnt that it was a member of the Quraysh who did this, he swore to destroy their Ka'ba. When Abraha sought permission from the king of Abyssinia, the king gave him his blessings and even sent his special elephant called Mahmud. Mounted on this elephant, Abraha marched with an army of elephants to destroy the Ka'ba. Heintended to raze the Ka'ba to the ground by fastening its pillars with iron chains tied to the elephants. When the news of this planned attack on the Ka'bah spread, the Arabs prepared to defend the Ka'ba and raised a large army under the leadership of Dhu Nafar. However; Allah Ta'ala did not desire that humans protect His Ka'ba. Therefore, Abraha crushed this resistance and took Dhu Nafar prisoner. When Abraha's army reached the settlement of the Banu Khath'am tribe, their leader Nufayl bin Habib led his entire tribe against the army but they were also defeated. Nufayl was taken prisoner. Although Abraha intended to have him executed, he later changed his mind, thinking that they could use him as a guide. When the army reached Ta'if, the Banu Thaqif tribe living there decided not to resist him because they had already heard about the fate of those who had previously resisted the mighty army. They also feared that if they oppose Abraha, he would destroy the temple they had erected in the name of their idol Lat. They therefore met with Abraha and offered him the services of one of their leaders by the name of Abu Righal. Abraha accepted Abu Righal's services as a guide and he led them towards Makkah. When the army reached a place called Maghmas, where the camels of the Quraysh grazed, Abraha captured all the camels. Among these camels were two hundred camels belonging to the Holy Prophet pi-j UP iai s grandfather Abdul Muttalib. From this place, Abraha dispatched his messenger Hanata Himyari to meet with the Quraysh leaders and to inform them that he did not intend fighting the people of Makkah. He made it clear that none of the residents of Makkah would be harmed if they did not oppose him in his objective of destroying the Ka'ba. When Hanata arrived in Makkah, everyone pointed him in the direction of Abdul Muttalib because he was regarded to be the most senior leader. When Hanata conveyed Abraha's message, Abdul Muttalib told him that they had no intentions of opposing Abraha because they did not have the might. However, he made it clear that the Ka'ba is Allah's house which Allah's friend Sayyidina Ibrahim AJP had built. He told Hanata that Allah would protect the Ka'ba and that they could proceed with their plans if they were prepared to fight Allah. Hanata then insisted that Abdul Muttalib accompany him to meet Abraha. When Abraha saw the handsome countenance of Abdul Muttalib, he descended from his throne and sat with Abdul Muttalib on the ground.Speaking through a translator, Abraha asked Abdul Muttalib why he had come. Abdul Muttalib said that he had come for his camels which Abraha's soldiers had captured. Abraha said to Abdul Muttalib, "When I set my eyes on you, I had tremendous respect for you. However, I have lost all this respect now that you speak of your mere 200 camels knowing that I have come here to destroy your Ka'ba. You have said nothing about this. "Abdul Muttalib said, "I am the owner of the camels and am concerned about them. I am not the owner of Allah's house. The Master of the house knows how to protect His house. Abraha said, "Your God cannot protect it from me." Then you do as you please," said Abdul Muttalib. According to certain narrations, some other leaders of the Quraysh were with Abdul Muttalib at that time. They proposed to Abraha that if he left the Ka'ba to be, the entire Tihama region would pay him a third of their crops annually. However, he refused this offer. He then returned Abdul Muttalib's camels to him. Taking his camels along with him, Abdul Muttalib returned to Makkah. When he entered Makkah, he proceeded straight to the Ka'ba and, holding the ring of the door, he made supplication to Allah. A large group of the Quraysh joined him in the supplication in which they entreated Allah Ta'ala to protect the Ka'ba because they did not have the strength to resist Abraha's powerful army. After having supplicated to Allah in all sincerity, Abdul Muttalib took all the people of Makkah to the neighbouring mountains because they were convinced that Allah's punishment would seize Abraha and his army. The next morning, Abraha prepared the army to march into Makkah. Nufayl bin Habib, whom Abraha had taken prisoner earlier, took hold of the ear of Abraha's elephant Mahmud. He said to the elephant, "Return safely whence you came from because you are in Allah's sacred city." Upon hearing this, the elephant immediately sat down. Try as they might, the elephant's minders could not get him to stand. They even tried beating him with large iron spears and putting iron arrowheads in his trunk. However, he still would not walk towards Makkah. When they steered him in the direction of Yemen, he was prepared to walk. He was prepared to walk in every other direction besides the direction of the Ka'ba. It was then that the army saw many flights of little birds approaching from the coast. Each bird carried three little pebbles the size of the gram seed or (according to other narrations) the size of lentils. Each bird carried one in its beak and one in each claw. Waqidi i ^ narrates that the birds (referred to as Ababll) looked strange and had never been seen before. They were the size of pigeons with red claws. Sayyidina Sa'Id bin Musayyab has mentioned that the birds were green with yellow beaks. Sayyidina Ikrima ^ narrates that the birds emerged from the ocean and had heads resembling animals. As the birds flew over Abraha's army, they