Tafsir of Surat al-Fil.
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The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
As for what follows: This is the one-hundred-and-first meeting, which takes place every week on Thursday, and this is the twenty-eighth Thursday of the month of Rabi' al-Awwal in the year 1416. In it, we will give a brief review of the tafsir of the words of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:[Al-Fil 105:1] to the end of the surah, because it is the surah on which we stopped previously.
Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says:[Al-Fil 105:1]: He is addressing the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), or He is addressing everyone to whom it is appropriate to direct the address. So, on the first view, the address to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is an address to him and to the Ummah, because his Ummah follows him. And on the second view: the address is general to him and his Ummah from the outset.
In any case, Allah the Exalted affirms what He, Glorified and Exalted is He, did to the People of the Elephant. The People of the Elephant are the people of Yemen who came to demolish the Ka'bah with a great elephant, which the King of Abyssinia sent to them. The reason for this was that the King of Yemen wanted to prevent people from performing Hajj to the Ka'bah, the House of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. So he built a house resembling the Ka'bah and called people to perform Hajj to it to prevent them from performing Hajj to the House of Allah. The Arabs became angry about this, and a man from among them went to this house that the King of Yemen had made in place of the Ka'bah, and he defecated in it and smeared its walls with filth. The King of Yemen became extremely angry and informed the King of Abyssinia of this, so he sent him this great elephant. It is said that there were six elephants with him to help him.
So this man—meaning the King of Yemen—came with his soldiers to demolish the Ka'bah, as he claimed, but Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, protected His House.
When he reached a place called al-Mughassas, the elephant stopped, became agitated, and refused to head toward the Ka'bah. Its driver urged it, but it refused. If they directed it toward Yemen, it would run off, but if they directed it toward Makkah, it would stop. This is a sign among the signs of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Then they remained until Allah sent upon them birds in flocks:[Al-Fil 105:4] The scholars said: "Birds in flocks" means scattered groups, with each bird carrying a hard stone of Sijjil in its beak, which is baked clay, because it becomes harder. And this stone is not large, but small; it strikes one of these men on the head and comes out of his rear, may Allah protect us: [Al-Fil 105:5] meaning: like a crop that the livestock ate and trampled with their feet until it crumbled.
This is a summary of this great surah in which Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, explained what He did to the People of the Elephant, and that their plot returned to their own throats. And so it is with everyone who intends evil against the truth; Allah the Exalted makes their plot return to their own throats.
Allah, Mighty and Majestic, protected the Ka'bah from this elephant, even though in the end times He will unleash upon it a man from Abyssinia who will demolish it stone by stone until it is level with the ground. This is because the story of the People of the Elephant is a preamble to the mission of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), in which the House will be honored. But in the end times, if the people of the House insult it and intend to commit injustice and deviation against it, and do not recognize its status, then at that time Allah will unleash upon it one who will demolish it so that nothing remains on the face of the earth. For this reason, it is obligatory for the people of Makkah, especially, to be cautious of sins, transgressions, and major sins, lest they insult the Ka'bah and Allah, Mighty and Majestic, humiliate them. We ask Allah the Exalted to protect our religion and His Sacred House from the plot of every plotter; indeed, He is capable of all things.
As for now, we move to the question period, and we start with al-Ayyam. We previously proposed a suggestion, which is as the poet said:
"The misfortunes of some people are the benefits of others". We proposed that the questions be for those who are not among our students. So, when the people who come from outside the town are finished, we direct the questions or give the opportunity to ask to our young men who are here. And I think the difference is clear. As for those coming from outside the town, the difference will be clearer than the sun. As for the students, the difference will be subtle, but it will become apparent, if Allah wills, later. It is also known that when a questioner asks, he is not asking only for himself; meaning, the question is not just for himself, but for him and for those who hear as well. And the listener may have the same question in his own mind. So, if you see this proposal to be sound, I see it as sound. And if you do not see it as sound, Allah will decree what He wills in the matter. Is it sound?
