Surah ‘Al Fil’ – A Major Chronicle Embedded in a Small Quranic Surah | Part 1

Before the advent of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his reiteration of the teachings of Islamic monotheism into the land of Arabia, the Quraysh tribe, controlled Makkah and the Ka’bah. The Quraish were primarily traders, relying on the caravan trade and the homage paid by businessmen and merchants during the annual pilgrimage to the Ka’bah. Their economy was heavily reliant on commercial routes passing through Makkah as it was the main trade hub of Arabia. The Ka’bah housed a multitude of idols and deities that were revered by the Quraysh and proved to be a ‘crowd puller’ or major source of income from traders who came from neighboring countries. This period, was often aptly referred to as Jahiliyyah or “the Age of Ignorance”, as it was characterized by social and moral decline, including intense feuds and frequent tribal conflict, warfare and widespread idolatry. Female infanticide was a shamefully common practice as the birth of a female child was perceived as a matter of shame and an unnecessary financial burden. There was a lack of centralized authority, of any formal laws or law enforcement agencies to resolve disputes, which in turn led to a cycle of revenge and violence in the then prevalent society. The community was enveloped in moral darkness and injustice as polytheism and apostasy prevailed, random killing was rife and prosecution and ignorance had reached its peak. Therefore, a major event had to happen to change the course of history and to turn the tide on this violation of human dignity. It was at this dark hour that Allah the Almighty decided to send Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to reinstate the time-honored message of Islamic monotheism. However, even before this was to happen, Allah had ordained that a crucial event would occur in the annals of Arabian history. The “Year of the Elephant” (Aam al-Fīl) proved to be a significant date in Islamic history, roughly corresponding to 570-571 CE. This epoch-making year is also a vital date in Islamic chronicles as many scholars believe that it was in this year that our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was born to his parents Abdullah and Amina. The traditionists and historians almost unanimously state that the event of the people of the elephant had occurred in Muharram and that Prophet (PBUH) Muhammad was born in Rabi’ al-Awwal of that year. The name of the year stems from an event when Abraha, a Christian viceroy of the Yemen king, (which at that time was ruled by the Abyssinians) with an army including war elephants, attempted to destroy the Ka’bah in Makkah. However, according to the Qur’an, the elephants refused to do as commanded, and Abraha’s army was ultimately destroyed by birds bearing stones. An account of this event is described in Surah al-Fil (Chapter 105) of the Qur’an. The miraculous event of the “People of the Elephant” further enhanced in the hearts of the entire Arabian society, respect and honor for the Quraysh. When the Quraysh witnessed that Allah had, on their behalf, miraculously destroyed their enemy, they were convinced that they were the chosen custodians of the Sacred House of Allah. This reinforced their already respectable status as they were held in high esteem by other tribes. Whilst other caravans in Arabia had to fear attacks from highway robbers, the Quraysh travelled unrivalled and enjoyed an eminent social status. As a result, they could safely carry out their commercial activities in and around the country, and enjoy an exalted state of economic prosperity. The Qur’an’s account of this event, including the miraculous intervention of birds that destroyed Abraha’s army, highlights the protection of the Ka’bah by Allah Almighty. This impactful year came to be known as the “Year of the Elephant”, beginning a trend for and becoming a reference for the future dating or “reckoning of the years” in the Arabian Peninsula. Thus, in Islamic history, the Year of the Elephant was a crucial turning point, and emphasized the fact that the term “reckoning” (in this context) referred to its role in establishing a system of chronology or dating, as a way to measure and record time in the pre-Islamic era, establishing a point of reference for other historical events. In Arabia, people would recall or relate incidents according to important events that occurred in certain years. Hence, they measured time by saying things happened “in the Year of the Elephant” or a certain number of years prior to or after it. This reckoning remained in use until the days of ‘Umar ibn al ­Khattab when, on the advice of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, he replaced it with the era of Hijra. Allah the Almighty wanted the year in which the Prophet (PBUH) was born to be marked with a major event to be remembered by all people afterwards, and this is the first aim behind the above miracle. As for the event of the elephant, Allah wanted to show the Arabs in particular and the people in general that it was to be a prelude to the supreme event; namely, the birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In addition, Allah the Exalted wanted the people to go back to His righteous path, search for the secret of existence, and the truth about all creation. Some scholars have considered this event as a special type of mujizah (miracle) of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). The term mujizah, in its real sense, refers to a miraculous event shown by Allah to prove the claim of a Prophet who had been sent by Him. Sometimes it happened that such an event took place before a Prophet’s claim to prophethood. Therefore, this in the parlance of the scholars of hadith, is called irhas which means “prologue”, “introduction”, or “foundation stone”. Specifically, irhas, therefore, means a miraculous event taking place before the arrival of a Prophet or before their claim to prophet-hood, and it affirms the fact that soon a particular Prophet will be Divinely commissioned. Therefore, it is believed by some scholars that the incident of the “People of the Elephants” (when Abraha’s army was miraculously prevented by the Heavenly scourge from destroying the House of Allah) is an irhasat. Hence, it was a well-known momentous event in Arab history, which was witnessed by hundreds of Arabs. Al-Fīl (“The Elephant”) is the 105th chapter (surah) of the Qur’an, consisting of 5 verses. The surah is written in the interrogative form, inviting reflection on this momentous event and emphasizing the power of divine intervention. Al-Fil is a Makkan surah and thus it was chronologically revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Makkah before the hijrah to Madinah in 622 CE. Makkan surahs are typically shorter, with relatively short verses, though still imbued with a wealth of meaning. Translation of Surah al-Fil and the Narrative Referenced in it – (Quran: 105)

