Surat Al-Feel

1. Surat Al-Feel The Elephant

3. أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَابِ الْفِيلِ (1) • 1. Have you (O Muhammad ()) not seen how your Lord dealt with the Owners of the Elephant? [The elephant army which came from Yemen under the command of Abrahah Al-Ashram intending to destroy the Ka'bahat Makkah]. أَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ كَيْدَهُمْ فِي تَضْلِيلٍ (2) • 2. Did He not make their plot go astray? وَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ طَيْرًا أَبَابِيلَ (3) • 3. And sent against them birds, in flocks, تَرْمِيهِمْ بِحِجَارَةٍ مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ (4) • 4. Striking them with stones of Sijjil. فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصْفٍ مَأْكُولٍ (5) 5. And made them like an empty field of stalks (of which the corn has been eaten up by cattle).

4. It's names: 1) Surat Al-Feel: Because it talks about the people of the elephant. (Al-Feel word was mentioned just in this Sura). 2) Surat:(ألم تر كيف فعل ربك) Amr bin Maymoon narrated that he had prayed Al-Maghreb prayer behind Omar bin Al-Khattab. He recited in the first Rak'ah (والتين والزيتون) and in the second Rak'ah (ألم تر كيف فعل ربك) and (لإيلاف قريش). (MusannafIbnShaibah 1/358). 3) Surat (ألم تر): 4) The Surah that revealed about the people of Al-Feel: Ibn Al-Arabi put this name as a title in (Ahkam Al-Qur'an).

5. Time of revelation: It is Mekkeyyah. - Some of the scholars said it has been considered with Surat (قريش) as a one Sura: 1) Al-Akhfash said it is related to (لإيلاف قريش). 2) Obai bin Ka'b put it with SuratQuraish without separating between them with Al-Basmalah. 3) As in HadithIbnMaymoon when he said that Omar bin Al-Khattab recited it in Al-Maghrib prayer with SuratQuraish in the same Rak'ah. → But in fact they are two separate suras.

6. The reason of its revelation: Allah  reminded Quraish with this great grace, that He protected Al-Ka'bah from destruction by the people of Al-Feel. Allah  is the Irresistible (supreme), above His slaves. To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and earth and all that is there in, and He is Able to do all things. When Abraha tried to force the elephant to walk to Mekkah, Allah  prevented it, and sent against them birds in flocks, striking them with stones of baked clay. At the end, they were like an empty field of stalks.

7. The theme of this Sura: In this sura, Allah  showed us His Ability against the people who tried to destroy the Ka'bah and He wiped out all their traces of existence.

8. The reason of its beginning: The question in the first verse is affirmation, which means, that the story of the people of Al-Feel is true and no body denies it. Ar-Razi said: "The purpose of (ألم تر) = (have you not seen) is to inform and remind the Prophet, Quraish and others, because the story of Al-Feel is recurrent which make it clear enough (the same as if we are looking at it).

9. The relation between the beginning of Surat Al-Feel and its end: The beginning is a question about what had happened to the people of Al-Feel, and the end of this sura is about their recompense. Allah  described their destruction and what happened to them in this life. The end is an answer to the question which is at the beginning.

10. The relation between this Sura and Surat Al-Homazah: -The disbelievers were slandering and backbiting the Prophet . They plotted against him, so Allah  mentioned after surat Al-Homazah the recompense of the people of Al-Feel and what had happened to them in this life, to show them that He is able to punish them in the Hereafter. Everyone plots against the believers, Allah  will destroy them and He will take care of His Prophet the same as He did when He protected His House. - Also, in surat Al-Homazah, Allah  said that the disbelievers’ money will not avail them whatsoever against Allah , and they will be thrown into the crushing Fire. So, when Allah  talked about the torment in the Hereafter, He talked about the torment in this life for the people of Al-Feel.

11. The relation between Surat Al-Feel and its theme: • Surat Al-Feel talks about the Ability of Allah . He destroyed who tried to violate the sanctity of His House. Their torment in this life is like an introduction to the torment in the Hereafter as Allah  said in surat Al-Hajj (22:25): وَمَنْ يُرِدْ فِيهِ بِإِلْحَادٍ بِظُلْمٍ نُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ (25) “And whoever inclines to evil actions therein (Al-Ka’bah) or to do wrong (i.e. practise polytheism and leave Islamic Monotheism), him We shall cause to taste a painful torment.”

