105 - Surah Al Fil

December 17, 2025 | BY ZeroDivide EDIT

 

QUR'ĀN VERSE ANALYSIS: Sūrah Al-Fīl (105:1–5)

1. SEGMENT LINE SCHEMA

Sūrah 105:1: The Elephant's Companions

105:1(a): أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ

Did you not see how your Lord dealt... (Alam tara kayfa fa'ala rabbuka, আলাম তারা কাইফা ফা’আলা রাব্বুকা; R-A-Y; F-A-L; R-B-B)

ra'aa ‹R-A-Y› = Proto-Semitic *r'y "to see/perceive" (~3,000 BCE) → Arabic √R-A-Y "sight/opinion" · Anchor: visual perception → mental insight · Chain: physical sight → mental realization/consideration → conviction/view Forms: tara · yara · ra'ayta · ru'yā · CONTEXT ① 105:1 — alam tara → "Did you not SEE/CONSIDER?"; rhetorical appeal to historical knowledge ② 6:76 — ra'ā kawkaban → he SAW a star; physical vision ③ 53:11 — mā kadhaba al-fu'ādu mā ra'ā → heart did not lie about what it SAW; spiritual vision ④ 17:1 — li-nuriyahu min āyātinā → to SHOW him Our signs; causative ⑤ 102:7 — la-tarawunna al-jahīm → you will surely SEE Hellfire; ocular witness CONVERGE ≈: matches Heb rā'āh, Ug r'y (sight/perceive) DIVERGE ≠: Quran expands to "holding an opinion/judgment" (ra'y) and "dream vision" (ru'yā) as distinct from waking sight COGNATES Heb: rā'āh · Aram: r'ā · Uga: r'y · Eth: re'ya CONTRAST Cf.: naẓara — to look at (intentional gaze) vs ra'ā (perception of the object) Quran uses "tara" here not for literal eyesight (the Prophet was not born), but for "knowledge so certain it is as if seen."

fa'ala ‹F-A-L› = Proto-Semitic *p'l "to do/make" (~3,500 BCE) → Arabic √F-A-L "action/deed" · Anchor: general execution of an act · Chain: work → specific deed → dealing with someone Forms: fa'ala · yaf'alu · fi'l · CONTEXT ① 105:1 — kayfa fa'ala rabbuka → how your Lord DEALT/ACTED; divine intervention ② 21:63 — bal fa'alahu kabīruhum → nay, this big one DID it; attribution of act ③ 89:6 — kayfa fa'ala rabbuka bi-'ād → how Lord DEALT with 'Ad; parallel punishment narrative ④ 2:197 — mā taf'alū min khayrin → whatever good you DO; moral agency CONVERGE ≈: general Semitic verb for "doing" DIVERGE ≠: Quran often contrasts fa'ala (neutral/general) with 'amila (intentional work/labor) COGNATES Heb: pā'al · Aram: p'al · Phn: p'l CONTRAST Cf.: 'amila — to work/labor (implies effort/duration) vs fa'ala (the occurrence of the act) Quran selects the most decisive verb for "action" to show the totality and finality of God's response.

rabb ‹R-B-B› = Proto-Semitic *rbb "great/master" (~4,000 BCE) → Arabic √R-B-B "lord/sustainer/increaser" · Anchor: authority + nurturing care · Chain: chief/master → owner → divine Sustainer who grows things to perfection Forms: rabb · ribbiyyūn · arbāb · CONTEXT ① 1:2 — rabb al-'ālamīn → MASTER/SUSTAINER of worlds; cosmic authority ② 12:41 — fa-yasqī rabbahu khamran → pour wine for his MASTER (king); secular usage ③ 105:1 — rabbuka → YOUR Lord; personal address to Muhammad (ﷺ) linking the victory to his providence ④ 3:79 — rabbāniyyīn → godly scholars/rabbis; those attached to the Rabb CONVERGE ≈: Heb rav (great/many/teacher) retains "magnitude"; Arabic retains "mastery + nurturing" DIVERGE ≠: Quran centralizes Rabb as the specific title of Allah as Caretaker/Owner, distinct from Ilāh (God-object of worship) COGNATES Heb: rav (great/teacher) · Aram: rabb (great/chief) · Akk: rabū (great) · Syr: rabbā CONTRAST Cf.: ilāh — deity (worship focus) vs rabb (owner/provider focus) Quran uses "Rabbuka" (Your Lord) in 105:1 to assert that the defense of the Kaaba was a personal precursors of support for the Prophet himself.