dropped their pebbles which pecked more power than a bullet. They went straight through anything they struck and settled deep in the ground. Seeing this punishment, the elephants all dispersed and all but one were unharmed. All Abraha's soldiers did not die immediately. Those who escaped died painful deaths as they tried to make their way back to Yemen. Allah 'Ta'ala had sent little birds with little pebbles to destroy an army that many Arab tribes could not resist. On that occasion, Abraha was afflicted with a horrible disease. A poison permeated his body and caused every joint to decay. By the time he was brought back to Yemen, his body was in pieces. He died there. Two of Mahmud's keepers settled in Makkah but both became blind and paralysed. They were often seen begging from people. [The Tafsir of Allama Ibn Kathir iui v. 4 p. 549 and "Ma'alimut Tanzil" v. 4 p. 525 ] This incident was witnessed by many people and it became a momentous event in Arab history. When referring to any event during that year, the Arabs would say that it happened in the year of the elephants. The Holy Prophet Ju* c-L- j AJP was bom in the same year, fifty days after the people of the elephants were destroyed. Because everyone was acquainted with the incident, Allah Ta'ala speaks of the incident without introduction when He says, "Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the people of the elephants?" Allah Ta'ala reminds the people of Makkah that He had been merciful to them when He protected the Ka'ba which had given them respect among the Arabs. In this way, Allah preserved their honour and esteem.
The next morning, Abraha prepared the army to march into Makkah. Nufayl bin Habib, whom Abraha had taken prisoner earlier, took hold of the ear of Abraha's elephant Mahmud. He said to the elephant, "Return safely whence you came from because you are in Allah's sacred city." Upon hearing this, the elephant immediately sat down. Try as they might, the elephant's minders could not get him to stand. They even tried beating him with large iron spears and putting iron arrowheads in his trunk. However, he still would not walk towards Makkah. When they steered him in the direction of Yemen, he was prepared to walk. He was prepared to walk in every other direction besides the direction of the Ka'ba. It was then that the army saw many flights of little birds approaching from the coast. Each bird carried three little pebbles the size of the gram seed or (according to other narrations) the size of lentils. Each bird carried one in its beak and one in each claw. Waqidi i ^ narrates that the birds (referred to as Ababll) looked strange and had never been seen before. They were the size of pigeons with red claws. Sayyidina Sa'Id bin Musayyab has mentioned that the birds were green with yellow beaks. Sayyidina Ikrima ^ narrates that the birds emerged from the ocean and had heads resembling animals. As the birds flew over Abraha's army, they dropped their pebbles which pecked more power than a bullet. They went straight through anything they struck and settled deep in the ground. Seeing this punishment, the elephants all dispersed and all but one were unharmed. All Abraha's soldiers did not die immediately. Those who escaped died painful deaths as they tried to make their way back to Yemen. Allah 'Ta'ala had sent little birds with little pebbles to destroy an army that many Arab tribes could not resist. On that occasion, Abraha was afflicted with a horrible disease. A poison permeated his body and caused every joint to decay. By the time he was brought back to Yemen, his body was in pieces. He died there. Two of Mahmud's keepers settled in Makkah but both became blind and paralysed. They were often seen begging from people. [The Tafsir of Allama Ibn Kathir iui v. 4 p. 549 and "Ma'alimut Tanzil" v. 4 p. 525 ] This incident was witnessed by many people and it became a momentous event in Arab history. When referring to any event during that year, the Arabs would say that it happened in the year of the elephants. The Holy Prophet Ju* c-L- j AJP was bom in the same year, fifty days after the people of the elephants were destroyed. Because everyone was acquainted with the incident, Allah Ta'ala speaks of the incident without introduction when He says, "Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the people of the elephants?" Allah Ta'ala reminds the people of Makkah that He had been merciful to them when He protected the Ka'ba which had given them respect among the Arabs. In this way, Allah preserved their honour and esteem. Allah asks them "Did He not lay their plans to waste and send against them flights of birds who pelted them with clay pebbles, making them look like eaten fodder?" It is the same Allah who sent His final Holy Prophet UP & to the people of Makkah, thereby increasing their honour and the honour of the Ka'ba. It was therefore necessary for the people of Makkah to be grateful to Allah for all these bounties. Commentators mention that any miraculous event that took place before the coming of a Nabi UP is called "Irhds". A miraculous event that took place after the coming of a Nabi UP is called "Mu'jiza". The incident of the elephants is therefore regarded as an "Irhds" of the Holy Prophet UP THE incident was a sign to indicate that a notable personality will soon appear in the city of Makkah who will have a special attachment with the Ka'ba. The fact that Allah Ta'ala sent many flights of birds indicates that Abraha's army was very large. While there were many soldiers, there were only eight to twelve elephants. Although swallows are usually referred to as "Ababll", they are not implied in the verse. As explained earlier, these birds were a type that appeared most strange.
