(p-249) The purpose of Surah Al-Fil is to indicate the last moment of the destruction of those who boast in the abode of mutual support and assistance through means. When it is cut off, it is more appropriate for His exclusivity, glorified and exalted is He, to complete His power without reliance on wealth and men. Its name, Al-Fil, clearly indicates this by reflecting on its Surah, and what happened in the history of its army and its form. 'In the name of Allah,' who has complete knowledge, for His power is effective in everything. 'The Most Gracious,' who has the encompassing blessing. 'The Most Merciful,' who specifically grants the complete blessing to the chosen ones. * * He has previously indicated in the last moment that the abundance of wealth that leads to strength through men may sometimes result in calamity. This is evidenced in this context by a visible sign that reached its peak in its destruction and its infiltration into bodies, leading to the hearts in the lesser punishment, just as he mentioned before regarding the greater punishment that is hidden. He warns against pride in this world and the elevation of status, indicating that the greater it becomes, the more harm it brings through the tyranny it generates until its possessor contends with the Most High King. And while it is a visible sign, the Arabs, especially Quraysh, have complete knowledge of it. He said, affirming and denying anyone who might think otherwise: (p-250) 'Did you not see?' meaning you know knowledge [that is] in its realization as if it were present and perceived by sight. This is because he, blessings and peace be upon him, although he did not witness that incident, saw its effects and heard about it through continuous reports, along with Allah informing him of its news. He, blessings and peace be upon him, was specifically informed that only he and those whom Allah has guided to good following know and act upon it, due to what humans have of ties to deficiency, and ties to fortunes and forgetfulness. And it was read 'tar' with the ra' being silent. They said it is indeed in showing the effect of the jussive. The secret in this reading is the indication to hasten in witnessing, implying that their matter, despite their abundance, was like a flash of the eye. Whoever does not pay attention to it and hastens to deliberate upon it will not truly grasp it.

And when it was for the observer to scrutinize the manner and to stand upon the verification of the aspects of the indications of the perfection of Allah's knowledge and power, and the honoring of His Prophet by the signs of his prophethood and the establishment of his message to glorify his land and to honor his people, this is not for the observer who looks at the mere action, saying: ﴿How﴾ without saying: what ﴿did﴾, meaning the action of the one who has the most complete call to that action. The action of the sight is suspended from 'How' due to its meaning of inquiry, so its doer does not precede it, rather its subject is an action, and the sentence of inquiry is in a position of being governed by the suspended action ﴿Your Lord﴾, meaning the one who is good to you. And from His goodness [His goodness] to your people is through you and through this extraordinary event that is beyond the norm, a sign of your prophethood, as is known from the news of the previous prophets regarding what occurs before their prophethood, similar to that, so that it may support their claim to prophethood thereafter. And in His specification of him ﷺ with the address and the expression of 'the Lord' along with the honor for him, and the indication by mentioning him is a hint at the insignificance of the idols which they named lords for themselves. This is known by certainty to those who believe, and whoever persists in his disbelief will know that with certainty when Allah sends His Messenger ﷺ against them in the sacred land, and He permits it for him in the highest state and aspiration ﴿with the companions of the elephant﴾, meaning those who intended to violate the sanctities of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, to destroy His House and to tear apart His neighbors by what led them to arrogance from the wealth and power which He, glorified and exalted is He, bestowed upon them. They thought that it would immortalize them, but it became clear that it would lead them to destruction contrary to what they thought. And they are the Abyssinians who were overpowered in the land of Yemen. Their leader, who is Abu Yaksum, Abraha ibn al-Sabah al-Ashram, built a church in San'a and named it al-Qalis, the weight of Qabita. He intended to divert to it - as he claimed - the pilgrimage of the Arabs. A man from Kinana went out and sat in it one night - meaning he relieved himself and smeared it with it, which angered that Ashram. So he asked, and it was said to him: We see the doer from the people of the house in Mecca - and he swore: I will certainly demolish the Kaaba. And among the wonders of Allah's creation is that He inspired him, glorified and exalted is He, to name it this name which is derived from al-Qals, which means water that comes from the throat filling the mouth. It is the beginning of vomiting which is akin to excrement, which its matter has returned to it. So it was the cause of its destruction by the destruction of its builders. This is because he was angered by that and went out with his army to demolish the House of Allah, the Kaaba, and with him were many elephants, among them a great elephant named Mahmud. He fought some of the Arabs and defeated them and killed some of them. When he had overpowered them, they submitted to him. When he reached al-Mughammis, Abd al-Muttalib, the grandfather of the Prophet ﷺ, came out to him and offered him one-third of the wealth of Tihama on the condition that he return from them. It was said: Rather, his vanguards took for him two hundred camels, and he asked for them from him. He said: I had admired you when I saw you, so I turned away from you when you spoke to me about two hundred camels and left my words regarding a house that is your religion and in your honor? He said: You and that, so he returned his camels to him and drove them away, and he commanded Quraysh to disperse in the valleys and to take precautions in the mountains. Abd al-Muttalib came to the Kaaba and took hold of the door's ring and began to say:

'O Lord, I do not hope for them except You. So prevent them from approaching Your sanctuary.' And he said: 'Indeed, a man prevents his journey, so prevent what is lawful for You.' 'Let not their cross prevail over them, nor their power be a foe to Your power.' 'They have aimed at Your protection with their cunning, in ignorance, and they did not regard Your majesty.' 'If You are leaving them and our Ka'bah, then command what You wish.' Then he left the circle and turned towards some of those faces. When Abraha was prepared to enter the sanctuary and gathered his army, the elephant arrived and knelt down. They tried to get it up, but no trick was of any use. They directed it away from the sanctuary, and it stood up and began to run. They directed it back to the sanctuary, and it knelt down. This was its behavior on that day. While they were in this state, Allah, glorified and exalted is He, sent upon them birds in flocks, each bird carrying a stone in its beak and two stones in its feet. The stone was larger than a lentil and smaller than a chickpea. They threw them, and the stone from them would fall on a man's head and exit from his rear, and they all perished. The people of Mecca and those present from the Arabs were watching Allah's action against them and His kindness towards them - meaning the people of Mecca. This was a precursor to the prophethood of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, for that was the year of his birth. Hamzah al-Karmani said: 'And in one narration: the day of his birth.' It was as if this was a reason for their weakness until the sword of Ibn Dhi Yazan went to Khosrow and he brought back an army and eradicated the remnants of them - as is well known in the narratives and reported in the news. Quraysh came to congratulate him on the victory over them, and their leader was Abdul Muttalib, the grandfather of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him. The sword informed him that a child would be born to him named Muhammad, and he informed him that it was a boy and that his father had died. The sword informed him that he was the prophet sent in the last times, and that he would migrate to Yathrib. If he had known that he would live until the time of his mission, he would have come to Yathrib and made it his residence until he could support the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, with it and manifest his prophethood. Imam Abu Ja'far ibn al-Zubayr said: 'When Surah al-Humazah included the mention of the delusion of those who were tempted by their wealth until they thought it would immortalize them and what followed it, he followed this with the companions of the elephant who were deceived by their multitude and misled by their extension in the lands and their dominance until they intended to demolish the honored house. They hastened the punishment, and Allah placed their plot in misguidance and sent upon them birds in flocks, meaning groups that were scattered, throwing stones of baked clay at them until they eradicated them and cut off their rear, making them like eaten chaff. Their delusion resulted in them having a plentiful share of the preceding loss.'