And He sent against them birds in flocks

“He sent ranks of birds against them,”

And He sent against them birds in swarms.

After explaining how Allah made their scheme fail, the Quran now describes the mechanism of that failure. Allah sent ‎طَيۡرًا‎ (birds) that came ‎أَبَابِيلَ‎ (in massive flocks).

The word ‎أَبَابِيلَ‎ has generated significant discussion among linguists and commentators. Some have suggested it refers to a specific, unknown species of bird—neither land birds nor sea birds, something unprecedented.

However, from a purely linguistic analysis, ababeel describes the manner in which these birds appeared rather than their species.

The root meaning involves huge bundles or masses—flocks so dense and numerous that they appear as one giant dark mass in the sky. When you look up, you can’t distinguish individual birds; you just see an overwhelming blackness.

Then these masses break apart into countless smaller groups, wave after wave after wave, darkening the sky with their sheer numbers.

Allah is painting a picture of an overwhelming aerial force. Abraha came with 60,000 soldiers—an intimidating number. Allah’s response: hordes upon hordes of birds that you cannot even count, that block out the sun.

Were these miracle birds or natural predators? Here we encounter different scholarly approaches to understanding this event. One interpretation treats this as purely miraculous: supernatural birds carrying stones that struck with divine precision, each strike causing immediate, catastrophic damage to individual soldiers.

Another approach, which I find compelling, considers the natural possibilities while still recognizing Allah’s orchestration. Historical and literary evidence from the region mentions two types of vultures common to Arabia.

These birds, known for their scavenging behavior, were sometimes called ‎طَيۡر‎ in Arabic literature, and the rocks they carried were called ‎سِجِّيل‎.

Consider this scenario: A disease—perhaps smallpox, measles or another epidemic—begins devastating Abraha’s army. Soldiers start dying. Bodies are left in the desert. Their shiny helmets and armor glint in the sun. From above, vultures circle. To them, these might resemble ostrich eggs or prey. They begin dropping stones as they naturally do.

This interpretation doesn’t diminish the miracle—it shows Allah’s mastery over natural systems. The timing, the scale, the specific disease, the behavior of the birds—all of it orchestrated by Allah to achieve His purpose.

Whether supernatural or natural (or both), the image conveys profound humiliation. Abraha sought prestige. He built a magnificent church. He led a mighty army with impressive elephants. Kings and generals expect honorable burials, ceremonies, monuments.

Instead, his army’s funeral service was provided by vultures. No one came to bury his soldiers. No ceremony. No honor. Just hordes of scavenging birds. The only parade that came to honor the dead arrived in massive swarms—‎طَيۡرًا أَبَابِيلَ‎.

This is the fate of those who attempt to destroy what Allah has protected for His own purposes.

Notice the shift in grammatical structure. In the first two ayahs, the subject is Allah doing the action: ‎فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ‎ (your Master dealt), ‎يَجۡعَلۡ‎ (He made). Here too, in ‎أَرۡسَلَ‎ (He sent), Allah remains the subject.

But then in the next ayah, ‎تَرۡمِيهِم‎ (they throw)—the birds become the grammatical subject of the throwing action.

This subtle shift is important. Allah sent the birds, but the birds performed the action of throwing. This creates a linguistic space for both interpretations: whether these were miraculous birds acting as direct instruments of divine will, or natural birds whose behavior Allah orchestrated for His purpose.