105:1(b): بِأَصْحَابِ اَلْفِيلِ

...with the Companions of the Elephant? (bi-as-haabi al-fil, বি-আস-হাবি আল-ফিল; S-H-B; F-Y-L)

Sāḥib ‹S-H-B› = Proto-Semitic *ṣḥb "association" (~3,000 BCE) → Arabic √S-H-B "company/friend" · Anchor: close proximity/accompaniment · Chain: to accompany → friend/comrade → owner/possessor (companion of a thing) Forms: ṣāḥib · aṣḥāb · ṣuḥbah · CONTEXT ① 105:1 — aṣḥāb al-fīl → COMPANIONS (owners/army) of the elephant ② 9:40 — li-ṣāḥibihi → to his COMPANION (Abu Bakr); friendship ③ 68:48 — ka-ṣāḥib al-ḥūt → like the COMPANION of the fish (Jonah); characterized by association ④ 39:29 — rajulan... salaman li-rajul → (contrast with partnership) CONVERGE ≈: implies temporal or spatial closeness DIVERGE ≠: Quran uses aṣḥāb technially for "dwellers" (Aṣḥāb al-Nār/Jannah) and "adherents/troops" (as here) COGNATES S.Arab: sḥb (associate) · CONTRAST Cf.: walī — protector/guardian vs ṣāḥib (associate/comrade) Quran labels them by their defining weapon (the Elephant), binding their identity eternally to their beast of burden.

fīl ‹F-Y-L› = Persian/Sanskrit loan *pīl "elephant" (~500 BCE) → Arabic √F-Y-L "elephant" · Anchor: the specific animal · Chain: Skt pīlu → Pers pīl → Aram pīlā → Arab fīl Forms: fīl · CONTEXT ① 105:1 — al-fīl → THE Elephant; definite article implies the specific famous elephant (Mahmud) or the species ② (No other Quranic occurrence) CONVERGE ≈: Loanword adoption common in Semitic languages for non-native fauna DIVERGE ≠: Arabic root f-y-l also means "weak opinion/error", but here strictly refers to the animal COGNATES Pers: pīl · Aram: pīlā · Akk: pīru · Heb: pīl CONTRAST Cf.: ba'īr (camel), dābbah (beast) The foreignness of the word underscores the alien nature of the invading army (Abyssinians/Yemenites) to the Meccan environment.


Sūrah 105:2: The Plot in Ruins

105:2(a): أَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ كَيْدَهُمْ

Did He not make their plot... (Alam yaj'al kaydahum, আলাম ইয়াজ-’আল কাইদাহুম; J-A-L; K-Y-D)

ja'ala ‹J-A-L› = Proto-Semitic *g-' "to put/place" (?) → Arabic √J-A-L "to make/transform" · Anchor: fabrication/institution/transformation · Chain: to put → to appoint → to change state A to state B Forms: ja'ala · yaj'alu · jā'il · CONTEXT ① 105:2 — alam yaj'al → Did He not MAKE/RENDER; transformative action ② 2:30 — innī jā'ilun → I am MAKING/placing a vicegerent; appointment ③ 16:78 — ja'ala lakum al-sam'a → He APPOINTED/MADE for you hearing; creation/endowment ④ 105:5 — fa-ja'alahum ka-'asf → So He MADE/TRANSFORMED them into straw; destruction CONVERGE ≈: Broad Semitic function of "making" DIVERGE ≠: Distinct from khalaqa (create ex nihilo); ja'ala implies working on existing material or changing states COGNATES (Debated) possibly related to Eth: gabra (do/make) via metathesis? CONTRAST Cf.: khalaqa — create from nothing vs ja'ala (make into/appoint) Quran emphasizes God's power to transform their mighty status into ruin.

kayd ‹K-Y-D› = Proto-Semitic *kyd "machination" (~2,500 BCE) → Arabic √K-Y-D "scheme/plot" · Anchor: subtle planning/stratagem · Chain: mental planning → cunning trick → strategic plot Forms: kayd · yakīdūna · CONTEXT ① 105:2 — kaydahum → their PLOT; destruction of Kaaba ② 12:28 — inna kaydakunna 'aẓīm → truly your (women's) SCHEME is great; social manipulation ③ 86:16 — wa akīdu kaydan → I (God) PLOT a plot; divine counter-strategy ④ 20:69 — kaydu sāḥir → TRICK of a magician; illusion CONVERGE ≈: Neutral "plan" in origin, negative "plot" in usage DIVERGE ≠: Quran attributes kayd to God as a retributive justice (counter-plotting) without malice, contrasting with human kayd (malicious) COGNATES Heb: kīdōd (spark/destruction?) · CONTRAST Cf.: makr — plotting (often involves deception) vs kayd (involves subtle/forceful strategy) The army had a "kayd" (strategic objective: divert pilgrimage to Yemen); God rendered it null.

