Tafseer of The Elephant · Al-Fil · 105:4
Striking them with stones of hard clay,
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
And His word: تَرْمِيهِمْ بِحِجَارَةٍ مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ
(They pelted them with stones of sijjīl.)
He — exalted be His remembrance — says: these abābīl-birds which Allah had sent upon the People of the Elephant pelted them with stones of sijjīl.
We have already expounded the meaning of sijjīl elsewhere, but here too we mention a portion of what has been said about it in this place, in particular the statements of those whom we did not mention in that other place.
* Mention of who said this:
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Mihrān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of al-Suddī, on the authority of ʿIkrimah, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās — حِجَارَةٍ مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ — he said: clay mixed with stones.
Al-Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad al-Dhāriʿ related to me, saying: Yazīd ibn Zurayʿ related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatādah, on the authority of ʿIkrimah, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās — تَرْمِيهِمْ بِحِجَارَةٍ مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ — he said: of clay.
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, on the authority of ʿIkrimah, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās — حِجَارَةٍ مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ — he said: sang o gil.
Al-Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad al-Dhāriʿ related to me, saying: Yazīd ibn Zurayʿ related to us, on the authority of ʿUmārah ibn Abī Ḥafṣah, on the authority of ʿIkrimah, concerning His word تَرْمِيهِمْ بِحِجَارَةٍ مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ — he said: of clay.
Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar related to us, saying: Shuʿbah related to us, on the authority of Sharqī, who said: I heard ʿIkrimah say — تَرْمِيهِمْ بِحِجَارَةٍ مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ — he said: sang o gil.
Yaʿqūb related to me, saying: Hushaym related to us, saying: Ḥuṣayn informed us, on the authority of ʿIkrimah, who said: they pelted them with stones which they carried with them. He said: when one of them was struck, smallpox broke out in him. He said: that was the first day on which smallpox was seen; he said: it had not been seen before that day, nor after it.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Mihrān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Mūsā ibn Abī ʿĀʾishah, who said: Abū al-Kunūd mentioned, he said: smaller than a chickpea and larger than a lentil.
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Mūsā ibn Abī ʿĀʾishah, who said: the stones with which they were pelted were larger than a lentil and smaller than a chickpea.
He said: Abū Aḥmad al-Zubayrī related to us, saying: Isrāʾīl related to us, on the authority of Mūsā ibn Abī ʿĀʾishah, on the authority of ʿImrān — to the same effect.
Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of al-Suddī, on the authority of ʿIkrimah, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: sijjīl in Persian is: sang o gil, stone and clay.
Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us, on the authority of Isrāʾīl, on the authority of Jābir ibn Sābiṭ, who said: it is in the foreign tongue: sang o gil.
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatādah, who said: with each bird were three stones: two stones in its feet and one stone in its beak, and they pelted them with them.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatādah — حِجَارَةٍ مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ — he said: they are of clay.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatādah, who said: they were white birds that came from the direction of the sea; with each bird three stones: two stones in its feet and one stone in its beak, and nothing that they struck but it crushed it.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: ʿAmr ibn al-Ḥārith ibn Yaʿqūb informed us that his father informed him that it had reached him that the birds which threw the stones carried them in their mouths, and when they dropped them, the skin would blister up.
Others said: the meaning of this is: they pelted them with stones from the lowest heaven.
* Mention of who said this:
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His word تَرْمِيهِمْ بِحِجَارَةٍ مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ : the lowest heaven. He said: the lowest heaven is called sijjīl, and it is the same one from which Allah — glorious and exalted — sent down upon the people of Lot. He said: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: ʿAmr ibn al-Ḥārith informed us, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Abī Hilāl, that it had reached him that the birds which threw the stones came from the sea, and that sijjīl is the lowest heaven. This statement of Ibn Zayd we do not know to be correctly established from transmission, nor from reason, nor from language; and the names of things are not known except by way of a current language or by way of a report from Allah — exalted be His remembrance.
The reason on account of which the punishment of Allah — exalted be He — struck the People of the Elephant was the march of Abraha the Ethiopian with his army and his elephant against the sacred House of Allah to destroy it.