The next morning, Abraha prepared the army to march into Makkah. Nufayl bin Habib, whom Abraha had taken prisoner earlier, took hold of the ear of Abraha's elephant Mahmud. He said to the elephant, "Return safely whence you came from because you are in Allah's sacred city." Upon hearing this, the elephant immediately sat down. Try as they might, the elephant's minders could not get him to stand. They even tried beating him with large iron spears and putting iron arrowheads in his trunk. However, he still would not walk towards Makkah. When they steered him in the direction of Yemen, he was prepared to walk. He was prepared to walk in every other direction besides the direction of the Ka'ba. It was then that the army saw many flights of little birds approaching from the coast. Each bird carried three little pebbles the size of the gram seed or (according to other narrations) the size of lentils. Each bird carried one in its beak and one in each claw. Waqidi i ^ narrates that the birds (referred to as Ababll) looked strange and had never been seen before. They were the size of pigeons with red claws. Sayyidina Sa'Id bin Musayyab has mentioned that the birds were green with yellow beaks. Sayyidina Ikrima ^ narrates that the birds emerged from the ocean and had heads resembling animals. As the birds flew over Abraha's army, they dropped their pebbles which pecked more power than a bullet. They went straight through anything they struck and settled deep in the ground. Seeing this punishment, the elephants all dispersed and all but one were unharmed. All Abraha's soldiers did not die immediately. Those who escaped died painful deaths as they tried to make their way back to Yemen. Allah 'Ta'ala had sent little birds with little pebbles to destroy an army that many Arab tribes could not resist. On that occasion, Abraha was afflicted with a horrible disease. A poison permeated his body and caused every joint to decay. By the time he was brought back to Yemen, his body was in pieces. He died there. Two of Mahmud's keepers settled in Makkah but both became blind and paralysed. They were often seen begging from people. [The Tafsir of Allama Ibn Kathir iui v. 4 p. 549 and "Ma'alimut Tanzil" v. 4 p. 525 ] This incident was witnessed by many people and it became a momentous event in Arab history. When referring to any event during that year, the Arabs would say that it happened in the year of the elephants. The Holy Prophet Ju* c-L- j AJP was bom in the same year, fifty days after the people of the elephants were destroyed. Because everyone was acquainted with the incident, Allah Ta'ala speaks of the incident without introduction when He says, "Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the people of the elephants?" Allah Ta'ala reminds the people of Makkah that He had been merciful to them when He protected the Ka'ba which had given them respect among the Arabs. In this way, Allah preserved their honour and esteem. Allah asks them "Did He not lay their plans to waste and send against them flights of birds who pelted them with clay pebbles, making them look like eaten fodder?" It is the same Allah who sent His final Holy Prophet UP & to the people of Makkah, thereby increasing their honour and the honour of the Ka'ba. It was therefore necessary for the people of Makkah to be grateful to Allah for all these bounties. Commentators mention that any miraculous event that took place before the coming of a Nabi is called "Irhas". A miraculous event that took place after the coming of a Nabi is called "Mu'jiza". The incident of the elephants is therefore regarded as an "Irhas" of the Holy Prophet. THE incident was a sign to indicate that a notable personality will soon appear in the city of Makkah who will have a special attachment with the Ka'ba. The fact that Allah Ta'ala sent many flights of birds indicates that Abraha's army was very large. While there were many soldiers, there were only eight to twelve elephants. Although swallows are usually referred to as "Ababil", they are not implied in the verse. As explained earlier, these birds were a type that appeared most strange. The word "sijjil" (translated above as "clay pebbles) is the Arabic version of the two Persian words "sangh" (stone) and "gill" (clay). They therefore refer to clay rolled into little balls and then baked to harden. These were the same type of pebbles used to destroy the nation of Sayyidina Lut. These pebbles are neither as heavy nor as hard as stones broken off mountains. It is only by the power of Allah that these stones could have had the devastating effect they did. Allama Qurtubi narrates from Abu Salih that he saw some of these pebbles in the house of Sayyidah Umm Hani the daughter of Abu Talib. He says that they were black in colour with red stripes across them. Sayyidina Abdullah bin Abbas has mentioned that tiny pimples developed on the parts of the bodies that the pebbles struck and that this was the beginning of small-pox. Allah knows best.
