عَمَُّْ ْ 1563 اَلْفِیْل
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَابِ الْفِيلِ ﴿۱﴾ أَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ كَيْدَهُمْ فِي تَضْلِيلٍ ﴿۲﴾
﴾1﴿ Alam tara kaifa fa'ala rabbuka bi ashaabil feel
﴾2﴿ Alam yaj'al kaidahum fee tadleel
﴾1﴿ Do you not see what your Lord did with the people of the elephant
﴾2﴿ Did He not make their plot go in vain
Relevancy:
This surah and the previous one are connected in two ways.
1. In the previous surah, there was a warning and fear of the Hereafter for the opponents, while in this surah, there is a worldly warning for them.
2. In the previous surah, opposition to the truth was mentioned due to worldly indulgence, while in this surah, opposition to the truth is mentioned due to worldly power.
Claim of this surah:
In this worldly warning, it is for those who oppose the truth due to their worldly power. And Allah Almighty has mentioned one of His names: "Lord" (Rab).
Summary of the surah:
First, the greatness of the punishment of the people of the elephant is mentioned in (1), and their plot being destroyed in (2). The details of their punishment are explained in (3, 4, and 5).
Note: The mention of the people of the elephant—who intended to destroy the House of Allah and were struck by divine punishment—is presented as an example and a lesson. This means that whoever harbors such intentions against the House of Allah, whether by creating another Kaaba (qibla) or by opposing a religious center and attempting to destroy it, will ultimately face punishment. This particularly applies to those in power who, for the survival and advancement of their false rule, strive to uproot the true religion or oppose the Quran.
[1] The commentators have written the story of the People of the Elephant in detail. The summary is as follows:
Abraha bin Sabah Abu Yaksum, who was famously known as al-Ashram (because his nose, mouth, and face were torn in a battle), was the governor of Yemen. He was a Christian, and to please the king of Abyssinia (who was also a Christian), he built a grand palace in San‘a, Yemen. This palace served as their church and was called al-Qullays because of its great height—so tall that if someone looked up at its top, their hat would fall off.
Abraha announced that people should come there for pilgrimage instead of going to the Kaaba. According to one narration, an Arab, out of anger, went and defiled the church. In another narration, some Arab merchants who had traveled there for trade lit a fire beside the church for cooking, and the wind carried the flames to the structure, burning it down.
Abraha became extremely furious and swore to destroy the Kaaba. With this intention, he prepared elephants and led a massive army toward Makkah. However, when they reached the Valley of Muhassir, between Muzdalifah and Mina, Allah Almighty sent against them flocks of birds—called Ababil—carrying stones of baked clay. The birds carried stones in their claws and beaks and struck the army with them. As a result, they were destroyed in such a way that their bodies were reduced to tiny, decayed pieces and became foul-smelling.
According to most narrations, this incident occurred fifty days before the birth of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace). This event served as an Irhas for his prophethood—an extraordinary event that occurs before the appointment of a prophet.
The phrase "(كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ)" ("How did your Lord deal with them?")—with the word ‘How’ (Kayfa)—indicates the absolute power and knowledge of Allah Almighty. This also emphasizes the honor and sanctity of the House of Allah (Kaaba).
For this reason, the act was first mentioned briefly: "(بِأَصْحَابِ الْفِيلِ)" ("with the People of the Elephant"). The word "Al-Feel" (elephant) is a generic noun, and there is a difference of opinion in narrations—whether it was one elephant or many.
In verse 2, the details of the action begin.
[2] In this explanation, (كَيْدَهُمْ) refers to the plot and strategy devised to destroy the Kaaba and humiliate the people of Makkah by bringing elephants and assembling a large army.