The questioner : It is sound.
The Shaykh : Is it sound?
The questioner : It is sound.
The Shaykh : Say yes!
As for what follows: This is the one-hundred-and-first meeting, which takes place every week on Thursday, and this is the twenty-eighth Thursday of the month of Rabi' al-Awwal in the year 1416. In it, we will give a brief review of the tafsir of the words of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:
Have you not considered, [O Muhammad], how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant?
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَابِ الْفِيلِAllah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says:
Have you not considered, [O Muhammad], how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant?
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَابِ الْفِيلِIn any case, Allah the Exalted affirms what He, Glorified and Exalted is He, did to the People of the Elephant. The People of the Elephant are the people of Yemen who came to demolish the Ka'bah with a great elephant, which the King of Abyssinia sent to them. The reason for this was that the King of Yemen wanted to prevent people from performing Hajj to the Ka'bah, the House of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. So he built a house resembling the Ka'bah and called people to perform Hajj to it to prevent them from performing Hajj to the House of Allah. The Arabs became angry about this, and a man from among them went to this house that the King of Yemen had made in place of the Ka'bah, and he defecated in it and smeared its walls with filth. The King of Yemen became extremely angry and informed the King of Abyssinia of this, so he sent him this great elephant. It is said that there were six elephants with him to help him.
So this man—meaning the King of Yemen—came with his soldiers to demolish the Ka'bah, as he claimed, but Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, protected His House.
When he reached a place called al-Mughassas, the elephant stopped, became agitated, and refused to head toward the Ka'bah. Its driver urged it, but it refused. If they directed it toward Yemen, it would run off, but if they directed it toward Makkah, it would stop. This is a sign among the signs of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Then they remained until Allah sent upon them birds in flocks:
Striking them with stones of hard clay,
تَرْمِيهِمْ بِحِجَارَةٍ مِنْ سِجِّيلٍAnd He made them like eaten straw.
فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصْفٍ مَأْكُولٍThis is a summary of this great surah in which Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, explained what He did to the People of the Elephant, and that their plot returned to their own throats. And so it is with everyone who intends evil against the truth; Allah the Exalted makes their plot return to their own throats.
Allah, Mighty and Majestic, protected the Ka'bah from this elephant, even though in the end times He will unleash upon it a man from Abyssinia who will demolish it stone by stone until it is level with the ground. This is because the story of the People of the Elephant is a preamble to the mission of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), in which the House will be honored. But in the end times, if the people of the House insult it and intend to commit injustice and deviation against it, and do not recognize its status, then at that time Allah will unleash upon it one who will demolish it so that nothing remains on the face of the earth. For this reason, it is obligatory for the people of Makkah, especially, to be cautious of sins, transgressions, and major sins, lest they insult the Ka'bah and Allah, Mighty and Majestic, humiliate them. We ask Allah the Exalted to protect our religion and His Sacred House from the plot of every plotter; indeed, He is capable of all things.
As for now, we move to the question period, and we start with al-Ayyam. We previously proposed a suggestion, which is as the poet said:
"The misfortunes of some people are the benefits of others". We proposed that the questions be for those who are not among our students. So, when the people who come from outside the town are finished, we direct the questions or give the opportunity to ask to our young men who are here. And I think the difference is clear. As for those coming from outside the town, the difference will be clearer than the sun. As for the students, the difference will be subtle, but it will become apparent, if Allah wills, later. It is also known that when a questioner asks, he is not asking only for himself; meaning, the question is not just for himself, but for him and for those who hear as well. And the listener may have the same question in his own mind. So, if you see this proposal to be sound, I see it as sound. And if you do not see it as sound, Allah will decree what He wills in the matter. Is it sound?
The questioner : It is sound.
The Shaykh : Is it sound?
The questioner : It is sound.
The Shaykh : Say yes!