Today's verse

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيْم

ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻔﻴﻞ

Sūrat Al-Fil - Chapter 105

English: The Elephant

Verse 4

Arabic

ﺗَﺮْﻣِﻴﻬِﻢْ ﺑِﺤِﺠَﺎﺭَﺓٍ ﻣِﻦْ ﺳِﺠِّﻴﻞ

Transliteration:

Tarmeehim bi ijaaratinm min sij jeel

Meaning:

4. . Striking them with stones of Sijjil.

Tafsir: Continuation

Thus, Allah said,
﴿ﺃَﻟَﻢْ ﺗَﺮَ ﻛَﻴْﻒَ ﻓَﻌَﻞَ ﺭَﺑُّﻚَ ﺑِﺄَﺻْﺤَـﺐِ ﺍﻟْﻔِﻴﻞِ - ﺃَﻟَﻢْ ﻳَﺠْﻌَﻞْ ﻛَﻴْﺪَﻫُﻢْ ﻓِﻰ ﺗَﻀْﻠِﻴﻞٍ - ﻭَﺃَﺭْﺳَﻞَ
ﻋَﻠَﻴْﻬِﻢْ ﻃَﻴْﺮﺍً ﺃَﺑَﺎﺑِﻴﻞَ - ﺗَﺮْﻣِﻴﻬِﻢ ﺑِﺤِﺠَﺎﺭَﺓٍ ﻣِّﻦ ﺳِﺠِّﻴﻞٍ - ﻓَﺠَﻌَﻠَﻬُﻢْ ﻛَﻌَﺼْﻒٍ ﻣَّﺄْﻛُﻮﻝِ ﴾

(Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the Owners of the Elephant? Did He not make their plot go astray And He sent against them birds, in flocks (Ababil). Striking them with stones of Sijjil. And He made them like `Asf, Ma'kul.)

﴿ﻹِﻳﻠَـﻒِ ﻗُﺮَﻳْﺶٍ - ﺇِﻳﻠَـﻔِﻬِﻢْ ﺭِﺣْﻠَﺔَ ﺍﻟﺸِّﺘَﺂﺀِ
ﻭَﺍﻟﺼَّﻴْﻒِ - ﻓَﻠْﻴَﻌْﺒُﺪُﻭﺍْ ﺭَﺏَّ ﻫَـﺬَﺍ ﺍﻟْﺒَﻴْﺖِ - ﺍﻟَّﺬِﻯ ﺃَﻃْﻌَﻤَﻬُﻢ ﻣِّﻦ ﺟُﻮﻉٍ ﻭَﺀَﺍﻣَﻨَﻬُﻢ ﻣِّﻦْ ﺧﻮْﻑٍ ﴾

(For the safety of the Quraysh, their caravans go forth safely  in winter and in summer. So, let them worship the Lord of this House, Who has fed them against hunger, and has made them safe from fear.) (106:1-4) meaning, that Allah would not alter
their situation because Allah wanted good for them if they accepted Him.

Ibn Hisham said, "Al -Ababil are the groups,
as the Arabs do not speak of just one (bird).'' He also said, "As for As-Sijjil, Yunus An-Nahwi and Abu `Ubaydah have informed me that according to the Arabs, it means
something hard and solid.'' He then said, "Some of the
commentators have mentioned that it is actually two Persian words that the Arabs have made into one word. The
two words are Sanj and Jil, Sanj meaning stones, and Jil meaning clay. The rocks are of these two types: stone and clay.''

He continued saying, "Al-`Asf are the leaves of the
crops that are not gathered. One of them is called `Asfah.'' This is the end of what he mentioned.

Hammad bin Salamah narrated from `Asim, who related from Zirr, who
related from `Abdullah and Abu Salamah bin `Abdur-Rahman that they said,
﴿ﻃَﻴْﺮﺍً ﺃَﺑَﺎﺑِﻴﻞَ﴾
(birds Ababil.) "In groups.'' Ibn `Abbas and Ad-Dahhak both said, "Ababil means some of them following after others.''

Al-Hasan Al-Basri and Qatadah both said, "Ababil means many.'' Mujahid said, "Ababil means in various, successive
groups.'' Ibn Zayd said, "Ababil means different, coming from here and there. They came upon them from everywhere.'' Al-Kasa'i said, "I heard some of the grammarians saying, "The singular of Ababil is Ibil.'' Ibn Jarir recorded from Ishaq bin `Abdullah bin Al-Harith bin
Nawfal that he said concerning Allah's statement,

﴿ﻭَﺃَﺭْﺳَﻞَ ﻋَﻠَﻴْﻬِﻢْ ﻃَﻴْﺮﺍً ﺃَﺑَﺎﺑِﻴﻞَ ﴾

(And He sent against them birds, Ababil.) "This means in divisions just as camels march in divisions (in their herds).''

It is reported that Ibn `Abbas said,

﴿ﻭَﺃَﺭْﺳَﻞَ ﻋَﻠَﻴْﻬِﻢْ ﻃَﻴْﺮﺍً ﺃَﺑَﺎﺑِﻴﻞَ ﴾

(And He sent against them birds, Ababil.)

"They had snouts like the beaks of birds and paws like the paws of dogs.''

It has been reported that `Ikrimah said commenting on Allah's statement,

﴿ﻃَﻴْﺮﺍً ﺃَﺑَﺎﺑِﻴﻞَ﴾
(birds, Ababil.)

"They were green birds that came out of the sea and they had heads like the heads of predatory
animals.'' It has been reported from `Ubayd bin `Umayr that he commented:
﴿ﻃَﻴْﺮﺍً ﺃَﺑَﺎﺑِﻴﻞَ﴾
(birds, Ababil.) "They were black birds of the sea that had stones in their beaks and claws.'' And the chains of narration (for these statements) are all authentic.

It is  reported from `Ubayd bin `Umayr that he said, "When Allah
wanted to destroy the People of the Elephant, he sent birds upon them that came from sea swallows. Each of the birds was carrying three small stones -- two stones with its feet and one stone in its beak. They came until they gathered in rows over their heads. Then they gave a loud cry and threw what was in their claws and beaks. Thus, no stone fell upon the head of any man except that it came out of his behind
(i.e., it went through him), and it did not fall on any part of his body except that it came out from the opposite side.

Then Allah sent a severe wind that struck the stones and increased them in force. Thus, they were all destroyed.''

(To be continued)