The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary
Seyyed Hossein Nasr (Ed.)
A landmark scholarly edition with verse-by-verse commentary drawn from classical sources — the most comprehensive single-volume study Quran in English.
الفِيلِ
The Elephant
The destruction of the army of the elephant.
Al-Fil, “The Elephant,” recalls how Allah defended the Ka‘bah by destroying the army that came with elephants to demolish it — a sign of His protection.
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بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَٰبِ ٱلْفِيلِ
Alam tara kaifa fa'ala rabbuka bi ashaabil feel
Have you not considered, [O Muhammad], how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant?
أَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ كَيْدَهُمْ فِى تَضْلِيلٍۢ
Alam yaj'al kai dahum fee tad leel
Did He not make their plan into misguidance?
وَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ طَيْرًا أَبَابِيلَ
Wa arsala 'alaihim tairan abaabeel
And He sent against them birds in flocks,
تَرْمِيهِم بِحِجَارَةٍۢ مِّن سِجِّيلٍۢ
Tar meehim bi hi jaaratim min sij jeel
Striking them with stones of hard clay,
فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصْفٍۢ مَّأْكُولٍۭ
Faja 'alahum ka'asfim m'akool
And He made them like eaten straw.
“Al-Fil” translates to “The Elephant.” It is the 105th surah (chapter) of the Holy Quran.
Surah Al-Fil has 5 verses (ayahs).
It is a Makkah (Meccan) surah — revealed before the Prophet’s ﷺ migration (Hijrah) to Madinah.
Yes. You can read Surah Al-Fil free on this page in Arabic with a clear English translation and transliteration, so you can both understand the meaning and learn to recite it.
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