Army of Elephants
The following incident is mentioned in Surah
Feel of the Holy Quran and it happened during the period of the birth-year of
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Abraha Al-Ashram was the governor of
Yemen on behalf of the king of Ethiopia. He (Abrahah) thought to build a house
(like the Kabah at Makkah) in Sana (the capital of Yemen) and call the Arabs to
perform the pilgrimage there in Sana instead of the Kabah in Makkah, with the
intention of diverting the trade and benefits from Makkah to Yemen. He
presented his idea to the king of Ethiopia who agreed to it. So the house
(church) was built and he named it Al-Qullais; there was no church of its like
at that time. Then a man from the Quraish tribe of Makkah came there and was
infuriated by it, so he relieved his nature (stools and urine) in it, soiled
its walls and went away. When Abrahah Al-Ashram saw that, he could not control
his anger and raised an army to invade Makkah and demolish the Kabah. He had in
that army thirteen elephants and amongst them was an elephant called Mahmud
which was the biggest of them. So that army proceeded and none amongst the Arab
tribes that faced them (fought against them) but was killed and defeated, till
it approached near Makkah. Then there took place negotiations between Abrahah
Al-Ashram and the chief of Makkah (Abdul Muttalib bin Hashim, the grandfather
of the Prophet), and it was concluded that Abrahah would restore the camels of
Abdul Muttalib which he had taken away, and then he (Abrahah) would decide
himself as regards the Kabah. Abdul Muttalib ordered the men of Makkah to
evacuate the city and go to the top of the mountains along with their wives and
children in case some harm should come to them from the invading oppressors.
Then that army moved towards Makkah till they reached valley Muhassir. While
the army was marching towards Makkah, in the middle of the valley, suddenly it
was overtaken by flocks of birds, flocks after flocks, air-raiding that army
with small stones slightly bigger than a lentil seed. There never fell a stone
on a soldier except it dissolved his flesh and burst it into pieces. So they
perished with a total destruction. Abrahah Al-Ashram fled away while his flesh
was bursting into pieces till he died on the way (back to Yemen). Such was the
victory bestowed by Allah, (the All-Majestic, All-Powerful) to the people of
Makkah and such was the protection provided by Him for His House (Kabah in
Makkah).
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