105:2(b): فِي تَضْلِيلٍ

...in total loss? (fee tadleel, ফি তাদ-লিল; D-L-L)

taḍlīl ‹D-L-L› = Proto-Semitic *ḍll "to lose way" (~3,000 BCE) → Arabic √D-L-L "err/stray/waste" · Anchor: deviation from path/goal · Chain: lost path → error/confusion → futility/waste (making something go astray) Forms: ḍall · ḍalāl · taḍlīl · CONTEXT ① 105:2 — fī taḍlīl → in ASTRAY-NESS/WASTE; their plan never hit the target ② 1:7 — ghayr ... al-ḍāllīn → not those who go ASTRAY; theological error ③ 12:8 — la-fī ḍalālin mubīn → surely in clear ERROR; misjudgment ④ 105:2 usage → Verbal noun (Taf'īl form) implies causation: God caused their plot to go completely wrong/vanish CONVERGE ≈: Heb dālal (be low/hang down/weak)? or Aram ṭ'ā (stray). The Arabic Ḍād is unique. DIVERGE ≠: Taḍlīl is rare; implies not just "error" but "futility" and "dissipation" of energy COGNATES Heb: zālal (worthless)? CONTRAST Cf.: ghayy — error in purpose vs ḍalāl (error in path) Their plot didn't just fail; it was sent into a void of non-existence and confusion.


Sūrah 105:3: The Aerial Bombardment

105:3(a): وَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ طَيْرًا

And He sent against them birds... (Wa-arsala 'alayhim tayran, ওয়া-আরসালা 'আলাইহিম তাইরান; R-S-L; T-Y-R)

arsala ‹R-S-L› = Proto-Semitic *rsl "to flow/loose" (~3,000 BCE) → Arabic √R-S-L "send/dispatch" · Anchor: release towards a target · Chain: flowing (hair/water) → message sent → messenger (Rasūl) → unleashing (punishment/winds) Forms: arsala · rasūl · mursalāt · CONTEXT ① 105:3 — arsala 'alayhim → He DISPATCHED against them; military deployment term ② 77:1 — wa-l-mursalāti 'urfan → by the (winds) SENT forth; cosmic forces ③ 21:107 — mā arsalnāka illā raḥmatan → We SENT you not except as mercy; prophetic mission ④ 7:133 — fa-arsalnā 'alayhim al-ṭūfān → We SENT upon them the flood; punitive dispatch CONVERGE ≈: Cognates imply "loosing/letting go" DIVERGE ≠: Quran uses IV Form (Arsala) for authoritative dispatching of revelation and punishment COGNATES Akk: rašālu? (unclear) · Heb: related ideas in šlḥ (send) CONTRAST Cf.: ba'atha — to raise/resurrect/send (implies waking up) vs arsala (implies directing from source to target) God "deployed" the birds just as a general deploys troops.

ṭayr ‹T-Y-R› = Proto-Semitic *ṭpr "nail/claw" → *ṭyr "flyer" (~4,000 BCE) → Arabic √T-Y-R "to fly/bird" · Anchor: flight · Chain: flying thing → bird → omen (augury by birds) Forms: ṭayr · ṭā'ir · taṭayyur · CONTEXT ① 105:3 — ṭayran → BIRDS (collective noun); the aerial force ② 3:49 — akhluqu ... ka-hay'at al-ṭayr → I create... shape of BIRD; Jesus miracle ③ 67:19 — a-lam yaraw ilā al-ṭayri fawqahum → do they not see BIRDS above them?; sign of creation ④ 17:13 — alzamnāhu ṭā'irahu → We fastened his FATE (omen) to his neck; semantic shift to destiny CONVERGE ≈: Heb ṣippōr (bird)? Aram ṭayrā DIVERGE ≠: Quran uses ṭayr for both literal birds and symbolic destiny/augury COGNATES Aram: ṭayrā · Syr: ṭayrā · CONTRAST Cf.: dābbah (land walker) Unspecified species; the focus is on the flight capability (bombardment from above).

