Surah Al-Fil (105) — Ayah 1

In this surah, Allah Almighty has mentioned His favor upon the people of Makkah, that He miraculously protected the House of Allah and destroyed those who came to demolish it. If Allah had not destroyed this king, then how could the people of Makkah have enjoyed the peace, tranquility, and freedom they now possess? It is written in the books of Seerah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was born fifty or fifty-five days after this incident.

(Ayah 1) ➊ The literal meaning of {اَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ … : ’’ اَلَمْ تَرَ ‘‘} is "Have you not seen?" but Mujahid (may Allah have mercy on him), who was a student of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them), interpreted it as: {’’أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ‘‘} "Do you not know?" [ بخاري، التفسیر، باب سورۃ الفیل، قبل ح : ۴۹۶۴ ] At the time when the Qur'an was revealed, this incident was so well-known that it was as if people had witnessed it with their own eyes. Some people have tried to infer from this word that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself saw this incident with his own eyes and that he was the knower of the unseen. In reality, saying this is a result of unfamiliarity with the Arabic language and the style of the Qur'an. Allah Almighty said: « اَوَ لَمْ يَرَ الْاِنْسَانُ اَنَّا خَلَقْنٰهُ مِنْ نُّطْفَةٍ فَاِذَا هُوَ خَصِيْمٌ مُّبِيْن» [ یٰس : ۷۷] "And has man not seen that We created him from a sperm-drop, then suddenly he is a clear adversary?" Now, has any human seen himself being created from a sperm-drop? Here too, the meaning is: "Do you not know what your Lord did with the people of the elephant?" The use of {’’ اَلَمْ تَرَ ‘‘} (Have you not seen) instead of {’’أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ‘‘} (Do you not know) means that this incident is so certain that it is as if you have seen it with your own eyes.

➋ "The people of the elephant" refers to a Christian ruler of Yemen, Abraha, and his army. Abraha built a magnificent church and wanted people to visit it as they visited the Ka'bah. When he failed in his intention, he set out with a large army, which included elephants, intending to demolish the House of Allah, and reached Makkah. When he arrived at the valley between Muzdalifah and Mina, which was later named the Valley of Muhassir, flocks of birds appeared by Allah's command, carrying stones in their claws and beaks. They pelted the army with those stones, which destroyed Abraha and his army. This is a summary of the incident mentioned in the books of Seerah and history. (See Seerah Ibn Hisham and Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

A brief mention of this incident is also authentically reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) with sound chains of narration. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ إِنَّ اللّٰهَ حَبَسَ عَنْ مَكَّةَ الْفِيْلَ ، وَسَلَّطَ عَلَيْهَا رَسُوْلَهُ وَالْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ ، فَإِنَّهَا لاَ تَحِلُّ لِأَحَدٍ كَانَ قَبْلِيْ، وَ إِنَّهَا أُحِلَّتْ لِيْ سَاعَةً مِّنْ نَهَارٍ ، وَ إِنَّهَا لَنْ تَحِلَّ لِأَحَدٍ بَعْدِيْ ] [ بخاري، اللقطۃ، باب کیف تعرّف لقطۃ أھل مکۃ ؟ : ۲۴۳۴ ] "Allah Almighty prevented the elephants from entering Makkah and granted dominance over it to His Messenger and the believers. So, it was not made lawful for anyone before me, and it was made lawful for me for only one hour of the day. After me, it will not be lawful for anyone (to fight in it)." In another hadith, it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) set out during the time of Hudaybiyyah, and when he reached the pass from which one enters Makkah, his she-camel sat down. People tried to make her stand, [ حَلْ حَلْ ] but she remained seated. People said, "Qaswa has become stubborn, Qaswa has become stubborn." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ مَا خَلَأَتِ الْقَصْوَاءُ، وَمَا ذَاكَ لَهَا بِخُلُقٍ ، وَلٰكِنْ حَبَسَهَا حَابِسُ الْفِيْلِ ] [بخاري، الشروط، باب الشروط في الجہاد : ۲۷۳۱، ۲۷۳۲] "Qaswa has not become stubborn, nor is this her habit. Rather, she has been stopped by the One who stopped the elephants." These ahadith prove that when the people of the elephant came to attack Makkah, Allah Almighty stopped them.

1. Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant? (1)

1. Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the People of the Elephant [1]?

