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Chapter105/Al-Fil

Summary of the chapter & the links: 

1. Audio discussion of the chapter summary: 

https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/5cf7dc4d-de38-43d7-abf0-5a9da5cd31d6/audio

2. Mesmerizing recitation of the chapter with English translation:

https://surahquran.com/sorah-english-105.html

3. Free app for complete Quran , translations in multiple world languages: https://apps.apple.com/app/id1118663303

4. Free app for complete Quran, recitation, multiple tafaseer, books of ahadees: https://apps.apple.com/app/id1006098149

Here is a summary of Surah Al-Fil (Chapter 105) exclusively based on the Tafheem-ul-Quran commentary by Syed Abul Ala Maududi, as presented in the search results:

Verse-by-Verse Summary

  1. Verse 1:
    “Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the people of the elephants?”
  • The rhetorical question addresses the Quraysh and all Arabs who witnessed the event (occurring 40–45 years earlier). Allah assumes their firsthand knowledge, making detailed context unnecessary. The “people of the elephants” refer to Abraha’s Abyssinian army from Yemen, who aimed to destroy the Kaaba .
  1. Verse 2:
    “Did He not bring their plan to naught?”
  • The term kayd (كَيْد) denotes a secret plan: While Abraha openly declared his intent to demolish the Kaaba, his hidden motive was economic domination—to control trade routes from Yemen to Syria/Egypt by crushing the Quraysh and intimidating Arabs. Tadlil (تَضْلِيل) signifies Allah’s nullification of this scheme, rendering it futile .
  1. Verse 3:
    “And He sent against them swarms of birds.”
  • Ababil (أَبَابِيل) refers to birds arriving successively in scattered groups from the Red Sea. These were unprecedented in appearance: some descriptions note beak-like birds with dog-like claws, each carrying stones. Their origin and nature emphasized divine intervention .
  1. Verse 4:
    “Striking them with stones of baked clay.”
  • Sijjil (سِجِّيل) derives from Persian sang (stone) and gil (clay), meaning hardened clay stones. Eyewitnesses (e.g., Naufal bin Abi Muawiyah) preserved these stones, described as pea-sized, dark-red, and capable of piercing armor. The birds targeted the army precisely, causing lethal injuries .
  1. Verse 5:
    “And made them like straw eaten up (by cattle).”
  • Asf (عَصْف) denotes husks or chaff discarded after grain harvest. The simile illustrates complete annihilation: bodies were shredded and trampled like livestock-chewed straw, leaving no trace of the army. This underscores the totality of divine punishment .

Key Theological and Historical Insights from Tafheem

  • Divine Authority Over Human Arrogance: The event reaffirms Allah’s absolute power to dismantle even the mightiest forces (e.g., 60,000 troops with elephants) when they oppose His sanctity, as with the Kaaba .
  • Contextual Omission: The Quran assumes audience familiarity with the story, focusing on Allah’s intervention rather than historical minutiae. This narrative economy highlights its moral purpose .
  • Rejection of Alternative Interpretations: Some suggested Arabs pelted the army, but Tafheem refutes this. The verse sequence (birds → stones → destruction) confirms divine action, not human resistance .

Conclusion

Surah Al-Fil serves as a powerful reminder to the Quraysh that their survival against Abraha was due solely to Allah’s will, not their own strength. It underscores that any threat to divinely ordained sanctities (like the Kaaba) invites irrevocable divine retribution .

For further study, refer to Tafheem-ul-Quran, Surah Al-Fil.

Key Points

  • Research suggests Surah Al-Fil (Chapter 105) narrates the historical event of Abrahah’s army of elephants attempting to destroy the Kaaba, which was miraculously thwarted by Allah.
  • It seems likely that the surah emphasizes Allah’s power and protection over His sanctuary, using the event as a reminder for the Arabs.
  • The evidence leans toward the birds dropping stones of baked clay, causing the army’s destruction, highlighting divine intervention.