The next morning, Abraha prepared the army to march into Makkah. Nufayl bin Habib, whom Abraha had taken prisoner earlier, took hold of the ear of Abraha's elephant Mahmud. He said to the elephant, "Return safely whence you came from because you are in Allah's sacred city." Upon hearing this, the elephant immediately sat down. Try as they might, the elephant's minders could not get him to stand. They even tried beating him with large iron spears and putting iron arrowheads in his trunk. However, he still would not walk towards Makkah. When they steered him in the direction of Yemen, he was prepared to walk. He was prepared to walk in every other direction besides the direction of the Ka'ba. It was then that the army saw many flights of little birds approaching from the coast. Each bird carried three little pebbles the size of the gram seed or (according to other narrations) the size of lentils. Each bird carried one in its beak and one in each claw. Waqidi i ^ narrates that the birds (referred to as Ababll) looked strange and had never been seen before. They were the size of pigeons with red claws. Sayyidina Sa'Id bin Musayyab has mentioned that the birds were green with yellow beaks. Sayyidina Ikrima ^ narrates that the birds emerged from the ocean and had heads resembling animals. As the birds flew over Abraha's army, they dropped their pebbles which pecked more power than a bullet. They went straight through anything they struck and settled deep in the ground. Seeing this punishment, the elephants all dispersed and all but one were unharmed. All Abraha's soldiers did not die immediately. Those who escaped died painful deaths as they tried to make their way back to Yemen. Allah 'Ta'ala had sent little birds with little pebbles to destroy an army that many Arab tribes could not resist. On that occasion, Abraha was afflicted with a horrible disease. A poison permeated his body and caused every joint to decay. By the time he was brought back to Yemen, his body was in pieces. He died there. Two of Mahmud's keepers settled in Makkah but both became blind and paralysed. They were often seen begging from people. [The Tafsir of Allama Ibn Kathir iui v. 4 p. 549 and "Ma'alimut Tanzil" v. 4 p. 525 ] This incident was witnessed by many people and it became a momentous event in Arab history. When referring to any event during that year, the Arabs would say that it happened in the year of the elephants. The Holy Prophet was bom in the same year, fifty days after the people of the elephants were destroyed. Because everyone was acquainted with the incident, Allah Ta'ala speaks of the incident without introduction when He says, "Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the people of the elephants?" Allah Ta'ala reminds the people of Makkah that He had been merciful to them when He protected the Ka'ba which had given them respect among the Arabs. In this way, Allah preserved their honour and esteem. Allah asks them "Did He not lay their plans to waste and send against them flights of birds who pelted them with clay pebbles, making them look like eaten fodder?" It is the same Allah who sent His final Holy Prophet UP & to the people of Makkah, thereby increasing their honour and the honour of the Ka'ba. It was therefore necessary for the people of Makkah to be grateful to Allah for all these bounties. Commentators mention that any miraculous event that took place before the coming of a Nabi is called "Irhds". A miraculous event that took place after the coming of a Nabi is called "Mu'jiza". The incident of the elephants is therefore regarded as an "Irhds" of the Holy Prophet UP THE incident was a sign to indicate that a notable personality will soon appear in the city of Makkah who will have a special attachment with the Ka'ba. The fact that Allah Ta'ala sent many flights of birds indicates that Abraha's army was very large. While there were many soldiers, there were only eight to twelve elephants. Although swallows are usually referred to as "Ababil", they are not implied in the verse. As explained earlier, these birds were a type that appeared most strange.