[1]
Abraha's Construction of a Magnificent Church in Yemen:

Although, in this verse, the address apparently is to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, its audience is all the people of Arabia. The Quran does not mention any details about these people of the elephant—who they were, where they came from, and for what purpose they came. This is because this incident occurred in a very recent time, and every child in Arabia was familiar with its details, and many poets had recorded this event in their poems and verses. The incident, in brief, was that in Yemen, there was a Christian government of the Abyssinians, and a person named Abraha was appointed as the viceroy of the Abyssinian government. He was very jealous of the influence, honor, and greatness of the House of Allah (Ka'bah). He desired that the capital of Yemen, Sana'a, should attain the same status throughout Arabia as Makkah had, and that the political, social, commercial, and economic benefits that the Quraysh of Makkah were gaining because of the Ka'bah should be gained by their government. For this purpose, he had a magnificent church built in Sana'a.

The Intention to Attack the Ka'bah:

The building of the church was much more grand and splendid compared to the Ka'bah. Despite this, people did not turn towards it. Rather, when the Arab tribes came to know the purpose and intent behind the construction of this church, someone secretly defiled the church, and according to another narration, someone set it on fire. This gave Abraha an excuse to march against the Ka'bah and destroy it. And it is possible that he himself had the church set on fire or desecrated in order to create a plausible reason for attacking the Ka'bah. In any case, Abraha prepared a huge army of sixty thousand men to attack the Ka'bah. This army also included thirteen elephants, and he himself rode a high-ranking elephant named Mahmood. When this army set out towards Makkah, most of the Arab tribes along the way resisted, but what could they do against such a large army of Abraha? They were defeated and captured one after another. Eventually, Abraha reached a place called Muhassir between Mina and Muzdalifah. He set up camp there and also did some looting. He also seized two hundred camels belonging to Abdul Muttalib, who at that time was the chief custodian of the Ka'bah and the leader of the Quraysh. Then he sent a message to the people of Makkah that he had come only to demolish the Ka'bah and not to fight them. Therefore, if they did not interfere, their lives and property would remain safe, and he was ready to negotiate in this regard.

The Dialogue Between Abraha and Abdul Muttalib:

Upon receiving this message, Abdul Muttalib went to speak with him. The Quraysh of Makkah were convinced that they could not withstand Abraha's army in any way. Therefore, before leaving, Abdul Muttalib had already told the people to take care of their own safety and to hide in the mountains with their belongings. Then, these people went to the Ka'bah and prayed to Allah Almighty with utmost sincerity and devotion that He Himself protect His House, for they did not have the strength to do so. At that time, there were three hundred and sixty idols in the Ka'bah, but in this time of crisis, they forgot all their deities and kept praying only to Allah, whose prayers Allah Almighty accepted. When Abdul Muttalib reached Abraha, he was greatly impressed by his dignity and came forward himself to welcome him. Then he asked, "What do you want?" Abdul Muttalib simply replied, "The return of my camels." At this answer, Abraha was greatly astonished, as if Abdul Muttalib's status had fallen in his eyes. Then he said, "I thought you would talk about the Ka'bah." Abdul Muttalib again simply replied, "I am the owner of the camels, so I demanded them. I am not the owner of the Ka'bah. Its owner will Himself protect it. You and He know best." At this answer, Abraha was even more astonished, but he returned Abdul Muttalib's camels. Abdul Muttalib returned and again instructed the people to take care of their own safety, and Abraha began preparations to advance towards the Ka'bah. The first thing that happened was that his own elephant, Mahmood, refused to advance towards the Ka'bah. Many arrows were shot at it and goads were used, but it would not move forward, and whenever it was turned in any direction other than the Ka'bah, it would immediately start running. While they were in this predicament, Allah Almighty sent flocks upon flocks of birds from the direction of the sea, or in other words, sent His own army.

The Pebble-Throwing of the Ababeel:

Each of these birds had one pebble in its beak and two pebbles in its claws. These birds threw those very pebbles upon the army, showering them with pebbles. These pebbles struck with such speed as if they were bullets from a gun. Wherever a pebble struck, it would wound, and sometimes even pass through. Thus, most of the army perished right there. The rest who survived turned back, but died on the way. Abraha himself also died on the way. And the destruction of the People of the Elephant occurred only 50 days before the blessed birth of the Prophet ﷺ, in the month of Muharram.