What brought him to this — as was related to us by Ibn Ḥumayd, who said: Salamah ibn al-Faḍl related to us, who said: Ibn Isḥāq related to us — is that Abraha built a church at Ṣanʿāʾ, and he was a Christian, and he named it al-Qullays. Never had its like been built in any time in any place on earth. He wrote to the Negus, the king of Ethiopia: O King, I have built for you a church whose like has never been built for any king before you, and I shall not rest until I divert the pilgrimage of the Arabs to it. When the Arabs read what Abraha had written to the Negus, a man of the Nasāʾah — one of the Banū Fuqaym, then one of the Banū Mālik — flew into a rage. He set out until he reached the Qullays, relieved himself in it, and then departed back to his land. Abraha was informed of this, and he asked: who did this? It was said: a man of the People of the House to whom the Arabs make pilgrimage in Mecca; when he heard your words that you would turn the pilgrimage of the Arabs there, he flew into a rage and came and relieved himself in it — meaning by this: it is not worthy of that. At this Abraha flew into a rage and swore that he would surely march against the House to destroy it. With Abraha were men of the Arabs who had come to him seeking his favour, among them Muḥammad ibn Khuzāʿī ibn Ḥizābah al-Dhakwānī, then al-Sulamī, with a number of his tribesmen; with him was also a brother named Qays ibn Khuzāʿī. While they were with him, a slave of Abraha came upon them; he sent them his meal, and he ate the testicles. When the food was brought to the men, they said: by Allah, if we eat this the Arabs will mock us for it forever as long as we live. Muḥammad ibn Khuzāʿī rose and went to Abraha and said: O King, today is a feast day for us on which we eat only ribs and forelegs. Abraha said to him: we shall send you what you wish, for I have honoured you with my meal on account of your rank with me.
Then Abraha crowned Muḥammad ibn Khuzāʿī with a crown and set him over Muḍar, and commanded him to go out among the people and invite them to the pilgrimage to the Qullays — his church which he had built. Muḥammad ibn Khuzāʿī set out until he encamped in a part of the land of Banū Kinānah; the people of Tihāmah had meanwhile learned what his mission was and for what he had come, and they sent a man of Hudhayl to him — named ʿUrwah ibn Ḥayyāḍ al-Malāṣī — who shot him with an arrow and killed him. With Muḥammad ibn Khuzāʿī was his brother Qays ibn Khuzāʿī, who fled when his brother was killed and reached Abraha and informed him of the death. That increased Abraha's rage and wrath, and he swore that he would surely raid Banū Kinānah and would surely destroy the House.
Then Abraha, when he had resolved to march against the House, commanded the Ethiopians to make ready and equip themselves. He set out with the elephant in the column, and the Arabs learned of this and reckoned it a tremendous matter and were terrified by it, and they deemed it an obligation to fight him when they heard that he wished to destroy the Kaʿbah — the sacred House of Allah. There went out a man who was among the nobles and kings of Yemen — named Dhū Nafr — and he summoned his people and whoever of the rest of the Arabs answered him to the fighting (qitāl) against Abraha and to jihād in defence of the House of Allah against what he intended: to destroy and ruin it. Whoever answered him joined him and he went forth to battle, but he was defeated and his companions scattered, and Dhū Nafr was taken captive. When Abraha wished to kill him, Dhū Nafr said: O King, do not kill me, for perhaps my life with you is better for you than my death. He then spared him from death and held him captive with him in fetters. Abraha was a forbearing man.
Then Abraha continued his way in the direction for which he had set out, until he found himself in the land of Khathʿam; Nufayl ibn Ḥabīb al-Khathʿamī confronted him on the road with the two Khathʿamī tribes — Shahrān and Nāhis — and whoever was with him of the Arab tribes. Abraha defeated him and Nufayl was brought to him captive. When he wished to kill him, Nufayl said to him: O King, do not kill me, for I am your guide in the Arab land; and here are my two hands for you as a pledge with the two tribes of Khathʿam — Shahrān and Nāhis — to obedience and submission. He set him free and gave him safe-conduct, and he went along with him as guide on the road. Until he passed by al-Ṭāʾif and Masʿūd ibn Muʿattib came out to him with men of Thaqīf and said: O King, we are your slaves, obedient and submissive; you shall find with us no resistance. This House of ours is not the House you seek — meaning by it al-Lāt — you seek the House in Mecca — meaning by it the Kaʿbah. We shall send someone with you as a guide. He left them in peace and they sent with him Abū Righāl. Abraha set out with Abū Righāl until he brought him down at al-Mughammas; when he brought him down there, Abū Righāl died on the spot. The Arabs stoned his grave, and that is the grave that people stone at al-Mughammas.
