Surah Al-Fil (The Elephant)

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Five verses, Meccan.

Surah Al-Fil (The Elephant)

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

It is narrated that Abraha ibn al-Sabah al-Ashram, the king of Yemen under the authority of the Negus of Abyssinia, built a church in Sana'a and named it Al-Qalis. He intended to divert the Hajj pilgrimage to it. A man from Banu Kinanah went out and defecated in it one night, which greatly angered him.

It is also said that a group of Arabs lit a fire, and the wind carried it, burning the church. He then swore to demolish the Ka'bah. He set out with the Abyssinians, accompanied by an elephant named Mahmud, which was strong and massive, and eight other elephants—though some say twelve, and others say a thousand.

When he approached Mecca, 'Abd al-Muttalib went out to him and offered him one-third of the wealth of Tihamah to turn back, but he refused. Abraha mobilized his army. When the elephant was brought forward, whenever they directed it toward the Haram (sanctuary), it would kneel and refuse to move. If they directed it toward Yemen or any other direction, it would hasten forward.

Then, Abraha seized two hundred camels belonging to 'Abd al-Muttalib. 'Abd al-Muttalib went out to them concerning these camels. This impressed Abraha, for 'Abd al-Muttalib was a tall and handsome man. It was said, "This is the chief of Quraysh and the owner of Mecca's caravan." When 'Abd al-Muttalib stated his need, Abraha said, "Your status has fallen in my eyes. I came to demolish the House that is your religion and the religion of your fathers, and you are preoccupied with your straying camels!" 'Abd al-Muttalib replied, "I am the lord of the camels, and the House has a Lord who will prevent you from it."

Then he returned, went to the Ka'bah, grasped its ring, and said:

And he said:

As he was supplicating, he turned around and saw birds coming from the direction of Yemen. He said, "By Allah, these are strange birds; they are neither from Najd nor Tihamah." Each bird carried a stone in its beak and two stones in its feet, larger than a lentil but smaller than a chickpea.

According to Ibn 'Abbas, he saw some of these birds at Umm Hani's place, about a qafiz (a measure) in quantity, striped with red like the za'farani agate. The stone would fall upon a man's head and exit through his backside. On each stone was the name of the person it would strike, and they perished on every road and at every watering place.

Abraha suffered from a severe illness; his fingernails fell off, and he did not die until his chest split open, revealing his heart. His vizier, Abu Yaksoum, escaped with a bird hovering above him until he reached the Negus. He recounted the story to him. When he finished, a stone fell upon the vizier, and he died instantly before the Negus.

'A'ishah said: "I saw the driver of the elephant and its guide, both blind and crippled, being fed."

First Inquiry: Why did He say, "Have you not seen" when this event occurred long before the Prophet's mission?

Answer: The meaning of "seeing" here is knowledge and admonition. It is an indication that the news of this event was transmitted by tawatur (mass transmission), so the resulting knowledge was necessary, equal in strength and clarity to direct sight. For this reason, He used similar phrasing in condemnation of others: "Have they not seen how many generations We destroyed before them?"

It should not be argued: Why did He not say, "Have you not known that Allah is over all things competent?" We reply: The difference is that for something whose perception is impossible (like God's power), only knowledge is used. However, for something whose perception is possible (like the flight of the elephant), the term "seeing" may be employed.

Second Inquiry: Why did He say, "Have you not seen how your Lord dealt" and not, "Have you not seen what your Lord did?"

Answer: Things have essences (dhawat) and qualities (kayfiyyat). The use of kayfiyyat indicates the manner of the action, which is what theologians call the "aspect of the proof." Deserving of praise is achieved by witnessing these qualities, not just the essences. This is why He said: "Have they not looked at the heaven above them, how We have constructed it?"

Undoubtedly, this event demonstrated the Creator's Power, Knowledge, and Wisdom. It also demonstrated the honor of Muhammad (peace be upon him). This is because our doctrine permits the presentation of miracles before the time of prophethood as a foundation and prelude to their status. Therefore, they said that the cloud used to shade him. The Mu'tazilites, however, argue that this is impermissible. Consequently, they claim that there must have been a prophet or an orator at that time, like Khalid ibn Sinan or Quss ibn Sa'idah. They then argue that the existence of such figures is not necessarily famous or transmitted by tawatur, as it is possible they were sent only to a small group, hence their news did not spread widely.

