The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 5) — Page 548
CHAPTER 105 AL-FIL (Revealed before Hijrah) Title & Date of Revelation As its subject matter shows the Surah is among the earliest Surahs revealed at Mecca. The title of the Surah is taken from the expression (Fellows of the Elephant), occurring in the first verse, Abraha's army being so called because of one or more elephants with them. The Surah refers to the invasion of Mecca by Abraha Ashram, the viceroy in Yemen of the Christian King of Abyssinia, who came with the object of destroying the Ka'bah. Subject Matter Dhū Nuwās, the Jewish Himyar ruler of Yemen had put 20,000 Christians to death in cold blood. The Kaiser of Rome had ordered the Negus, King of Abyssinia, which then formed part of the Roman Empire, to avenge this cruel act of Dhū Nuwās. The Negus sent Abraha to Yemen. He defeated the Himyar ruler and Yemen became part of the Abyssinian dominion and Abraha was appointed its viceroy. In order to curry favour with the Negus and to break the unity of the Arabs or, as tradition goes, to stem the apprehended tide of Arab nationalism under a great Prophet whose appearance was eagerly awaited and was expected to take place very soon, and in order also to divert the attention of the Arabs from the Ka'bah, and to preach and disseminate Christianity in Arabia, Abraha built a church at Sanā', the capital of Yemen. When, however, he failed to cajole or intimidate the Arabs into accepting the church at Sanā' in place of the Ka'bah as their central place of worship, he was stung with rage, and being intoxicated with his great military power he marched on Mecca with an army of 20,000 strong in order to raze the Ka'bah to the ground. Arriving at a place, a few miles from Mecca, he sent for the leaders of the Quraish in order to negotiate with them about the fate of the Ka'bah. The Quraish deputation, led by the venerable 'Abdul-Muttalib, grandfather of the Holy Prophet, met Abraha who treated ‘Abdul-Muttalib with great honour. But to Abraha's great surprise, 'Abdul-Muttalib, instead of beseeching that the Ka'bah be spared, only requested that his two hundred camels which Abraha's men had seized be restored. 'Abdul-Muṭṭalib on being told by Abraha that he had not expected such a paltry request from him, poured out the anguish of his heart and expressed his firm faith in the I am the. . انى أنا رب الابل و ان للبيت ربا يمنعه :invulnerability of the Kabah in the words master of the camels and the Ka'bah has a Master who will protect it" (Al-Kāmil, vol. 1). The negotiations, however, broke down and finding that 3444