Al-Fīl
الفيل"The Elephant"
- Number
- 105 of 114
- Verses
- 5
- Revealed
- Makkah
The army that came to destroy the Kaaba — and was destroyed by birds.
24 passages reference this surah
From 13 books in our audiobook library. Each passage is also spoken aloud in the app.
Book 36: The Book of Love, Longing, Intimacy, and Contentment
Imam al-Ghazali · Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din
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"Contemplate this with a present mind and clear thought. Look at how Allah created it in the shape of the elephant, which is the largest of animals, for He created for it a trunk like the elephant's trunk and all other small members as He created for the elephant,"
Umar ibn al-Khattab
Ibn Kathir · Timeless Classics
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"The elephant grew enraged, let out a terrible cry, charged, and trampled him beneath its feet, killing him, and stood over him. Then Abu Ubayd's deputy, whom he had designated to be commander after him, charged the elephant and was killed, then another, then another, until seven men of Thaqif whom Abu Ubayd had named one after another were killed;"
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"So the whole army was eighty thousand, according to what Sayf and others mentioned. In another report: Rustam had a hundred and twenty thousand, followed by eighty thousand. He had with him thirty-three elephants, among them a white elephant that had belonged to Sabur; it was the greatest and the oldest of them, and the elephants were attached to it."
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"Abu Ubayd ibn Mas'ud al-Thaqafi, the commander on the day of the Bridge, which is known by his name because he was killed at it: the elephant trampled him until it killed him, may God be pleased with him, after he had cut off its trunk with his sword, as has been related."
Abu Bakr al-Siddiq
Ibn Kathir · Timeless Classics
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"It is said: that Abu Bakr said to them: Woe to you! Wherever were your words being carried off to? "Truly this speech never came from any God." And he used to say: "By the elephant! And what shall make you know what the elephant is? It has a long trunk." And he used to say:"
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"And al-Farazdaq said in his verse, recalling al-Muthanna's killing of that elephant: And the house of al-Muthanna, slayer of the elephant by main force at Babil, when the kingship of Babil lay with Persia."
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"He said: The people of Persia were dismayed by this letter, and they blamed Shahriyar for having written to him and thought his judgment shameful. Al-Muthanna marched from al-Harra to Babil, and when al-Muthanna met their army at a place by the bank of the first Sarat canal, they fought a most fierce battle. The Persians sent out an elephant between the ranks of the cavalry to scatter the Muslims' horses, but the commander of the Muslims, al-Muthanna ibn Haritha, charged it and killed it."
al-Akhlāq wa'l-Siyar — Character and Conduct
Ibn Ḥazm of Cordoba · Timeless Classics
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"the wolf and the elephant are braver than he; and whoever is gladdened by the strength of his body, let him know that the mule, the ox and the elephant are stronger than he in body; and whoever is gladdened by his bearing of heavy loads,"
Volume 2 — From the Israelite Prophets to Pre-Islamic Arabia
Ibn Kathir · Al-Bidāya wal-Nihāya
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"upon him, was born in the year of the Elephant, and was sent as a prophet at the age of forty years from the year of the Elephant. This was narrated by al-Bayhaqi from the hadith of Abu Ishaq al-Sabih from Said ibn Jubair"
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"Ibn Ishaq narrated that Aisha said, I saw the driver of the elephant and his handler in Mecca, both blind and sitting, begging for food. It has been noted that the handler of the elephant was named Unaiz, but the name of"
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"When they directed the elephant towards Mecca, Nufayl ibn Habib approached and stood beside the elephant, taking hold of its ear. He said, Kneel, Mahmud, and return from where you came, for you are in the sacred land of"
Book 30: The Condemnation of Self-Delusion
Imam al-Ghazali · Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din
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"Seize her and throw her before the elephant for her nonsense. So, she was thrown to the elephant. Such will be the fate of those who falsely claim Sufism on the Day of Judgment when the veil is lifted,"
Volume Two: From India to the Lands of the West
Ibn Battuta · Rihla — The Travels of Ibn Battuta
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"sheathed in iron, prepared for the execution of criminals. Each elephant has a driver carrying an iron club for discipline. Each elephant bears a large hauda, capable of carrying twenty soldiers"
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"than silk cloth. There are numerous elephants here. They ride on them and use them for carrying loads. Each person ties his elephant at his door, and every shop owner keeps his elephant nearby"
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"sharpened iron resembling plow shares, with knife-like edges. The elephant driver sits on the elephant, and when a man is thrown before it, it wraps him with its trunk and tosses him"
Volume One: From Tangier to the Lands of the East
Ibn Battuta · Rihla — The Travels of Ibn Battuta
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"his breath, enhancing the redness of his face and gums, reducing bile and aiding digestion. When Sheikh Sa'id mounted the elephant, silk clothes were spread out before the elephant's"
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"They sniffed the Sheikh but left him unharmed. An elephant then picked up the Sheikh with its trunk, placed him on its back, and carried him to a place with human settlements. When the people of that area saw him, they were amazed and approached him to learn his"
Book 13: Etiquettes of Earning and Living
Imam al-Ghazali · Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din
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"For example, the bone of an animal becomes impure after death, and an elephant is not purified by slaughtering, nor is its bone purified through ritual slaughter. The sale of wine is forbidden, as is the sale of impure fat extracted from non-consumable animals,"
Book 19: The Book of Commanding Good and Forbidding Evil
Imam al-Ghazali · Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din
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"He commanded the people not to wear red unless they were oppressed. He would ride an elephant, touring day and night, to ensure justice for any oppressed person he saw. This king, a polytheist with compassion exceeding his own greed for his kingdom, acted so."
Volume 3 — The Sīrah: From the First Revelation to Badr
Ibn Kathir · Al-Bidāya wal-Nihāya
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"al-Basri. There were nine notable events during this period of interruption. The Christians, the Garden of Sana, the Garden of Saba, the Companions of the Ditch, the matter of Hasura, the Companions of the Cave, the Companions of the Elephant, the City of"
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"of Ibrahim, then from the construction of the Kaaba by Ibrahim and Ismail, then from the death of Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy, and then from the year of the elephant. Finally, Umar ibn al-Khattab established the calendar from the Hijra, which was in the"
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"It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was born in the year of the Elephant on the twelfth day of Rabi al-Awwal. In this month, he was sent as a prophet, ascended to the heavens, migrated, and passed away."
Book 39: The Book of Contemplation
Imam al-Ghazali · Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din
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"though it seemingly has no guide or instructor? Who would doubt with insight that this tiny, weak creature is indeed feeble and helpless? Even the mighty elephant, with its large size and apparent strength, is helpless when managing its own affairs."
Book 29: Condemnation of Pride and Conceit
Imam al-Ghazali · Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din
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"A thorn could incapacitate, and a day's fever could deplete strength beyond repair. Thus, one who cannot withstand a thorn or fend off a fly should not boast of strength. Even if strong, one is not mightier than a donkey, cow, elephant, or camel."
Books referenced
The Book of Love, Longing, Intimacy, and Contentment
Imam al-Ghazali · 4h 57m
Umar ibn al-Khattab
Ibn Kathir · 10h 27m
Abu Bakr al-Siddiq
Ibn Kathir · 6h 10m
Character and Conduct
Ibn Ḥazm of Cordoba · 3h 6m
Israelite Prophets to Pre-Islamic Arabia
Ibn Kathir · 18h 22m
Self-Delusion
Imam al-Ghazali · 2h 35m
Volume Two
Ibn Battuta · 10h 27m
Volume One
Ibn Battuta · 13h 3m