¹Seest thou not how thy Lord dealt with the Companions of the Elephant? ²Did He not make their treacherous plan go astray? ³And He sent against them Flights of Birds, ⁴Striking them with stones of baked clay. ⁵Then did He make them like an empty field of stalks and straw, (of which the corn) has been eaten up. [Surah al-Fil,105:1-5]

As stated, the Arabs had their own center of religious worship and pilgrimage, namely the Ka’bah in Makkah. At this time, the Ethiopian governor of Yemen, Abrahah al-Ashram, who was a staunch Christian, envied the reverence with which the Ka’bah was held by the Arabs, and to counter this, he erected a big cathedral in Sana (the capital of Yemen) and named it al-Qullays. He encouraged the Arabs to go there for pilgrimage, instead of the Makkan sanctuary. Al-Qullays gained widespread fame, even garnering the attention of the Byzantine Empire. Ibn Ishaq, an early Islamic historian, states that Abraha, wished this to be a revered church of Sana where people would flock to pray. With this purpose in mind, he appointed a man named Muhammad ibn Khuza’i to go to Makkah, to convey the message that the cathedral of al-Qullays was better than other houses of worship as it was purer, having not been defiled by the housing of idols (obliquely referring to the Ka’bah). However, Muhammad ibn Khuzai was attacked and killed by a member of the Kinana tribe. When Abrahah received this news, he was enraged and swore to raid the Kinana tribe and subsequently to demolish the Ka’bah. Ibn Kathir, the leading authority on Prophetic Tradition and history, recounts the story as follows: Abrahah was appointed the commander of the Abyssinian army in Yemen, and the governor of that region. Having captured Yemen, built a superbly luxurious cathedral in his area. The purpose was to attract the people of Yemen to make pilgrimage to this cathedral instead of to the Ka’ba in Makkah. He decorated the structure with gold, silver, and other precious gems. In short, he meant it to be an architectural masterpiece, second to none or unsurpassed in the world, to be revered by all and sundry, in order to divert pilgrims from the Sacred Mosque in Makkah to his cathedral in Yemen. He did this after he had witnessed the love and enthusiasm of the Yemeni Arabs—which was the same as that felt all over Arabia—for the Ka’bah, with the aim of making them forsake their attachment to the Mosque of Makkah and turn them instead to his new luxurious cathedral. Thus, he proclaimed throughout his kingdom that no one should ever visit the Ka’bah in Makkah, and that the pilgrimage should from now on take place to his so-called “Ka’bah” in Yemen. Although the Arabs were idol-worshippers, the love and reverence for the religion of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and the Ka’bah had permeated their hearts. As a result, the Adnan, Qahtan and Quraysh tribes were enraged and infuriated by this proclamation. One night, someone entered the church and defecated in it. According to other narratives, a nomadic tribe halted near the church and started a fire for their own needs. The wind on that day was blowing violently and the cathedral caught fire and sustained much loss. When Abrahah came to know about it, and learnt that a Qurayshi had done this, he swore to march to the House of Makkah and destroy it stone by stone. Thus, he prepared himself and set out with a huge and powerful army, so that none might prevent him from carrying out his mission. He asked for Najashi’s permission, who sent him, particularly for this expedition, a special elephant whose name was Mahmud. It was unusually huge in size and powerful in strength the like of which had never been seen before. The king of Abyssinia sent eight more elephants as reinforcements for the army. Their intention was to use this extraordinary elephant to demolish the Ka’bah. Subsequently, an incensed Abrahah launched an expedition of sixty thousand men against the Ka’bah at Makkah, headed by a lead war elephant named Mahmud, including (as some accounts state) eight more elephants. This must have been an astounding sight for the Arabs, who being desert inhabitants had probably rarely seen elephants, if ever. Several Arab tribes attempted to fight him on the way, but they were defeated. Banu Hashim were famously known for safeguarding the Ka’bah and their honorable status. So when news of the advance of Abrahah’s army came, the Arab tribes of the Quraysh, Banu Kinana, Banu Khuza’ah and Banu Hudhayl united to defend the Ka’bah. However, this coalition was plagued by infighting and petty tribal feuds. This lack of unity often muddied the unity and undermined the strength of the tribes. Abrahah sent a small contingent towards Makkah, and they succeeded in confiscating two hundred of Abdul-Muttalib’s camels. Abdul Muttalib, a patriarch of his tribe, an influential leader, and the grandfather of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) told the Makkans to seek refuge in the hills while he, with some leading members of the Quraysh, remained within the precincts of the Ka’bah. Meanwhile, a man from the tribe of Himyar was sent by Abrahah to the Quraysh to advise them that Abrahah’s only aim was to demolish the Ka’bah, but if the Quraysh resisted, they would be crushed in the ensuing conflict. Then followed a frightening description of his huge army, which, admittedly, was much larger and better equipped than the total strength of all the tribes put together.