[This surah refers to an incident in the history of Mecca, as an example of how ALLAH

deals with those who oppose His will. About fifty days before the birth of the HOLY
PROPHET (SAWW), Abraha, the Abyssinia's viceroy of Yemen, Christian by religion,
proceeded against Mecca, as the head of a large army, with the object of destroying the
Kabah, because he wanted that there should be no place or structure more glorious
than the church he was building at Sanaa. He had with him elephants. Therefore he
and his army are known as ashab al fil, those who brought elephants.
At the outskirts of Mecca he captured a large number (700) of camels belonging to
the chief of Mecca, Abd al Muttalib, the grandfather of the HOLY PROPHET (SAWW).
After receiving the information that Abraha was coming to destroy the holy Kabah, Abd
al Muttalib went to see him and request him to restore his animals to him. Abraha
laughed and said:
"What? I have come to destroy your place of worship, the House
of your God and you instead of pleading to save the Holy House, you speak of your
camels.
Abd al Muttalib replied:
Look! The camels belong to me and I, as the owner, have come for
them. The Kabah belongs to ALLAH and it is the concern of the owner of the Kabah to
save it or to leave it to its fate in your hands.]


QURAN
TRANSLITERATION
WITH
ORIGINAL ARABIC TEXT
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
COMMENTARY




FEEL
SURAH [105] the ELEPHANT





PRESENTED BY:
MOHAMAD HANIM MOHAMAD ISA







2

Alam tara kayfa fa-ala Rabbuka bi-As-
haabil-Feel?
[105:1] Have you not considered how your
Lord dealt with the possessors of the
elephant?
This surah refers to an incident in the history of Mecca, as an example of how ALLAH deals with those who oppose His will .
About fifty days before the birth of the HOLY PROPHET (SAWW), Abraha, the Abyssinia's viceroy of Yemen, Christian by religion, proceeded against
Mecca, as the head of a large army, with the object of destroying the Kabah, because he wanted that there should be no place or structure more
glorious than the church he was building at Sanaa. He had with him elephants. Therefore he and his army are known as ashab al fil, those who
brought elephants.
At the outskirts of Mecca he captured a large number (700) of camels belonging to the chief of Mecca, Abd al Muttalib, the grandfather of the HOLY
PROPHET (SAWW). After receiving the information that Abraha was coming to destroy the holy Kabah, Abd al Muttalib went to see him and request
him to restore his animals to him. Abraha laughed and said: "What? I have come to destroy your place of worship, the House of your God and you
instead of pleading to save the Holy House, you speak of your camels. Abd al Muttalib replied: Look! The camels belong to me and I, as the owner,
have come for them. The Kabah belongs to ALLAH and it is the concern of the owner of the Kabah to save it or to leave it to its fate in your hands.
Abraha was stunned at the reply and gave the captured camels to Abd al Muttalib. He returned to the city and asked the people to retire to the
neighbouring hills, leaving the Lord of Kabah to protect it. When Abraha entered Mecca, suddenly a large flock of birds, like swallows came flying
from the sea-coast and pelted the invading army with pebbles of baked clay.
They all died. They were like a dead and useless field from which all the produce is eaten up and only straw with stubble is left. Abraha escaped and
went directly to the king in Abyssinia. All the way a bird with a stone in her beak followed him. When the king asked Abraha as to what kind of birds
they were, Abraha looked to the sky and the bird at once dropped stone in her beak and killed him on the spot.
The lesson to be drawn is twofold. The pagans of Mecca were forewarned that [1] as the HOLY PROPHET (SAWW), was superior to the Kabah, [2] ALLAH,
who protects whatever is His own, shall protect him from all their evil schemes. It is also a warning to men in all ages that "if a man intoxicated with power comes
out to defeat ALLAH's holy plan, he cannot prevail against ALLAH, but his plan will fail and destroy him as well ."
The question here to the HOLY PROPHET (SAWW) signifies that the HOLY PROPHET (SAWW) would visualize the event by the will of the Lord.
This is a clear miracle which proves the sanctity of the Kabah and the people who were really attached to it such as Abd al Muttalib and his house who
showed his utmost confidence in God and he would Himself take care of the Holy Shrine. There is no room for anyone to discredit the story as Quran narrates it
because this Surah was revealed to the HOLY PROPHET (SAWW) and recited by him to his enemies who were the eye-witness of the event and they were
watchful to find the slight fault to expose the HOLY PROPHET (SAWW).
Regarding the relation of the Surah with its subsequent one, refer to our note on Surah 93 and 94.
The following verses of Abd al Muttalib---the grandfather of the HOLY PROPHET (SAWW) and Ali --- give out his Unitarian faith:
1. Ya Rabbi la arjoo lahum Siwaka -- -- Lord! I hope not against them save Thee
2. Ya Rabbi Famna minhomu himaka -- -- Lord! Withdraw thou therefore thy protection for them
3. Inna Addoowal Bait man Aadaaka -- -- Verily He who is the enemy of this House, is Thine enemy
4. Innahum lam yaqhuro Quwaka -- -- Verily they have not defeated Thy forces.
The event besides being a miraculous heavenly act, is also a clear indicative to show as to who the ancestor of the HOLY PROPHET (SAWW), particularly Abd
al Muttalib was, what was the degree of his faith and conviction about God, and his advising the people to get out of the town, was nothi ng but his knowledge of
what was to happen to the invaders, and to save his people from the coming calamity. Those who speak nonsense about the holy personality of Abu Talib the
farther of Ali, to note.

Alam yaj-al kaydahum fee tadleel?
[105:2] Did He not cause their war to end in
confusion,
This refers to the great confusion that the action of the tiny birds created in the army of Abraha. Those who received the shots from the birds immediately fell
dead and the survivors began taking to their heels, confused in a great chaos created among them. Thus the plan of Abraha was totally frustrated and ended in
the perdition of his own forces. This was ALLAHs doing.

Wa arsala alayhim tayran abaabeel,
[105:3] And send down (to prey) upon them
birds in flocks,
ALLAH sent upon the army, a huge host of some tiny birds with small stones in their beaks.

Tarmeehim-bi-hijaaratim-min-sijjeel,
[105:4] Casting against them stones of
baked clay,
The birds dropped the stones which they had brought in their beaks upon the soldiers. Sijjeel a stone of baked clay. See verses 11:82 and 15:74.

Faja-alahum ka-asfim-ma-koul.
[105:5] So He rendered them like straw eaten
up?
Asfin Makoul, i.e., straw eaten up, i.e., rendered lifeless, useless and loathsome---like the refuse of an eaten food.

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