Surah Feel

Surah al-Feel (The Elephant) tells us about how Allah (S.W.T) destroyed the army that came to destroy the Holy Kaaba.

In 571 A.D in the first Arabic month of the Lunar year, Muharram, the super power around the Arabia at that time was the Christian Abyssinia (now called Ethiopia). The viceroy (governor) of Yemen, Abraha, had built a grand Church in Sanaa but the Yamanite Arabs did not worship the idols placed in his Church. The Arabs had their own idols in the Holy Kaaba which they worshipped. This was the main reason why Abraha was committed to demolish the Kaaba.

All of a sudden the grand Christian church in Sanaa caught fire which Abraha thought was burnt by Arab youths. This further fuelled his rage and he ordered his army to prepare for combat.

The Grand Father of our Holy Prophet (S.A.W) Hazret Abdul Mutalib (R.A) being the chief of Makkah and the protector of the Holy Kaaba. He was asked to negotiate with Abraha. Abraha was very much impressed by the frankness of Hazret Abdul Muttalib (R.A) who said that he has left the Kaaba in the protection of Allah (S.W.T). Abraha ordered the destruction of the Kaaba.

Hazret Abdul Mutalib (R.A) left for the hill side with all his Makkah fellow men placing the defence of the Kaaba to Almighty Allah.

Abraha marched to Makkah with sixty thousand men and several huge elephants acting as tank power, to destroy the Holy Kaaba. As Abraha's army came near Makkah, the head elephant stopped and refused to go any further. Then Allah (S.W.T) destroyed the enemies with a sudden attack of swarms of sea birds (Ababeel) in flocks, bringing pebbles from the seashore and pelting them on the armed forces from their small beaks. These clay pebbles became anti tank shells playing havoc as missiles with great precision of targets. These pebbles pierced through the body of Abraha’s ferocious warriors along with their elephants and horses killing them.

The remaining army was inflicted by drops of water in the beaks of other birds became deadly chemicals to spread small pox and contagious disease on them. Abrahas people in Sanaa caught this disease and were also eliminated. This is how divine safety of the Kaaba enhanced its respect which will continue to grow to the day of resurrection.

In conclusion this Surah assures Muslims that Allah (S.W.T) can protect any of His Signs by any of His creatures. If a small community of steadfast Muslims depend on Allah (S.W.T), He will be able to destroy any super power with His tiny creatures to protect these faithful Muslims.

This Surah was revealed in Makkah Shareef. It has 5 Ayahs, 20 words and 96 letters.