Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Fil Verse 4

Mufti Taqi Usmani

throwing upon them stones of baked clay,

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

that pelted them with stones of baked clay,

Ruwwad Translation Center

pelting them with stones of baked clay,

A. J. Arberry

hurling against them stones of baked clay

Abdul Haleem

pelting them with pellets of hard-baked clay:

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

They hurled upon them stones of baked clay;

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Striking them with stones of baked clay.

Abul Ala Maududi

which smote them with stones of baked clay,

Ahmed Ali

(While) you were pelting them with stones of porphyritic lava,

Ahmed Raza Khan

Which hit them with stones of baked clay,

Ali Quli Qarai

pelting them with stones of shale,

Ali Ünal

Shooting them with bullet-like stones of baked clay (an emblem of the punishment due to them),

Amatul Rahman Omar

(Which tore off flesh from their bodies to eat by) striking them against stones of hardened and petrified clay.

English Literal

It throws them with stones from dry and hardened mud .

Faridul Haque

Which hit them with stones of baked clay,

Hamid S. Aziz

To pelt them with stones of baked clay,

Hilali & Khan

Striking them with stones of Sijjil.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Casting at them decreed stones --

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Casting against them stones of baked clay,

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Which pelted them with stones of baked clay,

Muhammad Sarwar

which showered them with small pebbles of clay

Qaribullah & Darwish

pelting them with stones of baked clay,

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Striking them with stones of Sijjil.

Wahiduddin Khan

which pelted them with clay stones?

Talal Itani

Throwing at them rocks of baked clay.

Tafsir jalalayn

pelting them with stones of baked clay,

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Striking them with stones of Sijjil.

It is reported from Ubayd bin Umayr that he said,

"When Allah wanted to destroy the People of the Elephant, he sent birds upon them that came from sea swallows. Each of the birds was carrying three small stones -- two stones with its feet and one stone in its beak. They came until they gathered in rows over their heads. Then they gave a loud cry and threw what was in their claws and beaks. Thus, no stone fell upon the head of any man except that it came out of his behind (i.e., it went through him), and it did not fall on any part of his body except that it came out from the opposite side.

Then Allah sent a severe wind that struck the stones and increased them in force. Thus, they were all destroyed."


Concerning Allah's statement,

فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصْفٍ مَّأْكُولٍ