A Quranic Journal: Surah al-Fil ayah 4

The Qur'an uses a Persian term, "sijjeel", which denotes "stone and clay" to describe the substance with which the birds struck the aggressors... This direct intervention by Allah to protect the Holy House should have prompted the Quraish and the rest of the Arabian tribes to embrace Islam, the Divine religion, when it was conveyed to them by the Prophet. Surely, their respect and guardianship of the House, and the paganism they spread around it, should not have been their reason for rejecting Islam ! Allah's reminder to them of this event is a part of His campaign against them and His drawing attention to their amazingly stubborn attitude.