12. The relation between the parts of Surat Al-Feel: Allah  showed the disbelievers how He destroyed the people of Al-Feel by sending birds in flocks, striking them with stones of baked clay, and He made them like an empty field of stalks. Allah  is Able to do everything according to His wisdom.

13. The relation between its beginning and the beginning of Al-Homazah: Allah  mentioned in Surat Al-Homazah the state of a man who thinks that his wealth will make him last forever! In Surat Al-Feel: Allah  mentioned the people of Al-Feel who thought that their power and their large number could protect them from destruction. So, Allah  is able to punish anyone who tries to plot against His Prophet and religion the same as He punished the people of Al-Feel.

14. The relation between Surat Al-Feel and SuratQuraish: There is a big relation between the two Suras. Allah  did what He did with the people of Al-Feel to tame and gather Quraish and to let them be familiar with their trades between Ash-Sham and Yeman and to keep them safe and satisfied.

15. The general explanation: (ألم تر كيف فعل ربك) - : Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the owners of elephant? He saved Quraish and Al-Ka'bah from the owners of Al-Feel who had tried to tear down the ka'bah and wipe out all traces of its existences. Allah  destroyed them, defeated them, thwarted (annulled) their plans, made their efforts in vain and sent them back routed. The question in the first verse is affirmative. Because all the Arabs know about what happened to the owners of Al-Feel, till they use this time as a date of the historical occasions. They said: happened in the year of Al-Feel or before it by two years…etc. the Prophet  was born in the same year of Al-Feel. So Allah  in this sura didn't inform them with what He did to them, but He reminded them with the story that they knew.

16. - (ألم يجعل كيدهم في تضليل): Did He not make their plot go astray? So, they didn't attain their aim, the same as who had lost his way. Allah : reminded Quraish about His protection of Al-Ka'bah when they were incapable to protect it. Feel ashamed O Quraish and believe in Allah  alone who could destroy you because you opposed His Prophet  the same as He destroyed the owners of Al-Feel. Don't be deceived with what you have, the owners of Al-Feel had more power than you and they had been destroyed. How He make their plot go astray? By (وأرسل عليهم طيراً أبابيل، ترميهم بحجارة من سجيل، فجعلهم كعصف مأكول).

17. (أبابيل) - : Has many meanings: a) In groups. b) Some of them following after others. c) Many. d) In various, successive groups. e) Different, coming from here and there. They came upon them from every where. f) In divisions just as camels march in divisions (in their herds). g) They had snouts like the beak of birds and paws like the paws of dogs. h) They were green birds that came out of the sea and they had heads like the heads of predatory animals. i) They were black birds of the sea that had stones in their beaks and claws.

18. - (حجارة من سجيل) : hard and solid stones. Some of the commentators have mentioned that it is actually two Persian words that the Arabs have made into one word. The two words are: "Saj" and "Jil". "Saj": meaning: stones, and "Jil" meaning: clay. - (عصف مأكول) : العصف: a) Are the leaves of the crops that are not gathered. b) It is a straw. c) The shell of the grain, just like the covering of wheat. d) The leaves of vegetation and produce.

19. - (مأكول) : a) Refers to the fodder that is cut for animals. b) When the cattle eat the leaves they defecate it out and it becomes dung. → Allah  sent birds upon them that came from sea swallows. Each of the birds was carrying three small stones, two stones with its feet and one stone in its beak. They came until they gathered in rows over their heads. Then they gave a loud cry and threw what was in their claws and beaks. Thus, no stone fell upon the head of any man except that it came out of his behind (it went through him), and it didn't fall on any part of his body except that it came out from the opposite side. Then Allah  sent a severe wind that struck the stones and increased them in force. Thus, they were all destroyed. Allah  destroyed them, annihilated them and repelled them in their plan and their destruction of them, and not one of them returned (to their land) to relate what happened except that he was wounded. This is just like what happened to their king: Abrahah. For indeed he was split open, exposing his heart when he reached his land of San'a’. He informed the people of what happened to them and then he died.

20. Lessons from Surat Al-Feel: 1) Allah  protected His House by Himself and didn't leave the protection to Quraish, therforeQuraish has no right to put their idols and to disbelieve in Allah. Because they would say: we are the people of Al-Ka'bah, we protected it, so we deserve it more than the Prophet . Allah  reminded them with His favor upon them when He alone protected it which should lead them to worship Allah  alone.

