[1] (In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful)

The meaning

More explanation

[I swear by the following events which I will bring upon you, Meccans, if you do not believe in Me as the Only One God, and do not believe My messenger, Mohammed:]

[2] 1. [I swear] by [the black birds of ravens] that rushed forth [on the Host of the Elephant], crying out [their glorification of God]!^a

[3] 2. And they started to move up and down [the battle field], shooting [them] with pebbles.^b

[4] 3. And the raiders, early in the morning.^c

[5] 4. And by [their shooting the pebbles], they stirred up dust [in the camp field.]^e

[6] 5. And they gathered round about the [elephant and its rider: their leader^f.]

[7] 6. Truly, man is ungrateful to his Lord.^g

[8] 7. And surely [man] bears witness to that [ingratitude.]^h

[9] 8. And he loves money very much.ⁱ

[Then God threatened him about such of his acts, and He – be glorified – said:]

[10] 9. Does he not know [this ungrateful man] when the [dead bodies] inside the graves shall be dispersed^j,

[11] 10. And the [evil secrets and bad doctrines] inside breasts shall be brought out?^k

[12] 11. On that day will their Lord be All-Aware about [rewarding] them.^l

^{1 a} Similar to this in meaning is His saying – be glorified – in the Quran 37: 1-2, which means:

([I swear] by the [birds] flying in arrays, and shouting loudly on [the disbelievers.])

The implication of the aya is as follows:

I swear by the black birds which rushed forth on the ‘Host of the Elephant’, and which shouted and cried with glorification and hymning.

^{2 b} The birds were groups so that a group went to bring pebbles, and another group came carrying pebbles which they hurled on the Host of the Elephant.

^{3 c} i.e. the raid of the birds on the Host of the Elephant was at morning.

^{4 e} The meaning: Those birds stirred the dust by bombarding the pebbles on the Host of the Elephant; because those men started to run for the fear of the birds and the stones with which they hurled on them, so that the dust rose up from under their feet.

^{5 f} And started to shoot it with pebbles.

It means: the birds let the elephant be in the middle, i.e. they surrounded the elephant and started to bombard them; because their leader Abraha was mounting the elephant.

^{6 g} It means: he denies the bounties of his Lord, like Korah who said [about his wealth]: "This has been given to me because of a [certain] knowledge which I have."

Similarly, most of people say: what we gain of money is according to our knowledge [and cleverness.]

Moreover, man is greedy, so that whatever wealth he obtains, he will not be satisfied with, but want more and more.

^{7 h} It means: And the man, who is his companion and is present with him, gives witness against him that he is ungrateful to God’s bounties.

^{8 i} So he may sell his Next Life for his life of the World [and prefer the life of the World to the Next Life], because of his extreme love of the money.

^{9 j} And will disappear.

^{10 k} Similar to this is His saying – be glorified – in the Quran 86: 9, which means:

(On the day when secret [deeds of man] shall be scrutinized.)

i.e. secret deeds are tested or examined.

^{11 l} So that He will reward each one of them according to his deeds.

By God's help, the interpretation of the soora 100 of the Quran is completed;

So (praise be to God: Lord of the worlds.)