105:3(b): أَبَابِيلَ

...in swarms. (abaabeel, আবাবিল; A-B-B)

abābīl ‹A-B-B› = Proto-Semitic *? "swarming/movement" (?) → Arabic √A-B-B "prepare/yearn/move" · Anchor: successive waves/bundles · Chain: weeds/herbage (ab) → movement in waves → separate flocks/groups Forms: abābīl (Plural only) · CONTEXT ① 105:3 — ṭayran abābīl → birds in FLOCKS/GROUPS; Hapax Legomenon (occurs only once) CONVERGE ≈: Meaning derived largely from context and early poetry (Al-Nabigha) DIVERGE ≠: Not a species name (i.e., not "Swallows"), but a state descriptor (waves upon waves, or distinct groups) COGNATES Poss. Akk: abābu (fresh/forest)? Unclear. CONTRAST Cf.: jamā'ah (congregation) vs abābīl (dispersed groups coming from different directions) Grammatically a plural with no singular (like "shammāṭīṭ"); signifies the intensity and multi-directional nature of the attack.


Sūrah 105:4: The Munitions

105:4(a): تَرْمِيهِمْ بِحِجَارَةٍ

Striking them with stones... (Tarmeehim bi-hijaaratin, তারমিহিম বি-হিজারাতিন; R-M-Y; H-J-R)

ramā ‹R-M-Y› = Proto-Semitic *rmy "to throw/cast" (~3,000 BCE) → Arabic √R-M-Y "throw/accuse" · Anchor: projecting an object · Chain: throw projectile → shoot arrow → cast accusation (slander) Forms: tarmī · ramayta · rāmī · CONTEXT ① 105:4 — tarmīhim → THROWING/STRIKING them; continuous action (imperfect tense) ② 8:17 — mā ramayta idh ramayta → You did not THROW when you THREW; negation of human agency in Badr ③ 24:4 — yarmūna al-muḥṣanāt → those who CAST (accusations) at chaste women; slander CONVERGE ≈: Heb rāmāh (cast/shoot) DIVERGE ≠: Quran spans physical ballistics and moral ballistics (slander) COGNATES Heb: rāmāh · Aram: rmā · Syr: rmā CONTRAST Cf.: qadhafa — to hurl (violently) vs ramā (aimed shooting/casting) Tarmī implies aimed, precision targeting, not random dropping.

ḥijārah ‹H-J-R› = Proto-Semitic *hgr "enclosure/town"? or *gl "stone"? → Arabic √H-J-R "stone/restrict" · Anchor: hard matter/solidity · Chain: rock → forbidden/restricted (ḥijr) → intellect (obstruction to foolishness) Forms: ḥijārah · ḥajar · maḥjūr · CONTEXT ① 105:4 — ḥijārah → STONES; the projectile ② 2:24 — waqūduhā ... al-ḥijārah → fuel is... STONES (idols/brimstone); Hellfire ③ 2:60 — iḍrib ... al-ḥajar → strike the ROCK; Moses miracle ④ 15:53 — ḥijr maḥjūr → forbidden partition; barrier CONVERGE ≈: Connection between "stone" and "wall/barrier" (South Arabian hgr = town) DIVERGE ≠: Quran uses ḥijārah specifically for punitive rain (Sodom, Elephant) and Hellfire fuel COGNATES S.Arab: hgr (town/wall) · Heb: ḥāgar (gird/belt)? CONTRAST Cf.: ṣakhr — massive boulder vs ḥijārah (stones of handled size) The irony: The army came to destroy a structure of stone (Kaaba) and were destroyed by stones.