Summary of Chapter 105 (Surah Al-Fil) from Tafheemul Quran

Overview
Surah Al-Fil, the 105th chapter of the Quran, is a short Meccan surah with five verses. It recounts the famous “Year of the Elephant” event, where Abrahah, the Abyssinian governor of Yemen, led an army with elephants to destroy the Kaaba in Mecca, aiming to divert pilgrimage to Sana’a. However, Allah intervened, protecting the Kaaba by sending birds that pelted the army with stones, leading to their destruction.

The Event and Its Significance
The surah begins by asking if the reader has seen how Allah dealt with the people of the elephant, referring to Abrahah’s army. Tafheemul Quran explains this event occurred about 40-45 years before the surah’s revelation and was well-known among the Arabs, especially the Quraish. The commentary highlights that Abrahah brought a massive force of around 60,000 troops, including elephants, openly to destroy the Kaaba but secretly to control trade routes. Allah thwarted their plan by sending swarms of birds (ababil) that dropped stones of baked clay (sijjil) on them, leaving them like eaten straw.

Details of the Miracle
The birds are described as coming from the Red Sea side, with beaks like birds and claws like dogs, each carrying one stone in its beak and two in its claws. The stones were small, compared to pea seeds, pine kernels, or goat droppings, and were dark red, with some preserved by Makkans as relics. This miraculous intervention is seen as a clear sign of Allah’s power and protection over His house, the Kaaba.

Message and Relevance
The surah serves as a reminder of Allah’s ability to safeguard His sanctuary and warns against disbelief and associating partners with Him. It underscores divine intervention and accountability, emphasizing the transient nature of worldly power against divine will.

Supporting URLs:

Comprehensive Analysis of Chapter 105 (Surah Al-Fil) from Tafheemul Quran

This section provides a detailed examination of Chapter 105, Surah Al-Fil, as interpreted in Tafheemul Quran, a renowned tafsir by Syed Abul A’la Maududi. The analysis aims to cover all aspects of the surah, drawing from the commentary available online, and is structured to offer a thorough understanding for readers interested in Quranic exegesis.

Introduction to Tafheemul Quran and Surah Al-Fil

Tafheemul Quran, authored by Maududi, is a significant work combining orthodox and modernist interpretations of the Quran. It provides detailed commentary, including historical context, linguistic analysis, and application to contemporary issues. Surah Al-Fil, the 105th chapter, is a Meccan surah revealed before the Prophet Muhammad’s migration to Medina, consisting of five verses. It is named after the term “Fil,” meaning “elephant,” and focuses on the theme of Allah’s protection of the Kaaba against Abrahah’s army.

The commentary for this surah, as found on islamicstudies.info, offers insights into its meaning, structure, and implications. The URL for reference is Tafheemul Quran – Surah 105, which provides the English translation and commentary used in this analysis.

Translation and Verse-by-Verse Summary

Below is a table summarizing the translation of each verse as per Tafheemul Quran, followed by key commentary points:VerseTranslation 105:1 Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the people of the elephants? 105:2 Did He not bring their plan to naught? 105:3 And He sent against them swarms of birds, 105:4 Which smote them with stones of baked clay, 105:5 And made them like straw eaten up (by cattle).

This translation highlights the surah’s focus on the miraculous defeat of Abrahah’s army and Allah’s intervention.

Detailed Commentary and Analysis

The commentary in Tafheemul Quran provides a deeper understanding of the surah’s themes and linguistic nuances. Below are the key points extracted from the analysis:

