Listen to Dr Musharraf Hussain sharing his thoughts and analysis of Surat Al-Fil. This is an early Makkan surat, which reminds the people of Makkah how they were saved from the army of Abraha. He was a Yemenite Christian king, whose capital Sana housed a magnificent cathedral. The only rival to this cathedral in the Arabian Peninsula was the Kaaba in Makkah. Abraha was enthusiastic about spreading Christianity throughout the Arabian Peninsula, so Makkah was his natural target. He decided to attack it in 570 CE, but his plan went badly wrong, as described in this surat. This was also the year the Messenger ﷺ was born. The defeat of Abraha was a wonderful sign that marked the beginning of a new era of spiritual change and the coming of the Messenger ﷺ.
