'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful'

Tafsir of Surah Al-Fil

And it is a Makki surah by consensus of the narrators.

His saying, exalted is He:

"Did you not see how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant?" "Did He not make their plot go astray?" "And He sent against them birds in flocks." "Striking them with stones of baked clay." "So He made them like eaten straw."

"How" is in the accusative due to the verb, and the majority hold that it refers to one elephant. Al-Dahhak said: eight, so it is a name of the genus, and his statement is rejected. Al-Naqqash reported thirteen.

And this surah is a reminder of the consideration of Allah, exalted and majestic, taking vengeance on Abraha, the king of Abyssinia, and his army when he intended to demolish the Kaaba. He had an elephant that he rode.

And his story is well-known in the long seerah, and its summary is that he built a house in Yemen, and he wanted to bring back the pilgrimage of the Arabs to it. An Arab went and caused a disturbance in the house that Abraha built, so he became angry about that and celebrated among his people. He rode the elephant and headed for Mecca, overpowering those who opposed him from the tribes of the Arabs. When he reached the outskirts of Mecca, Abdul Muttalib and Quraysh fled to the mountains and valleys, and they surrendered the city to him. His tyranny prevailed, and there was no one among the people to protect the house. Then came the power of the One, the All-Prevailing, and the taking of the Mighty, the Omnipotent, the Compeller. Abraha was about to enter Mecca and demolish the Kaaba, but his elephant knelt at Dhul-Majaz and did not head towards Mecca. They tried to drive it with iron, but it did not walk towards Mecca. Whenever they directed it elsewhere, it ran away. While they were in that situation regarding the elephant, Allah, exalted and majestic, sent upon them birds in flocks, black from the sea - and it was said green - each bird carrying three stones in its beak and legs, and each stone was larger than a lentil and smaller than a chickpea. They struck them with those stones, and the stones killed the targets, and their flesh was torn apart by diseases and ailments. Abraha turned back with those with him, intending Yemen, and they died on their way, scattered at every stage. Abraha's fingers were severed one by one until he died, and Allah, exalted and majestic, protected His elevated house. This surah was revealed as a reminder regarding this story, so that everyone may know that all matters are with Allah, exalted and majestic, and they should submit to the God whose power was manifested when the idols did not avail anything. The companions of the elephant are Abraha the king and his men. Abu Abd al-Rahman read: "Did you not see" with the ra' being silent, and "the plot" means loss and destruction. "The flocks" means groups coming one after another. Abu Ubaidah said: there is no singular form for it in its wording, and this is the correct view, not what some grammarians have attempted. And Ka'b said:

'It almost brought down my mount from the sounds when the earth flowed with the flocks.'

The interpretation of "the stones of baked clay" has been presented more than once. They are made of "sanj and kill," meaning: water and clay, as if they are bricks or something similar that has been cooked. They are the ones designated by Allah, glorified and exalted is He, for the disbelievers and the wrongdoers. And "the chaff": it is the leaves of wheat and its straw. From this is the saying of Alqamah ibn Abadah:

"They are watered by the remnants of what has passed, Their edges from the incoming water are crushed."

The meaning is: they have become dust, gone like the leaves of wheat that have been eaten by the animals, inheriting humiliation, meanness, and destruction. Abu Al-Malih Al-Hudhali read "So He left them like chaff," and Abu Hatim said: Some of them read: "So He made them" - meaning the birds - with an open lam and a silent ta. And Ikrimah said: the chaff is the grain of wheat when it is eaten and becomes hollow. Al-Farra said: it is the edges of the crops before they are harvested.

And this surah is connected in the Mushaf of Ubayy ibn Ka'b with the surah "For the Familiarity of Quraysh," with no separation between them. Sufyan ibn Uyaynah said: We had an imam who recited them as one connected surah.

The interpretation of the surah [the Elephant] is complete, and all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.