Virtues and benefits of Surah Al-Fil
Nothing is reported about the merit of Surah Al-Fil except that it belongs to the Mufassal, by which the Prophet ﷺ was favoured over the other prophets. It reminds the people of Mecca of Allah’s favour in repelling the People of the Elephant from His Sacred House, shows the rank of that House with Him, and gives the Prophet ﷺ the good news that Allah will grant him victory over his enemies.
Its virtues at a glance
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A surah of the Mufassal
It belongs to the Mufassal, by which the Prophet ﷺ was favoured over the other prophets, according to the hadith of Wathilah ibn al-Asqa’: “… and I was favoured with the Mufassal.”
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A reminder of the Kaaba’s protection
It reminds the people of Mecca of Allah’s favour in keeping their enemies’ plot away from them and from His Sacred House, and shows the lofty rank of that House with Allah, who breaks whoever intends it harm.
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Good news for the Prophet ﷺ
It tells the Prophet ﷺ that Allah will take care of him and grant him victory over his enemies, as He gave the people of Mecca victory over Abraha and his army, and it makes the believers firm upon the truth.
What the surah is about
- The punishment of the People of the Elephant and their plot turned back on them
- The penalty that struck them and their evil end
- Allah’s favour to the people of Mecca in protecting the Sacred House
- The rank of the Sacred House with Allah and the ruin of whoever intends it harm
- The promise of victory to the Prophet ﷺ and the strengthening of the believers
- Allah always prevails in His purpose
Main purpose: To show Allah’s power and His severity towards those who plot against His Sacred House.
About Surah Al-Fil
Surah Al-Fil, which some call “Alam tara”, is wholly Meccan and has five verses; revealed after Al-Kafirun and before Al-Qiyamah, it is the nineteenth in the order of revelation. It tells the story of Abraha al-Ashram, governor of Yemen for the Negus, who built a church in Sana’a to divert people from pilgrimage to the Sacred House, then marched with a huge army to destroy the Kaaba; Allah destroyed him and those with him. The Prophet ﷺ was born in that year.
Detailed study in Arabic
The full Arabic text: introduction, virtues, themes, and a study of the chain and authenticity of each hadith.
- التعريف بسورة الفيل
- فضائل سورة الفيل
- موضوعات سورة الفيل
- مقاصد سورة الفيل
- الأحاديث الواردة في الفضل ودرجتها
Virtues of other surahs
All 114 surahs- Virtues of Surah Al-Kahf A light between two Fridays and protection from the Dajjal
- Virtues of Surah Al-Mulk Intercedes for its reciter and protects from the grave’s punishment
- Virtues of Surah Ya-Sin Whoever recites it at night seeking Allah’s Face is forgiven
- Virtues of Surah Al-Baqarah Satan flees the house where it is recited; it is the peak of the Qur’an
- Virtues of Surah Al-Fatihah The greatest surah of the Qur’an, without which there is no prayer
- Virtues of Surah Al-Ikhlas It equals a third of the Qur’an; loving it earns Allah’s love
- Virtues of Surah Al-Waqi’ah One of the surahs that greyed the Prophet ﷺ; he recited it at Fajr
- Virtues of Surah Ar-Rahman Recited by the Prophet ﷺ to the jinn, who responded better than people
- Ayat al-Kursi The greatest verse in the Book of Allah, a guard against Satan