Surah Al-Fil is a Makki Surah with five verses. Fil means Elephant. The Surah derives its name from the word ashab al fil in the very first verse.
This Surah was revealed mentioning the major historical event of Abraha and his army who had evil plans of destroying the Kaba. Abraha was the viceroy of Yemen. And through passage of time he became an independent ruler of Yemen.
After stabilizing his rule in Yemen Abrahah turned his attention to the objective which from the very beginning of his campaign had to be done i.e. to spread Christianity in Arabia, on the one hand, and to capture the trade that was carried out through the Arabs also.
To achieve this objective, Abrahah built in Sana, the capital of Yemen, a magnificent cathedral, called by the Arabian historians al-Qalis. After having completed the building, Abraha declared: “I shall not rest until I have diverted the Arabs pilgrimage to it.”
It is said that some people from the Quraish had lit up fire to that cathedral of Abraha. In any case, whatever happened, when the report reached Abrahah that the devotees of the Kaba had thus defiled his cathedral, he swore that he would not rest until he had destroyed the Kaba.
So, in 570 or 571 A. D., he took 60,000 troops and 13 elephants (according to another tradition, 9 elephants) and set off for Makkah.
The leading chief of Makkah at that time was Abdul Muttalib. The envoy went to him and delivered Abrahah’s message. Abdul Muttalib replied:”We have no power to fight Abrahah. This is Allah’s House. If He wills He will save His House.”
The tribes living in and around Makkah did not have the power to fight such a big force and save the Kaba. Therefore the Quraish did not try to put up any resistance. So Abdul Muttalib ordered the Quraish to withdraw from the city and go to the mountains along with their families for fear of a general massacre. Then he went to the Kaba along with some chiefs of the Quraish and taking hold of the iron ring of the door, prayed to Allah Almighty to protect His House and its keepers. There were at that time 360 idols in and around the Kaba, but on that critical moment they forgot them and asked only Allah for help and prayed as,
“O God, a man protects his house, so protect Your House; Let not their cross and their craft tomorrow overcome Your craft. If You will to leave them and our qiblah to themselves, You may do as You please.”
After making these supplications Abdul Muttalib and his companions also went off to the mountains. Next morning Abrahah prepared to enter Makkah, but his special elephant, Mahmud, which was in the forefront, knelt down. It was beaten with iron bars, even scarified, but it would not get up. When they made it face south, north, or east, it would immediately start off, but as soon as they directed it towards Makkah, it knelt down. In the meantime swarms of birds appeared carrying stones in their beaks and claws and showered these on the troops. Whoever was hit would start disintegrating. Whoever was struck by a pebble, would start scratching his body resulting in breaking of the skin and falling off of the flesh. The same thing happened with Abrahah too. His flesh fell in pieces and there arose bores on his body emitting pus and blood. In confusion they withdrew and fled towards Yemen.
The Arabs describe the year in which this event took place as Aam-al-Fil (the year of the elephants) , and in the same year the Prophet pbuh was born.
This incident was well known to people of Makkah especially the Quraish who were agaisnt the call of Islam. Therefore, Allah revealed this Surah as a reference to the people of Quraish, in particular, and the people of Arabia, in general, that they should consider well in their hearts the message that the Prophet Muhammad pbuh was giving. For the only message that he gave was that they should worship and serve none but Allah, the Only and One.
Then, they should also consider that if they used force to suppress this invitation to the truth, they would only be inviting the wrath of God, Who had so completely routed and destroyed the people of the elephants.
Allah mentions the incident of Elephant addressing the Prophet pbuh directly. And then in general Allah addresses not only the Quraish but all the people of Arabia, who were well aware of this event.
In the vast country of Arabia, from Makkah to Yemen, there were many such people still living, who had witnessed with their own eyes the event of the destruction of the people of the elephant, for it had occurred only about forty to forty-five years earlier, and the people of Arabia had continually heard it described by the eye-witnesses themselves so that they had become so certain of it as though they had seen it with their own eyes. That’s why the style of Surah is direct, no extra detail Allah gave because the event was so well-known among the Arabs.
Abraha with his large army marched from Yemen to Makkah with his evil intentions. They intended to destroy the Kaba hoping that they would make the new established church, in Yemen, the Center for all Arabs of Arabia. But, they not only didn’t succeed in discrediting and destroying the Kaba, but it increased the fame and importance of the Holy Kaba and Makkah throughout Arabia, and attracted more loving thoughts and eager hearts to Makkah than ever before. It proved to be a location of security and of sanctuary, better and more wide spread. So Allah reminds his Great bounty how He Alone was sufficient in putting the army of Abraha down alongwith him.
Allah mentions in these verses that how Allah sent birds who destroyed the army of Abraha with the little powerful stones. According to different narrations the swarms of birds had come from the Red Sea side, such birds had neither been seen before nor ever after, their beaks were like those of birds and claws like the dog’s paw. Each bird carried a stone in its beak and two stones in its claws. So the people of Makkah had these stones preserved with them for a long time. And these stones were small in size, made from clay and hardened like its baked.
Anyone of these small stones would immediately kill anyone on whom it was dropped.
Allah made the army of Abraha like a straw eaten up as this stone was hit to them. By “straw” it means the leaves and stalks of corn or plants of which the grain has been eaten by cattles.
Purpose and Lessons from Surah Al-Fil
➖As a means of waking Man up, the Quran tells this long story in a few short sentences, and illustrates the weakness of arrogant Man compared to the great Power of Allah.
➖The purpose is that people may become acquainted with the greatness of Allah and the legitimacy of His religion.
➖Surah Fil is the remembrance of the splendid blessings of Allah for the Quraish tribe to show them that had it not been for the Grace of Allah neither any trace of this sacred center, i.e. Makkah and Kaba, would remain nor of the Quraish tribe, themselves, in order that they might reduce their pride and arrogance and accept the invitation of the Prophet pbuh.
➖This event, which was nearly close to the time of the birth of the Prophet pbuh, in fact, paved the way for that great advent, and was the message of the importance of that rising.
➖It is a warning to all arrogant ones in the world, whether they are from the Quraish or not, to know that they can never stand against the Power of Allah; they should submit to Allah’s Command and accept the truth.
➖The dua of Ibrahim a.s proved in that event that the Will of Allah has designed this center of monotheism and worship to remain secure forever.
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