Surah Al-Fil
الفيل
Surah Al-Fil is a 5-verse Meccan surah recalling how Allah protected the Kaaba from an army that came with an elephant, by sending flocks of birds against it.
- Meaning
- The Elephant
- Surah
- 105 of 114
- Verses
- 5
- Revealed in
- Mecca
- Found in
- Juz 30
What Surah Al-Fil is about
Surah Al-Fil, "The Elephant", refers to an event that the people of Mecca knew well. Shortly before the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born, Abraha, the Abyssinian ruler of Yemen, marched on Mecca with an army that included at least one war elephant, intending to destroy the Kaaba. The year became known as the Year of the Elephant, and the Prophet's birth is traditionally dated to it.
Verse 1 asks whether you have not seen how your Lord dealt with the People of the Elephant. Verse 2 says Allah made their plan fail. Verses 3 and 4 describe flocks of birds sent against them, pelting them with stones of baked clay, and verse 5 says the army was left like chewed-up leaves, like straw eaten by cattle. The surah reminds Quraysh that the House they guarded was protected by Allah, not by their own power.
Main themes
A plan that failed
A powerful army came to destroy the Kaaba, and Allah turned its plan against it. Verses 1 and 2 frame the story as something the listeners could see for themselves.
Verses 1–2Birds against an army
Small birds with stones of baked clay defeated soldiers and elephants. The image shows that strength on earth is no match for Allah's will.
Verses 3–5
Verses to know
وَأَرۡسَلَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ طَيۡرًا أَبَابِيلَ ﴿٣﴾ تَرۡمِيهِم بِحِجَارَةٖ مِّن سِجِّيلٖ ﴿٤﴾ فَجَعَلَهُمۡ كَعَصۡفٖ مَّأۡكُولِۭ ﴿٥﴾
3He sent against them swarms of birds. 4Throwing at them rocks of baked clay. 5Leaving them like chewed-up leaves.
The description of the birds and their stones, and the army reduced to chewed-up leaves. It is one of the most vivid short narratives in the Quran.
Surah Al-Fil in Arabic and English
All 5 verses, with the Arabic, a transliteration to help you read it aloud, and the English translation by Talal Itani.
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
- 1
أَلَمۡ تَرَ كَيۡفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصۡحَٰبِ ٱلۡفِيلِ
Alam tara kayfa faAAala rabbuka biashabi alfeeli
Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with the People of the Elephant?
- 2
أَلَمۡ يَجۡعَلۡ كَيۡدَهُمۡ فِي تَضۡلِيلٖ
Alam yajAAal kaydahum fee tadleelin
Did He not make their plan go wrong?
- 3
وَأَرۡسَلَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ طَيۡرًا أَبَابِيلَ
Waarsala AAalayhim tayran ababeela
He sent against them swarms of birds.
- 4
تَرۡمِيهِم بِحِجَارَةٖ مِّن سِجِّيلٖ
Tarmeehim bihijaratin min sijjeelin
Throwing at them rocks of baked clay.
- 5
فَجَعَلَهُمۡ كَعَصۡفٖ مَّأۡكُولِۭ
FajaAAalahum kaAAasfin makoolin
Leaving them like chewed-up leaves.
Surah Al-Fil PDF
The whole surah on printable pages: Arabic, transliteration and English side by side. Free to download, print and share.
Questions about Surah Al-Fil
Who were the People of the Elephant?
They were the army of Abraha, the Abyssinian governor of Yemen, who marched on Mecca with elephants to destroy the Kaaba. Historians and commentators place this around the year the Prophet ﷺ was born.
How many verses are in Surah Al-Fil?
Surah Al-Fil has 5 verses. It is the 105th surah and a Meccan surah.
What is the Year of the Elephant?
It is the year Abraha's army attacked Mecca and was destroyed. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is traditionally said to have been born in that year, often dated to around 570 CE.