105:4(b): مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ

...of baked clay. (min sijjeel, মিন সিজ্জিল; S-J-L)

sijjīl ‹S-J-L› = Persian loan sang-gil "stone-mud" (~500 BCE) → Arabic √S-J-L "hardened clay/writing" · Anchor: baked hardness · Chain: Pers sang (stone) + gil (mud) → Arabized sijjīl → synonymous with sijill (written scroll) via convergence of "decreed/written" notions? Forms: sijjīl · CONTEXT ① 105:4 — min sijjīl → of BAKED CLAY; hard/shale-like ② 11:82 — ḥijāratan min sijjīl → stones of baked clay (Lot's people punishment) ③ 15:74 — (same phrase for Sodom) CONVERGE ≈: Phonetic adaptation of Persian compound DIVERGE ≠: Quranic usage is specific to divine bombardment; implies hardness + heat (baking) COGNATES Pers: sang-gil · Lat: sigillum (seal/sign)? Possible convergence with "stamped" stones CONTRAST Cf.: ṭīn — wet clay vs sijjīl (hardened/petrified clay) Philologically "stone-clay" (sedimentary/shale); theologially "decreed" stones (marked for each target).


Sūrah 105:5: The Aftermath

105:5(a): فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصْفٍ

So He made them like straw... (Fa-ja'alahum ka-'asfin, ফা-জা’আলাহুম কা-’আসফিম; J-A-L; A-S-F)

'aṣf ‹A-S-F› = Proto-Semitic *'ṣp "to gather/harvest" (~3,000 BCE) → Arabic √A-S-F "storm/straw" · Anchor: dry vegetation/crumbling · Chain: to blow violently → wind ('āṣifah) → dry leaves blown by wind → stubble/husk Forms: 'aṣf · 'āṣif · CONTEXT ① 105:5 — ka-'aṣf → like STRAW/husk; shattered remains ② 55:12 — wa-l-ḥabbu dhū al-'aṣf → grain with HUSK; agricultural desc. ③ 10:22 — rīḥ 'āṣif → STORMY wind; blowing force CONVERGE ≈: Heb 'āsap (gather/harvest) DIVERGE ≠: Arabic focuses on the residue of the harvest (the stalk/straw) or the wind that scatters it COGNATES Heb: 'āsap (gather) · Uga: 'sp (gather) CONTRAST Cf.: zar' — growing crop vs 'aṣf (dry/harvested debris) Represents total disintegration; dry, brittle, lifeless, and scattered.

105:5(b): مَأْكُولٍ

...eaten (up). (ma'kool, মা’কুল; A-K-L)

ma'kūl ‹A-K-L› = Proto-Semitic *'kl "to eat" (~4,000 BCE) → Arabic √A-K-L "devour/consume" · Anchor: ingestion/consumption · Chain: eating food → corroding/wearing away → passive participle "that which is eaten" (dung/chaff) Forms: akala · ya'kulu · ma'kūl · CONTEXT ① 105:5 — 'aṣf ma'kūl → EATEN straw (implies chewed and spat out, or dung); utter humiliation ② 2:174 — ya'kulūna... al-nār → they EAT Fire; metaphorical ingestion ③ 5:66 — la-akalū min fawqihim → they would have EATEN from above; provisions CONVERGE ≈: Universal Semitic root DIVERGE ≠: Here, ma'kūl modifies straw to create a graphic image of regurgitated cud or manure, stripping the army of all human dignity COGNATES Heb: 'ākal · Aram: 'akal · Akk: akālu CONTRAST Cf.: maṭ'ūm (tasted) vs ma'kūl (devoured) The ultimate degradation: The mighty "Elephant People" became like cattle fodder, chewed and excreted by the very beasts they sought to command.


3. LINGUISTIC GLOSS

English Gloss:

Did you not see [visual certainty] how your Lord dealt [decisive action] with the Companions of the Elephant? [defined by their beast]. Did He not make their plot [stratagem to destroy Kaaba] go into total waste [lost/futile]? And He sent against them birds [aerial force] in swarms/waves [relentless succession], striking them [aimed shots] with stones of baked clay [hardened/decreed], so He made them [transformed state] like straw eaten up [masticated debris/dung].

Bengali Script Gloss:

আলাম তারা [তুমি কি দেখনি/উপলব্ধি করনি] কাইফা ফা’আলা [কিভাবে আচরণ করেছেন] রাব্বুকা [তোমার প্রভু] বি-আস-হাবি আল-ফিল [হাতির বাহিনীদের সাথে]? আলাম ইয়াজ-’আল [তিনি কি করে দেননি] কাইদাহুম [তাদের চক্রান্ত] ফি তাদ-লিল [সম্পূর্ণ পণ্ড/ব্যর্থতার মধ্যে]? ওয়া-আরসালা 'আলাইহিম [এবং তিনি প্রেরণ করেছেন তাদের উপর] তাইরান [পাখি] আবাবিল [ঝাঁকে ঝাঁকে]। তারমিহিম [নিক্ষেপ করছিল তাদের প্রতি] বি-হিজারাতিন [পাথরসমূহ] মিন সিজ্জিল [পোড়ামাটির/কঙ্কর], ফা-জা’আলাহুম [অতঃপর তিনি তাদের করে দিলেন] কা-’আসফিম [খড়কুটার মত] মা’কুল [যা চিবানো হয়েছে/ভক্ষিত]।