When Abraha encamped at al-Mughammas, he sent a man of the Ethiopians — named al-Aswad ibn Maqṣūd — with his cavalry until he reached Mecca; he rounded up the property of the people of Mecca, of Quraysh and others, and seized therewith two hundred camels belonging to ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib ibn Hāshim, who at that time was the chief and lord of Quraysh. Quraysh, Kinānah, Hudhayl and whoever was with them of the people at the sacred precinct considered fighting him, but they realized that they were no match for that and refrained from it. Abraha sent Ḥanāṭah al-Ḥimyarī to Mecca and said to him: ask for the lord and nobleman of this land, and then say to him: the King says to you: I have not come to fight you; I have only come to destroy the House. If you do not wage war in its defence, I have no need of your blood; if he does not wish to fight me, then bring him to me.
When Ḥanāṭah entered Mecca, he asked for the lord and nobleman of Quraysh; it was said: ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib ibn Hāshim ibn ʿAbd Manāf ibn Quṣayy. He went to him and told him what Abraha had charged him with. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib said to him: by Allah, we do not desire to fight him; we are no match for that. This is the sacred House of Allah and the House of His friend Ibrāhīm — peace be upon him — or words to that effect. If He protects it then it is His House and His sanctuary, and if He leaves it to him — by Allah, we have no defence against him — or words to that effect. Ḥanāṭah said to him: then come with me to the King, for he has commanded me to bring you to him. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib set out with him, and with him were some of his sons, until he reached the camp. He asked for Dhū Nafr, who was a friend of his; he was pointed out to him. He went to him while he was in his prison and said: O Dhū Nafr, have you any benefit you can offer us in what has befallen us? Dhū Nafr — his friend — said to him: what benefit can a man offer who is a captive in the hands of a king, expecting that he will kill him the next morning or evening! I have no benefit at all in what has befallen you, except that Anīs, the elephant-keeper, is a friend of mine; I shall send him a message and commend you to him, plead your cause strongly with him, and ask him to seek permission for you from the King, so that you may speak with him about what you wish, and so that he may intercede for you with him for good, if he is able to do so. He said: that is enough. Dhū Nafr sent for Anīs and he brought him. He said: O Anīs, ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib is the lord of Quraysh and the master of the caravan of Mecca; he feeds the people on the plain and the wild beasts on the mountain-tops. The King has taken from him two hundred camels; seek permission for him with him and be of benefit to him as far as you can. He said: I shall do so.
Anīs then spoke to Abraha and said: O King, the lord of Quraysh is at your door asking permission to be admitted to you; he is the master of the caravan of Mecca, he feeds the people on the plain and the wild beasts on the mountain-tops. Admit him to you so that he may inform you of his need, and treat him well. He said: Abraha gave him permission. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib was an imposing, handsome, and well-built man. When Abraha saw him, he deemed it unbecoming to seat him beneath himself and he found it disagreeable that the Ethiopians should see him seated together with him upon his royal throne. So Abraha came down from his throne and sat upon his carpet, and he had ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib seated beside him upon it. Then he said to his interpreter: ask him what is his need with the King. The interpreter asked him that, and ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib said to him: my need with the King is that he return to me the two hundred camels that have been taken from me. When he said that, Abraha said to his interpreter: say to him: you had struck me with admiration when I saw you, but then you sank in my esteem when you spoke to me. Do you speak to me about two hundred camels that have been taken from you and leave alone a House that is your religion and the religion of your forefathers, which I have come to destroy — do you not speak to me about it? ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib said to him: I am the lord of the camels, and the House has a Lord Who will protect it. He said: nothing shall protect it from me. He said: that is your affair; return to me my camels.
According to what some of the scholars assert, when Ḥanāṭah summoned ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, there had also gone with him: Yaʿmar ibn Nafāthah ibn ʿAdī ibn al-Dayl ibn Bakr ibn ʿAbd Manāf ibn Kinānah — at that time the lord of Banū Kinānah — and Khuwaylid ibn Wāthilah al-Hudhalī — at that time the lord of Hudhayl — and they offered Abraha a third of the wealth of Tihāmah if he would withdraw from them and not destroy the House, but he refused. And Allah knows best.
