Answering Questions Through The Holy Qur'an: Who are the companions of the elephant mentioned in the Qur’an?

Who are the companions of the elephant mentioned in the Qur’an?

105:1 Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with (the) Companions (of the) Elephant (l-fili)? 105:2 Did He not make their plan go astray? 105:3 And He sent against them birds (tayran) (in) flocks. 105:4 Striking them with stones of baked clay. 105:5 Then He made them like eaten up straw.

(It is said that the companions of the elephant refer to the army of Abraha, who wanted to destroy the Kaaba. And it is said that this event happened the year that Muhammad was born. But, it is objected that outside of later Islamic tradition, there is no mention of Abraha’s expedition at Mecca, including from Abraha’s own inscriptions. And Daniel Beck claimed that “African war elephants hadn’t been used in the region for over 600 years. It is also difficult to explain how Abraha would have gotten a hold on African war elephants in Arabia”. An answer to this is that, according to Michael Charles, Arab and Byzantine sources reveal that Aksumites had access to large bush elephants that were employed for military purposes. In addition, the Aksumites were also interested in elephants primarily as symbols of regal display and power. Source: “The elephants of Aksum: In Search of the Bush Elephant in Late Antiquity” by Michael Charles)(It could also be objected that the Kingdom of Aksum ended at the Sasanian reconquest of Yemen (575 or 578), rather than the year Muhammad was born. An answer to this is that Abraha was an Aksumite army general, then the viceroy of South Arabia for the Kingdom of Aksum, but later declared himself an independent King of Himyar. So, Abraha ruled much of present-day Arabia and Yemen from at least 531-547 CE to 555-570 CE. Sources: Scott Fitzgerald Johnson’s The Oxford Handbook of Late Antiquity” and “Francis E. Peters’s “Muhammad and the Origins of Islam”. In other words, Abraha ultimately ruled other than the Kingdom of Aksum. The article “Himyarite Kingdom” confirms that his Kingdom was disestablished in 570 CE, while the Kingdom of Aksum ended with the Sasanian reconquest of Yemen (575/578 CE))(It can also be objected that, according to Stuart Munro-Hay’s book “Abraha”, Munro-Hay dates Abraha’s death to some time after 553 based on the inscription at Murayghan. But an answer to this is that Abraha was succeeded on the throne by two of his sons, Yaksum and Masruq, so Abraha’s kingdom was not disestablished circa 553. The Qur’an does not mention it was “Abraha” or his sons, or the name of the kingdom, but just says “(the) companions (of the) elephant”)(Allah knows best)

8:8 That He might justify the truth and prove false the falsehood, even if the criminals disliked.

(The Qur’an is not wrong anyhow, because, even if there were no evidences of elephants in Arabia, there are alternative answers: Verse 105:1 says “you” in singular, so it is addressed to Muhammad as if he had seen the event (“have you not seen … ?”). And the Verse also says “did He not make their plan go astray?”, as if Muhammad could confirm or knew about it. So, an alternative explanation is that it was a battle in which Muhammad took part. The root of “tayran” (birds) is “Tay-Ya-Ra”, and it means “fly, hasten to it, flee, scatter / disperse, etc”; it could be any flying entity, not just a bird. Some sources say that there were stone projectiles used by Muslims at the time of Muhammad (e.g. in the battle of Uhud, “thwarted by a shower of stones from the Muslims, Abu ‘Amir and his men were forced to retire”. Another example, in the Siege of Ta’if, Muslims used trebuchets (aka a type of catapult in which stones can be used as projectiles)). So, “stones of baked clay” (105:4) could indicate that people made the projectiles, so it was not mere stones. In regard to “the companions of the elephant”, the word “fili” (elephant) doesn’t necessarily mean “elephant”, because its root is “Fa-Ya-Lam” and it means “weak and erroneous judgment or opinion, erring in judgment / insight, to magnify oneself and become like an elephant, showed a morose aspect, elephant, increased, to become fat / big like an elephant, heavy (or dull) and low, ignoble or mean, keeper / master of the elephant”. So, an interpretation is that the Verse could also refer to a person’s character (e.g. he had erroneous judgment, he was ignoble and mean, etc.), if so, they were the companions of such a person, instead of an animal)(Allah knows best)

51:31 He said, "Then what (is) your mission, O messengers?" 51:32 They said, "Indeed, we have been sent to a criminal people, 51:33 That we may send down upon them stones of clay,

(Verse 51:32 confirms that humans can make projectiles)(Allah knows best)

8:17 And you did not kill them, but Allah killed them. And you threw not when you threw, but Allah threw and that He may test the believers with a good trial from Him. Indeed, Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

(God dealt with the companions of the elephant. According to Verses 8:17 and 9:14, God is the One Who deals with a matter, even if humans took part in it. Verse 8:17 says, “you did not kill them, but Allah killed them. And you threw not when you threw, but Allah threw”, and Verse 9:14 says “Fight them - Allah will punish them by your hands”)(Allah knows best)

9:14 Fight them - Allah will punish them by your hands and disgrace them and give you victory over them, and will heal the breasts of a people (who are) believers.

15:74 And We made its highest (part) its lowest, and We rained upon them stones of baked clay.

See also: Who are the Sabians mentioned in the Qur’an?

http://aqtthq.blogspot.com.es/2016/09/which-is-only-book-which-is-completely.html

See also: Who are the Majus / Majoos / Magians mentioned in the Qur’an (and in the Bible)?

http://aqtthq.blogspot.com.es/2016/09/what-is-meaning-of-word-quran.html

See also: Samaritans existing in ancient Egypt?

http://aqtthq.blogspot.com.es/2017/01/samaritans-existing-in-ancient-egypt.html

See also: Who are the people of Yathrib mentioned in the Qur’an?

https://aqtthq.blogspot.com.es/2016/09/according-to-quran-what-other-name-is.html

See also: Who are the companions of the Rass?

http://aqtthq.blogspot.com.es/2017/05/what-is-immorality.html