Transliteration:( Wa arsala 'alaihim tairan abaabeel )
Throughout the history of Islam, Allah Almighty has shown that He does not need grand armies or extraordinary means to protect His religion and His Beloved Prophet ﷺ. Instead, Allah uses seemingly ordinary and simple things to defeat the enemies of Islam.
During the Hijrah (migration) of the Prophet ﷺ, when the enemies of Islam were intent on capturing him, Allah Almighty saved the Prophet ﷺ through the web of a spider and the eggs of a pigeon. As the Prophet ﷺ and Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) hid in the cave of Thawr, the spider spun a web across the entrance, and a pigeon laid eggs near the entrance, which gave the impression that no one had entered or exited the cave. This simple act of nature played a crucial role in protecting the Prophet ﷺ from the eyes of his enemies.
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During the Battle of the Trench (Ghazwa-e-Khandaq), when the infidels had gathered a large army to attack Madinah, Allah Almighty sent a powerful tornado that uprooted the huge enemy army, scattering them and causing confusion. This powerful wind was a simple but extraordinary force of nature used by Allah to ensure the safety of the Muslims.
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On the Day of Badr, despite the Muslims being outnumbered and ill-equipped, Allah Almighty gave them victory over the Quraysh army. The Prophet ﷺ and his companions fought valiantly, but the defeat of the enemy, particularly Abu Jahl, was brought about through two young boys. Allah Almighty’s support came in the form of these young warriors, demonstrating that even seemingly insignificant means, when blessed by Allah, can achieve great victories.
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From the example of the spider’s web and pigeon’s eggs to the tornado at the Battle of the Trench and the role of young boys at the Battle of Badr, we see that Allah Almighty uses simple, ordinary means to protect His Prophet ﷺ and His message. Whether through natural events or unassuming people, Allah's help and victory come in ways that may appear ordinary to human eyes, but they are filled with divine wisdom and power. This shows that Allah’s help can come in any form, and it is not the size of the means but the power of Allah that leads to victory.
The tafsir of Surah Fil verse 4 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Fil ayat 1 which provides the complete commentary from verse 1 through 5.
(105:3) And He sent against them swarms of birds[5]
5. Ababil means many separate and scattered groups whether of men or other creatures, which come from different sides successively. Ikrimah and Qatadah say that these swarms of birds had come from the Red Sea side. Saeed bin Jubair and Ikrimah say that such birds had neither been seen before nor ever after; these were neither birds of Najd, nor of Hijaz, nor of Timamah (the land between Hijaz and the Red Sea). lbn Abbas says that their beaks were like those of birds and claws like the dog’s paw. Ikrimah has stated that their heads were like the heads of the birds of prey, and almost all the reporters agree that each bird carried a stone in its beak and two stones in its claws. Some people of Makkah had these stones preserved with them for a long time. Thus, Abu Nuaim has related a statement of Naufal bin Abi Muawiyah, saying that he had seen the stones which had been thrown on the people of the elephant; they equaled a small pea seed in size and were dark red in color. According to Ibn Abbas’s tradition that Abu Nuaim has related, they were equal to a pine kernel, and according to Ibn Marduyah, equal to a goat’s dropping. Obviously, all the stones might not be equal but differing in size to some extent.
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