Abraha had returned to ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib the camels that had been taken from him. When they departed from him, ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib returned to Quraysh, informed them of the news and commanded them to leave Mecca and to take shelter in the mountain passes and ravines, out of fear of what the army might do to them. Then ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib rose, took hold of the ring of the door — the door of the Kaʿbah — and a group of Quraysh rose with him and prayed to Allah and implored Him for help against Abraha and his army. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib said, while he held the ring of the door of the Kaʿbah:
O Lord, I hope for none against them but You — O Lord, protect Your sanctuary from them. The enemy of the House is he who is hostile to You — Prevent them from destroying Your strongholds.
And he also said:
O Allah, the slave protects his baggage — so protect Your tenants. Let not their cross and their cunning that day overcome Your cunning. If You leave them and our qiblah — then that is a matter as You see fit.
And he also said:
If an attacker came to us in peace, we hoped that You would be thus with us. They departed without attaining anything but disgrace, and ruin destroyed them on the spot. I have never heard of men more depraved than they who sought honour but violated Your sanctuary. They dragged along the armies of their lands, with the elephant, to take captive Your household.
Then ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib released the ring of the door of the Kaʿbah and he departed together with whoever was with him of Quraysh to the mountain passes and they took shelter there, awaiting what Abraha would do with Mecca once he entered it. When morning came Abraha made ready to enter Mecca and he prepared his elephant and arrayed his army. The name of the elephant was Maḥmūd, and Abraha was firmly resolved to destroy the House and then return to Yemen. When they directed the elephant in the direction [of Mecca], Nufayl ibn Ḥabīb al-Khathʿamī walked up to him, stood at his flank, took hold of his ear and said: lie down, Maḥmūd, and return safely whence you came, for you are in the sacred land of Allah. Then he released his ear and the elephant lay down. Nufayl ibn Ḥabīb ran off and climbed the mountain at full speed. They beat the elephant to make him rise but he refused; they struck him on his head with a tabarzīn-axe to make him rise but he refused; they thrust hooks into his belly to make him stand but he refused. They turned him in the direction of Yemen and he rose and walked at a trot; they turned him in the direction of Syria and he did the same; they turned him in the direction of the east and he did the same; they turned him in the direction of Mecca and he lay down. Then Allah sent upon them birds from the sea, resembling swallows (al-khaṭāṭīf); with each bird three stones which it carried: one stone in its beak and two stones in its feet — like chickpeas and lentils. Whoever of them was struck died — but not all were struck. They departed fleeing and hastened along the road by which they had come, and asked for Nufayl ibn Ḥabīb to show them the way to Yemen. Nufayl ibn Ḥabīb said, when he saw what Allah had sent down upon them of punishment:
Where is the flight, while Allah is the Pursuer — and al-Ashram is the vanquished, not the victor?
They departed and fell down on every road and died at every watering-place. Abraha was struck in his body; they carried him along with them and his finger-joints fell off, joint by joint: each time a joint fell, there followed a flow of pus and blood, until they reached Ṣanʿāʾ with him while he was like the chick of a bird. He did not die until his breast split open and his heart fell out — according to what is asserted.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salamah related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, on the authority of Yaʿqūb ibn ʿUtbah ibn al-Mughīrah ibn al-Akhnas, that he related: the first thing that the measles (al-ḥaṣbah) and smallpox (al-judharī) were ever seen in the Arab land was that year, and that was also the first year in which the bitter plants were seen in the Arab land: the wild rue (al-ḥarmal), the colocynth (al-ḥanẓal) and the ʿushar-plant.
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatādah, concerning His word أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَابِ الْفِيلِ : Abraha al-Ashram marched one day from Ethiopia with his forces and the multitude of the Yemenites against the House of Allah to destroy it, on account of a church of theirs which the Arabs had damaged in the Yemenite land. They came up with their elephant, until they were at al-Ṣaffāḥ, and he lay down. When they directed him in the direction of the House of Allah, he threw himself down with his chin on the ground; when they directed him in the direction of their land, he set off quickly at a trot. Until they were at Nakhlah al-Yamāniyyah and Allah sent upon them birds — white abābīl. The abābīl are the numerous ones. With each bird three stones: two stones in its feet and one stone in its beak, and they pelted them with them until Allah — glorious and exalted — made them like devoured straw. He said: Abū Yakṣūm — that is, Abraha — escaped, and each time he reached a land a portion of his flesh fell off, until he reached his people, informed them of the news and died.
