بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
الفيل
Al-Fil
The Elephant • 5 Ayahs
Meccanأَلَمۡ تَرَ كَيۡفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصۡحَٰبِ ٱلۡفِيلِ
اے محبوب! کیا تم نے نہ دیکھا تمہارے رب نے ان ہاتھی والوں کیا حال کیا
أَلَمۡ يَجۡعَلۡ كَيۡدَهُمۡ فِي تَضۡلِيلٖ
کیا ان کا داؤ تباہی میں نہ ڈالا،
وَأَرۡسَلَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ طَيۡرًا أَبَابِيلَ
اور ان پر پرندوں کی ٹکڑیاں (فوجیں) بھیجیں
تَرۡمِيهِم بِحِجَارَةٖ مِّن سِجِّيلٖ
کہ انہیں کنکر کے پتھروں سے مارتے
فَجَعَلَهُمۡ كَعَصۡفٖ مَّأۡكُولِۭ
تو انہیں کر ڈالا جیسے کھائی کھیتی کی پتی (بھوسہ)
About Surah Al-Fil
Surah Al-Fil (الفيل) is the 105th chapter of the Holy Quran. It contains 5 verses and is a Meccan Surah.
Read with Urdu translation (Kanz ul Iman) and English translation (Sahih International). Listen to audio recitation by multiple world-renowned reciters including Mishary Alafasy, Sudais, Shuraim, Husary, and more.
About Surah Al-Fil
Al-Fil is a five-verse Meccan surah recounting the "Year of the Elephant" — the army of Abraha, which marched on Makkah with elephants intending to destroy the Kaaba, repelled by birds casting stones, traditionally dated near the Prophet ﷺ's birth year.
Number
105th surah
Verses
5
Revelation
Meccan
Meaning
The Elephant
Why read it
A short, often-recited account of the Kaaba's protection before Islam's formal revelation began.
Al-Filbenefits & Hadith references →Key point
105:1 — "Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant?"
Historical Context
Recounts the "Year of the Elephant" (traditionally dated close to the Prophet ﷺ's birth year, commonly cited as around 570 CE) — Abraha, the Abyssinian/Yemeni governor who built a grand cathedral in Yemen and marched on Makkah with an army including war elephants, intending to destroy or draw worship away from the Kaaba. Classical historical accounts describe the army being decimated before reaching the city.
Main Themes
Divine protection of the Kaaba
The surah frames the army's failure not as a military or logistical accident but as a direct act of Allah thwarting their plan (105:1-2).
Overwhelming power against worldly military might
A relatively small, specific means — birds (ababil) casting stones of baked clay — is described as sufficient to destroy a large organized army, underscoring that Allah's power doesn't require matching an opponent's scale.
Important Verses
105:1-2
Did you not see...
"Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant? Did He not make their plan into misguidance?" — opens by assuming the story's familiarity to the original audience, who were Makkans themselves.
105:3-5
Birds and stones of baked clay
Describes flocks of birds striking the army with stones, leaving them "like eaten straw" — a vivid, total description of the army's destruction.
Hadith & Popular Descriptions
We include authenticity grading for each narration below — not every widely-repeated description of a surah comes from an equally strong source.
Frequently Asked Questions about Surah Al-Fil
What is Surah Al-Fil about?
Al-Fil is a five-verse Meccan surah recounting the "Year of the Elephant" — the army of Abraha, which marched on Makkah with elephants intending to destroy the Kaaba, repelled by birds casting stones, traditionally dated near the Prophet ﷺ's birth year.
How many verses are in Surah Al-Fil?
Surah Al-Fil contains 5 verses (The Elephant). It is the 105th surah of the Holy Quran.
Is Surah Al-Fil Makki or Madani?
Surah Al-Fil is a Makki surah — it was revealed in Makkah before the Hijrah.
What are the benefits of reading Surah Al-Fil?
A short, often-recited account of the Kaaba's protection before Islam's formal revelation began.
Where can I read Surah Al-Fil with Urdu translation?
You can read Surah Al-Fil above with the full Arabic text, Urdu translation (Kanz ul Iman), and English translation (Sahih International), plus audio recitation.
Who was Abraha?
The Abyssinian (Ethiopian)-appointed governor of Yemen at the time, who built a grand cathedral and, according to classical historical accounts, marched on Makkah with an army including elephants to destroy or divert worship from the Kaaba.
Why is this called the "Year of the Elephant"?
Because Abraha's army reportedly included war elephants — a novel and intimidating sight in Arabia at the time — and this event became a fixed reference point in Arabian chronology, with the Prophet ﷺ's birth traditionally dated close to this same year.