  1. Historical Context and Address:
  • The surah addresses the Prophet (peace be upon him) directly, but the real addressees are the Quraish and the people of Arabia, who were well aware of this event, which occurred about 40-45 years before the revelation. The phrase “Have you not seen” is used to signify eyewitness accounts and certainty, as seen in other surahs like Surah Ibrahim (14:19), Surah Al-Hajj (22:18, 22:65), Surah An-Noor (24:43), Surah Luqman (31:29, 31:31), Surah Fatir (35:27), and Surah Az-Zumar (39:21). This emphasizes the event’s historical reality and its impact on the audience.
  1. The People of the Elephant:
  • “People of the elephant” refers to Abrahah and his army, which included Abyssinians with 60,000 troops and elephants. Their open intention was to destroy the Kaaba, but their secret aim was to control trade routes from south Arabia to Syria and Egypt, diverting pilgrimage to Sana’a, where Abrahah had built a magnificent church. The commentary notes that this event happened in Muharram, when pilgrims had left, making resistance impossible for the Quraish, given the army’s size (e.g., the Battle of Trench involved ~10-12k total force, showing the scale).
  1. Divine Intervention:
  • Verse 105:2 states Allah brought their plan to naught, meaning He rendered it fruitless, similar to other Quranic references like Surah Al-Momin (40:25) and Surah Yousuf (12:52), where plans of disbelievers or deceivers fail. Verse 105:3-5 describe Allah sending swarms of birds (ababil) against them, which smote them with stones of baked clay (sijjil), leaving them like eaten straw. The term “ababil” means many separate and scattered groups, with Ikrimah and Qatadah saying these birds came from the Red Sea side, and Saeed bin Jubair and Ikrimah noting they were neither seen before nor after, not birds of Najd, Hijaz, or Timamah.
  1. Details of the Birds and Stones:
  • The birds had beaks like birds but claws like dogs, each carrying one stone in its beak and two in its claws. The stones (sijjil) are described as an Arabic version of Persian “sang and gil,” meaning baked clay stones, similar to those on Lot’s people (Surah Houd 11:82, Surah Al-Hijr 15:74, Surah Adh-Dhariyat 51:33). Their size was compared to pea seeds, pine kernels, or goat’s droppings, dark red, and some were preserved by Makkans as relics, indicating their significance.
  1. Rejection of Alternative Views:
  • The commentary rejects Hamid-ad-Din Farahi’s view that birds ate dead bodies, not cast stones, as it contradicts the verse sequence and traditions. It notes Abdul Muttalib demanded camels, not resisted, and Quraish couldn’t fight 60,000-strong army, reinforcing the miraculous nature of the event through birds and stones.
  1. Theological and Ethical Implications:
  • The surah serves as a reminder of divine justice and protection. It contrasts the transient power of Abrahah’s army with Allah’s eternal sovereignty, urging believers to trust in divine intervention. The commentary highlights that this surah, being Meccan, was revealed in a context where the early Muslim community faced opposition, reinforcing the message of patience and preparation for the hereafter, applicable to contemporary audiences facing similar challenges.

Themes and Relevance

Surah Al-Fil’s themes include:

  • Divine Protection: The surah leaves no doubt about Allah’s ability to protect His sanctuary, the Kaaba, against overwhelming odds.
  • Miraculous Intervention: The use of birds and stones highlights the extraordinary nature of divine punishment and protection, contrasting with natural phenomena.
  • Warning Against Disbelief: It serves as a warning to the Arabs, especially the Quraish, against disbelief and associating partners with Allah, emphasizing accountability.
  • Historical Reminder: The event, well-known and recent, reinforces the message of Allah’s power, relevant for contemporary audiences to trust in divine will over worldly power.

These themes are particularly relevant for contemporary audiences, reminding them of the transient nature of worldly pursuits and the importance of spiritual preparation, especially in an era of materialism and challenges to faith.

Supporting Resources

For further reading, the following URLs provide additional insights into Tafheemul Quran and related Quranic studies:

These resources offer complementary perspectives, enhancing the understanding of Surah Al-Fil’s message and Maududi’s interpretation.

Cross-References

The commentary includes cross-references to other surahs for context, such as Surah Ibrahim (14:19), Surah Al-Hajj (22:18, 22:65), Surah An-Noor (24:43), Surah Luqman (31:29, 31:31), Surah Fatir (35:27), Surah Az-Zumar (39:21), Surah Houd (11:82), Surah Al-Hijr (15:74), and Surah Adh-Dhariyat (51:33), providing a broader context for understanding divine intervention and punishment.

Conclusion

Surah Al-Fil, as interpreted in Tafheemul Quran, is a powerful reminder of Allah’s protection over the Kaaba and the consequences of opposing His will. Its historical narrative and theological depth make it a significant chapter for reflection on divine sovereignty and accountability, aligning with Maududi’s approach of applying Quranic guidance to contemporary life. This detailed analysis ensures a comprehensive understanding, suitable for scholars, students, and lay readers interested in Quranic exegesis.