4. TAFSĪR SCHEMA

Tafsīr Sūrah 105: The Year of the Elephant

The Narrative Context:

Revealed in Mecca, this Sūrah recounts the events of 570 CE (the Year of the Elephant), the year of Prophet Muḥammad's (ﷺ) birth. Abraha al-Ashram, the Abyssinian viceroy of Yemen, built a cathedral (al-Qullays) in Sana'a to divert Arab pilgrimage from Mecca. When an Arab defiled it, Abraha marched on Mecca with elephants (led by one named Maḥmūd) to destroy the Kaaba.

Exegetical Synthesis:

  • Alam Tara (Did you not see): Al-Rāzī and Ibn Kathīr note this addresses the Prophet (ﷺ) or the Quraysh. Though the Prophet wasn't present, the event was mutawātir (mass-transmitted) and undeniable, equivalent to seeing.

  • Kaydahum (Their Plot): Not just brute force, but a plot to destroy the economic and spiritual center of Arabia.

  • Abābīl & Sijjīl: Ibn ʿAbbās stated abābīl means "groups following groups." The stones (sijjīl) were divinely guided; some reports suggest they carried the names of their targets (Al-Qurṭubī). Scientifically, some modernists (like Muḥammad ʿAbduh) interpreted this as a plague/smallpox carried by flies/mosquitoes, but the majority classical view holds to the miraculous lithic bombardment.

  • Ka-'aṣfin Ma'kūl (Eaten Straw): A graphic imagery of destruction. Al-Ṭabarī suggests it means leaves eaten by cattle and excreted (dung), signifying that the mighty army was reduced to filth.

  • Theological Significance: This event protected the Kaaba before Islam, establishing the sanctity of the Sanctuary and preparing the environment for the Prophet's arrival. It proves Allah protects His house (as 'Abdul-Muṭṭalib famously said to Abraha: "I am the lord of the camels, but the House has a Lord who will protect it").


5. MULTI-VERSE OUTPUT

Sūrah Al-Fīl (105:1–5) Compilation

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَابِ اَلْفِيلِ

Alam tara kayfa fa'ala rabbuka bi-as-haabi al-fil

[আলাম তারা কাইফা ফা’আলা রাব্বুকা বি-আস-হাবি আল-ফিল]

Did you not see how your Lord dealt with the Companions of the Elephant?

[√R-A-Y: Perception; √F-A-L: Action; √R-B-B: Lordship; √S-H-B: Association; √F-Y-L: Elephant]

أَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ كَيْدَهُمْ فِي تَضْلِيلٍ

Alam yaj'al kaydahum fee tadleel

[আলাম ইয়াজ-’আল কাইদাহুম ফি তাদ-লিল]

Did He not make their plot into total loss?

[√J-A-L: Transformation; √K-Y-D: Stratagem; √D-L-L: Waste/Error]

وَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ طَيْرًا أَبَابِيلَ

Wa-arsala 'alayhim tayran abaabeel

[ওয়া-আরসালা 'আলাইহিম তাইরান আবাবিল]

And He sent against them birds in swarms,

[√R-S-L: Dispatch; √T-Y-R: Flight; √A-B-B: Waves/Groups]

تَرْمِيهِمْ بِحِجَارَةٍ مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ

Tarmeehim bi-hijaaratin min sijjeel

[তারমিহিম বি-হিজারাতিন মিন সিজ্জিল]

Striking them with stones of baked clay,

[√R-M-Y: Casting; √H-J-R: Stone; √S-J-L: Hardened Clay]

فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصْفٍ مَأْكُولٍ

Fa-ja'alahum ka-'asfin ma'kool

[ফা-জা’আলাহুম কা-’আসফিম মা’কুল]

So He made them like eaten straw.

[√J-A-L: Transformation; √A-S-F: Dry Husk; √A-K-L: Devoured]