Though the address apparently is directed to the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace), its real addressees are not only the Quraish but all the people of Arabia, who were well aware of the event. At many places in the Qur'an the words alam tara (have you not seen?) have been used, and they are meant not to address the Holy Prophet but the people in general. (For example, see Ibrahim: 19, AI-Hajj: 18, 65, An-Nur: 43, Luqman: 29, 31, Fatir: 27, Az-Zumar: 21). Thee, the word 'seeing' has been used here to signify that in and around Makkah and in the vast country of Arabia, from Makkah to Yaman, there were many such people still living, who had witnessed with their own eyes the event of the destruction of the people of the elephant, for it had occurred only about forty to forty-five years earlier, and the people of Arabia had continually heard it described by the eye-witnesses themselves so that they had become so certain of it as though they had seen it with their own eyes. Here, Allah has not given any detail as to who were the people of the elephant, where from they had come and what was the object of their march, for all these things were well known among the people.
Ababil means many separate and scattered groups whether of men or other creatures, which come from different sides successively. 'Ikrimah and Qatadah say that these swarms of birds had come from the Red Sea side. Sa`id bin Jubair and 'Ikrimah say that such birds had neither been seen before nor ever after; these were neither birds of Najd, nor of Hijaz, nor of Timamah (the land between Hijaz and the Red Sea). lbn 'Abbas says that their beaks were like those of birds and claws like the dog's paw. 'Ikrimah has stated that their heads were like the heads of the birds of prey, and almost all the reporters are agreed that each bird carried a stone in its beak and two stones in its claws. So the people of Makkah had these stones preserved with them for a long time. Thus, Abu Nu`aim has related a statement of Naufal bin Abi Mu`awiyah, saying that he bad seen the stones which had been thrown on the people of the elephant; they equaled a small pea seed in size and were dark red in color. According to Ibn `Abbas's tradition that Abu Nu`aim has related, they were equal to a pine kernel, and according to Ibn Marduyah, equal to a goat's dropping. Obviously, all the stones might not be equal but differing in size to some extent.
Literally, bi hijarat-im-min sijjil means "stones of sijjil type." Ibn `Abbas says that sijjil is the Arabic version of the Persian sang and gil, and it implies the stones made from clay and become hard when baked. The Qur'an also confirms the same. In Surah Hud :82 and Al-Hijr: 74, it has been said that stones of baked clay (sijjin were rained on the people of Lot, and about the same stones in Adh-Dhariyat: 33, it has been said that they were the stones made from clay (hijarat-im min tin).
Maulana Hamid-ad-Din Farahi, who in the present age has done valuable work on the research and determination of the meaning and content of the Qur'an regards the people of Makkah and other Arabians as the subject of tarmihim in this verse, who are the addressees of alam tara. About the birds he says that they were not casting stones but had come to eat the dead bodies of the people of the elephant. A resume of the arguments he has given for this interpretation is that it is not credible that `Abdul Muttalib should have gone before Abrahah and demanded his camels instead of pleading for the Ka`bah, and this also is not credible that the people of Quraish and the other Arabs who had come for Hajj, did not resist the invaders and leaving the Ka`bah at their mercy had gone off to the mountains. Therefore, what actually happened was that the Arabs pelted the army of Abrahah with stones, and Allah by sending a stormy wind charged with stones, destroyed it completely; then the birds were sent to eat the dead bodies of the soldiers. But, as we have already explained in the Introduction, the tradition does not only say that `Abdul Muttalib had gone to demand his camels but it says that he did not demand the camels at all but tried to dissuade Abrahah from attacking the Ka`bah. We have already explained that according to all reliable traditions, Abrahah's army had come in Muharram when the pilgrims had gone back and also it was beyond the power of Quraish and other Arab tribes living in the surrounding areas to resist and fight an army 60,000 strong. They had hardly been able to muster a force ten to twelve thousand strong on the occasion of the Battle of the Trench (Ahzab) with the help of the Arab pagans and Jewish tribes then how could they have mustered courage to encounter an army, 60,000 strong? However. even if all these arguments are rejected and the sequence of the verses of Surah Al-Fil only is kept in view, this interpretation is seen to go against it. If it were so that the stones were cast by the Arabs and the people of the elephant were rendered as chaff, and then the birds came to eat their dead bodies, the order would be this: "You were pelting them with stones of baked clay, then Allah rendered them as chaff eaten up, and then Allah sent upon them swarms of birds. " but here we see that first Allah has made mention of sending swarms of birds; this is immediately followed by tarmihim bi-hijarat-im min-sijjil (which were pelting them with stones of baked clay); and then at the end it is said that Allah made them as straw eaten up.
The word asfas used in the original has already occurred in verse 12 of Surah Ar-Rahman above: dhul-'asf war-raihan: "and corn with husk as well as grain". This shows that asf means the outer covering of seeds, which the farmer throws away after the grain has been separated from it. Then the animals eat it, and some of it falls down in the chewing and some is trampled under the hoofs.