Sura al-Fil

Sura al-Fil

al-Humaza [[Sura al-Humaza]] Sura al-Fil Quraysh [[Sura Quraysh]]
Sura Number	105
Juz'	30
Revelation
Revelation Number	19
Makki/Madani	Makki
Information
Verse Count	5
Word Count	23
Letter Count	97

Sūra al-Fīl (Arabic: سورَة الفیل) is the 105th sura of the Qur'an. It is a Makki sura in the 30th juz'. It is called “al-Fil” (elephant) because it narrates the story of the Army of the Elephant—people who moved from their land towards Mecca in order to destroy the Ka'ba, but God sent the birds of Ababil to throw stones on them and kill them.

There is a hadith from Imam al-Sadiq (a) about the virtues of reciting this sura, according to which if one recites Sura al-Fil in their daily obligatory prayers, then all beings in the world will testify on the Day of Resurrection that they were among those who prayed, and God will accept their testimony and orders that he be allowed into the Heaven. According to some marja's, if one recites Sura al-Fil in their daily obligatory prayers after the recitation of Sura al-Hamd, then it is an obligatory caution to recite Sura Quraysh as well, because Sura al-Fil and Sura Quraysh count as one and the same sura.

Introduction

Title: this sura is called “Sura al-Fil” because it narrates the story of Ashab al-Fil (the Army of the Elephant). It is also called “Sura Alam Tara” because it begins with the phrase, “alam tara” (did you not see).

The order and the place of revelation: Sura al-Fil is a Makki sura, and in its order of revelation, it is the 19th sura which was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (s). In the traditional order of revelation, it is the 105th sura located in the 30th juz' of the Qur'an.

The number of verses and other features: Sura al-Fil has 5 verses, 23 words, and 97 letters. It is a short sura which counts as one of the mufassalat (suras with numerous and short verses). All verses of Sura al-Fil were revealed to the Prophet (s) all at once.

Content

In this sura, God points to the story of the Army of the Elephant who went towards Mecca in order to destroy the Ka'ba, but they were killed by birds of Ababil sent by God. The birds threw stones or clods on the army and killed them. As a result of the attack, people in the army were like chewed meat.

• Content: the defeat of the Army of the Elephant; a sign of God’s power to suppress the enemies of the religion 1. The first subject-matter: the powerlessness of the Army of the Elephant towards the power of God a. The first point: the inefficiency of the Army’s military mechanisms b. The second point: the failure of the Army’s plans and tricks 2. The second subject-matter: God’s way of suppressing the Army of the Elephant a. The first point: recruiting small birds b. The second point: employing clods c. Conclusion: the defeat of the Army of the Elephant by the Divine Power

The Occasion of the Revelation

Imam al-Sajjad (a) was quoted as saying about the occasion of revelation of Sura al-Fil that Abu Talib told the Prophet Muhammad (s): ‘Have you been chosen by God to call everyone to your religion, or to call your own people only?’ The Prophet (s) replied: “I have been chosen to call all human beings to the religion, from the white and the black, the Arab and the Ajam; I call all people who are on mountains and in the seas to this religion; I call the whole Persia and Rome”. This remark by the Prophet (s) was transmitted to the Quraysh and surprised them. The Quraysh told Abu Talib: ‘Do you not listen to what your nephew says? We swear to God that if people of Persia and Rome hear these remarks, we will be stolen from our lands and the stones of the Ka'ba will be dissembled.” It was then that God revealed Sura al-Fil to the Prophet (s).

The Recitation of Sura al-Fil in the Prayer

According to some marja's, if one wants to recite Sura al-Fil in his or her daily obligatory prayers after the recitation of Sura al-Hamd, one should take caution and recite Sura Quraysh as well, because they practically count as one and the same sura.

Virtues and Features

There is a hadith from Imam al-Sadiq (a) according to which if one recites Sura al-Fil in one’s obligatory prayers, then all things in the world will testify on the Day of Resurrection that he was among those who prayed, and then a voice is heard as saying that ‘you have truly testified about My servant; I have accepted your testimony about him. Take him to the Heaven; he and his actions are loved by God’.

There are hadiths in which certain features and effects are attributed to the recitation of Sura al-Fil, such as getting rid of one’s enemy, protection against drowning or dying in water.