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.