21. 2) Allah  also defeated the people of the scripture (Abrahah was Christian) and didn't give them the right to dominate Al-Ka'bah, to keep this great symbol free from impurity (filth of Shirk) and to prepare it for the Prophet  who will lead the people to Islamic Monotheism (the same religion of Ibrahim  who built it).

22. 3) Allah  protected His House from the people of the scripture while the custodians (servants) of the Ka'bah were disbelievers, He is able  to protect it even now more than before because the servants now are Mouthiest.

23. 4) Allah  will endue with honor who will hold fast His Book and Sunnah, as the Prophet  and his nation did. The Arabs were Beduin, and the great kingdoms were to Persian and Romans. But when the Prophet  came, Muslims dominated the East and on the west. Omar Bin Al-Khattab said: "We were the most servile people, then Allah  endued us with honor by the religion of Islam, and if we seek honoring from other than Islam, Allah  will humiliate us". (Sahih – At-Targheeb 2893).

24. 5) Allah  will protect who magnifies His symbols (When Quraish gave the right to Allah's House and served the people who visited it.) 6) Allah  is able to do every thing. He destroyed the huge creatures with the weakest creature, when the small birds carried small stones (smaller than the chickpeas and bigger than lentils) and killed huge creatures. Ash-Shaikh Al-Maghamsi said: "The key for servitude is to believe in the full Ability of Allah". Allah  is able to give you everything you want even if you can't find it's means, put your trust in the one who has the full Ability.

25. 7) Allah  reminded Quraish with what He did with the people of the elephant to frighten them from the Lord of the House. The One who destroyed the people of Al-Feel, is able to destroy the disbelievers who harm His Prophet  and try to put idols around Al-Ka'bah to be worshipped. 8) Allah  affirmed to His Prophet  that He will protect him from the disbelievers who wanted to plot against him, same as He protected His House from the people who plotted against His House.

26. 9) Many stories had been mentioned in Al-Qur'an and had been repeated in different positions. But the story of Al-Feel had been mentioned just one time (in this Sura) for two reasons: a) The destruction of the people of Al-Feel wasn't because of denying one of the Messengers of Allah. b) Not to let Quraish feel proud that they have a dignity with Allah  the same as they used to boast in feeding and giving water to pilgrims as in Surat Al-Tawbah ( 9:19) أَجَعَلْتُمْ سِقَايَةَ الْحَاجِّ وَعِمَارَةَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ كَمَنْ آَمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآَخِرِ وَجَاهَدَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ لَا . “يَسْتَوُونَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ Do you consider the providing of drinking water to the pilgrims and the maintenance of Al-Masjid-al-Haram (at Makkah) as equal to the worth of those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and strive hard and fight in the Cause of Allah? They are not equal before Allah.

27. 10) Allah  said: وأرسل عليهمand not .أرسل إليهم (على) is a word to show about Highness and Superiority, that’s why all the torment came with the word (على). المؤمنونحَتَّى إِذَا فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ بَابًا ذَا عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ إِذَا هُمْ فِيهِ مُبْلِسُونَ (77) Until, when We open for them the gate of severe punishment, then lo! They will be plunged into destruction with deep regrets, sorrows and in despair.( Al-Mu'minun)(23:77) فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ الطُّوفَانَ وَالْجَرَادَ وَالْقُمَّلَ وَالضَّفَادِعَ وَالدَّمَ آَيَاتٍ مُفَصَّلَاتٍ(133) الأعراف So We sent on them: the flood, the locusts, the lice, the frogs, and the blood: (as a succession of) manifest signs.(Al-A’raf)(7:133)

28. 11) How can we combine between the protection of Al-Ka'bah and the following Hadith: (Al-Bukhari-1090). Narrated Abu hurairah: Allah's Messenger  said, "Dhus-Suwaiqatain (the thin-legged man) from Ethiopia will demolish the Ka'bah". The destruction of the people of Al-Feel was before the birth of the Prophet  in whose time Al-Ka'bah was magnified and will be magnified. But at the end of this life, the people will humiliate it and they will not estimate it with an estimation due to it. So therefore Allah  will give the power to those who will destroy it. → That’s why; the people of Makkah have to prevent committing the sins and avoid especially the major ones.

29. 12) Don't let the elephant be knowing more than you about Allah . The elephant refused to destroy the symbol of this religion, so, don't try to violate the Islamic teachings and doctrines. Do what Allah  wants from you to do, and avoid what He has forbidden.