Know that the story of the Elephant is very effective against atheists, because they offer weak excuses regarding earthquakes, winds, lightning, and other means by which God punished nations. This event does not allow for those excuses, as it is not within the nature of things or human ingenuity for birds carrying stones to target one group of people and kill them while sparing others. Nor can it be dismissed as one of the weak narrations, because only about forty years passed between the Year of the Elephant and the Prophet's mission. On the day the Prophet recited this Surah, there were still people in Mecca who had witnessed that event. If the narration were weak, they would have openly refuted it. Since they did not, we know there is no basis for challenging it.

Third Inquiry: Why did He say, "dealt" (fa'ala) and not "made" (ja'ala), "created" (khalaqa), or "worked" (amila)?

Answer: Khalaqa is used for the initiation of an action; ja'ala is used for qualities, as in: "He created the heavens and the earth and made the darkness and the light." Amila implies a request or command. Fa'ala is general and thus more appropriate, as God created the birds, set the nature of the elephant contrary to its usual disposition, and they asked Him to protect the House. Perhaps some among them deserved an answer. If the three specific words were used, the explanation would be lengthy, so one word encompassing all was mentioned.

Fourth Inquiry: Why did He say, "your Lord" (rabbuka) and not simply "The Lord" (al-Rabb)?

Answer: For several reasons:

1. It is as if God is saying: When they witnessed this retribution, they still did not abandon idol worship. But you, O Muhammad, witnessed it and then acknowledged gratitude and obedience. It is as if you are the one who saw that retribution, so I have singled you out from everyone. Thus, I say, "Your Lord"—meaning, I am yours, not theirs, but rather against them.
2. It is as if God is saying: I only did that to the companions of the Elephant to honor you and elevate your status. I was nurturing you before your people, so how could I abandon nurturing you after your appearance? This contains glad tidings for the Prophet (PBUH) that he will be victorious.

Fifth Inquiry: The statement "Have you not seen how your Lord dealt" is mentioned in a context of astonishment. Yet, these matters are not astonishing relative to God's power. What is the reason for this astonishment?

Answer: For several reasons:

1. The Ka'bah is subordinate to Muhammad (PBUH). Knowledge exists without a mosque, but a mosque cannot exist without the Knower. The Prophet is the pearl, and the mosque is the shell. When Al-Walid attacked the Prophet—the pearl—and slandered him until his heart was constricted, it is as if God is saying: When a great king attacked the mosque, I defeated and annihilated him. So, what about one who attacks you, who are the ultimate focus? Shall I not annihilate and destroy him? Indeed, this is astonishing!
2. The Ka'bah is the Qibla (direction) of your prayer, and your heart is the Qibla of your knowledge. I protected the Qibla of your action from enemies; shall I not strive to protect the Qibla of your religion from sins and transgressions?

Sixth Inquiry: Why did He say, "companions of the Elephant" (ashab al-fil) and not "masters of the elephant" (arbab al-fil) or "owners of the elephant" (mulak al-fil)?

Answer: Because the term sahib (companion) implies being of the same kind. Thus, "companions of the Elephant" indicates that those people shared the same base nature as the elephant in terms of brutishness, lack of understanding, and intellect. There is a subtle point here: when companionship exists between two individuals, the lesser is said to be the companion of the greater, but the greater is not called the companion of the lesser. This is why those who accompanied the Prophet (PBUH) are called the Sahabah (Companions). Therefore, "companions of the Elephant" indicates that those people were of lower status and lesser standing than the elephant itself, which is what is meant by "Nay, they are more astray."

What confirms this is that whenever they directed the elephant toward the Ka'bah, it would turn away and flee from it, as if it were saying: There is no obedience to a creature in disobedience to the Creator; my resolve is sound, so I will not abandon it. But they did not abandon their wicked resolve, which proves that the elephant was in a better state than them.

Seventh Inquiry: Were not the disbelievers of Quraysh the ones who filled the Ka'bah with idols long ago? Surely, that was uglier than destroying the walls of the Ka'bah. Why did God inflict punishment on those who intended destruction, but not on those who filled it with idols?

Answer: Because placing idols in it was an aggression against the right of God, while destroying the walls was an aggression against the right of creation. A parallel is found in the ruling that highway robbers, aggressors, and murderers are killed even if they are Muslims, whereas the elderly, the blind, the hermit, and the woman are not killed, even if they are disbelievers, because their harm does not extend to creation.

Eighth Inquiry: What is the grammatical analysis of this verse?

Answer: Al-Zajjaj said that kayfa (how) is in the accusative case due to an implied verb, not due to "Have you not seen," because kayfa is one of the interrogative particles.

(2) Have He not made their plot go astray?

Know that God mentioned what He did to them, saying: "Have He not made their plot go astray?"