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Surah Al-Fil

Surah 105 · The Elephant · 5 verses · meccan

The Elephant — al-Fil, the army that came to destroy the Ka'bah with elephants, in the year the Prophet ﷺ was born.

The story

A huge army with elephants came to knock down the Ka'bah. Nobody could have stopped them. So Allah sent little birds carrying small stones — and the whole army was destroyed. This happened in the year the Prophet ﷺ was born.

How it unfolds

  1. AYAH 1-2

    The plan

    The army of the elephant, and a plan led astray.

  2. AYAH 3-4

    Birds in flocks

    The defence sent — small, and sufficient.

  3. AYAH 5

    Eaten straw

    What was left of them.

Verses to carry

  • 105:1"Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant?"
  • 105:3"And He sent against them birds in flocks."
  • 105:5"And He made them like eaten straw."

Remember this

Allah does not need big things to defeat big things. He sent birds.

Talk about it

Why do you think Allah used birds instead of something enormous?

Introductions to the surah in Tafsir Ibn Kathir and Mawdudi's Tafhim al-Qur'an; ayah numbering per the Madani mushaf.

Awaiting scholar review — please read alongside a trusted tafsir.

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