Makki · 5 Verses
Al-Fil
الْفِيل
"The Elephant"
Revealed about the Year of the Elephant (570 CE) when Abraha's army with war elephants marched on Mecca. Allah sent birds in flocks that destroyed them — in the year of the Prophet's birth.
1
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَابِ الْفِيلِ
Alam tara kayfa fa'ala rabbuka bi-aṣḥābi l-fīl
Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant?
أَلَمْ تَرَ
alam tara
Have you not seen
Root: ر أ ي
كَيْفَ
kayfa
how
فَعَلَ
fa'ala
dealt/did
Root: ف ع ل
رَبُّكَ
rabbuka
your Lord
Root: ر ب ب
بِأَصْحَابِ
bi-aṣḥābi
with the companions of
Root: ص ح ب
الْفِيلِ
l-fīl
the elephant
Root: ف ي ل
2
أَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ كَيْدَهُمْ فِي تَضْلِيلٍ
Alam yaj'al kaydahum fī taḍlīl
Did He not make their plan go astray?
أَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ
alam yaj'al
Did He not make
Root: ج ع ل
كَيْدَهُمْ
kaydahum
their plan/scheme
Root: ك ي د
فِي تَضْلِيلٍ
fī taḍlīl
in ruin/astray
Root: ض ل ل
3
وَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ طَيْرًا أَبَابِيلَ
Wa-arsala 'alayhim ṭayran abābīl
He sent against them birds in flocks
وَأَرْسَلَ
wa-arsala
And He sent
Root: ر س ل
عَلَيْهِمْ
'alayhim
against them
طَيْرًا
ṭayran
birds
Root: ط ي ر
أَبَابِيلَ
abābīl
in flocks/swarms
4
تَرْمِيهِم بِحِجَارَةٍ مِّن سِجِّيلٍ
Tarmīhim bi-ḥijāratin min sijjīl
Striking them with stones of baked clay
تَرْمِيهِم
tarmīhim
striking/pelting them
Root: ر م ي
بِحِجَارَةٍ
bi-ḥijāra
with stones
Root: ح ج ر
مِّن سِجِّيلٍ
min sijjīl
of baked clay
5
فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصْفٍ مَّأْكُولٍ
Fa-ja'alahum ka-'aṣfin ma'kūl
And made them like eaten straw
فَجَعَلَهُمْ
fa-ja'alahum
so He made them
Root: ج ع ل
كَعَصْفٍ
ka-'aṣf
like straw/chaff
Root: ع ص ف
مَّأْكُولٍ
ma'kūl
eaten/devoured
Root: أ ك ل