Al-Fil

This article is about the chapter of the Qur'an translated to English as "The Elephant." For other uses, see Elephant (disambiguation).

Sūrat al-Fīl (Arabic: سورة الفيل‎ ) (The Elephant) is the 105th chapter of the Qur'an. It is a Makkan sura consisting of 5 ayat. It describes the incidents of the Year of the Elephant, the year when Muhammad was born. With translations.

Arabic Verses

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

1. اَلَمۡ تَرَ کَیۡفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّکَ بِاَصۡحٰبِ الۡفِیۡلِ

1. اَلَمۡ یَجۡعَلۡ کَیۡدَہُمۡ فِیۡ تَضۡلِیۡلٍ

1. وَّ اَرۡسَلَ عَلَیۡہِمۡ طَیۡرًا اَبَابِیۡلَ

1. تَرۡمِیۡہِمۡ بِحِجَارَۃٍ مِّنۡ سِجِّیۡلٍ

1. فَجَعَلَہُمۡ کَعَصۡفٍ مَّاۡکُوۡلٍ

English Translation of verses

English Translation by Muhammad Shameem, Mohammad Wali Raazi and Muhammad Taqi Usmani:^[1]

Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the People of the Elephant? [1] Has He not turned their plan into nullity? [2] And He sent upon them flying birds in flocks, [3] throwing upon them stones of baked clay, [4] and thus He turned them into an eaten-up chaff. [5]

English Translation by Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall:^[2][3]

Hast thou not seen how thy Lord dealt with the owners of the Elephant? [1] Did He not bring their stratagem to naught, [2] And send against them swarms of flying creatures, [3] Which pelted them with stones of baked clay [4] And made them like green crops devoured (by cattle)? [5]

English Translation by Yusuf Ali: ^[4][5]

Seest thou not how thy Lord dealt with the Companions of the Elephant? [1] Did He not make their treacherous plan go astray? [2] And He sent against them Flights of Birds, [3] Striking them with stones of baked clay. [4] Then did He make them like an empty field of stalks and straw, (of which the corn) has been eaten up. [5]

Summary

It forms a pair with the following sura, Quraish, reminding the Quraysh tribe who dominated Mecca of the favors that Allah had bestowed on them. (It is said that in Uthman's copy of the Qur'an they were written together as a single sura.) The Kaaba was central to the life of Quraish, being a center of pilgrimage which brought much trade and prestige; Surat al-Fil describes how God saved the Kaaba from destruction, while surat Quraish describes God as Lord of that Kaaba and urges Quraish to worship Him so that, among other things, He should protect them on their trading journeys.

This Surah discusses how the people of the elephant were destroyed the leader of the people of the Elephant was Sultan Abraha, because of their plotting against the Ka'ba. Allah sent birds against these people, and these birds destroyed the people and the elephants they had brought for their task. These birds threw many, many stones of baked clay at the elephants and the people, which led to their stoppage. This story emphasizes the power of Allah against which no plot can win.

References

1. ^ English translation of Tafseer-e-Uthmani and tafseer(commentary) of the Holy Qur'an
2. ^ http://www.altafsir.com/ViewTranslations.asp?Display=yes&SoraNo=1&Ayah=0&toAyah=0&Language=2&LanguageID=2&TranslationBook=3 Project Al-Tafsir Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Jordan
3. ^ Pickthall Translation of Holy Quran
4. ^ Works of Yusuf Ali
5. ^ The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an. Amana Publications. 978-1590080252

External links

• Works by Abdullah Yusuf Ali at Project Gutenberg
• The Holy Qur'an, translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali
• Three translations at Project Gutenberg
• Works by Marmaduke Pickthall at Project Gutenberg

See also

• Abraha
• Shaiba ibn Hashim

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