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Owners of the Elephant
Translated by `Ali As-Sayed
Al-Halawani
Deputy Editor in Chief — English IslamOnline.net
Allah
the Almighty says: {Have you (O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)) not
seen how your Lord dealt with the owners of the Elephant? [The
Elephant army which came from Yemen under the command of Abraha
Al-Ashram intending to destroy the Ka`bah at Makkah]. Did He not
make their plot go astray? And He sent against them birds, in
flocks. Striking them with stones of Sijjil (baked clay). And He
made them like (an empty field of) stalks (of which the corn has
been eaten up by cattle)}. (Al-Fil 1-5)
At
one time Yemen was controlled by Abyssinia. Ibn Ishaq said that the
Abyssinian governor of Yemen, Abraha Al-Ashram, built a huge, lofty
church and wrote to the king of Abyssinia, the Negus: “I have
built you a church that is unprecedented, and I am intending to
divert pilgrimage from Makkah to Abyssinia.”
According
to Al-Suhaili, Abraha Al-Ashram subjugated the Yemenis to build
that contemptible church and humiliated them in several ways. He
used to cut off the hand of anyone who arrived late for labor at
sunrise. He took many valuable things from the palace of Bilqis to
add to the church, including marble, precious stones, and other
valuables. He erected gold and silver crosses, built ebony and
ivory pulpits, and built the church high and wide.
After
Abraha was killed, if anyone tried to take anything from the church
building or its ornaments, the Jinn were reluctant and hesitant to
harm him. This was because it was built above two idols called
Ku`aib and his wife, which were about sixty cubits high. So, the
Yemenis left the church untouched till the era of Al-Saffah, the
first Abbaside Caliph. He sent a group of pious scholars of firm
will, who totally demolished it, and it has remained destroyed till
the present day.
Ibn
Ishaq said that when the Arabs heard of the letter that Abraha sent
to the Negus, a man from Kinanah got angry. He set out till he
reached the church, where he urinated on its walls as a sign of
anger and derision. Nobody noticed him, and he returned home
safely.
The
news reached Abraha, who asked about the culprit. He was answered,
“This was done by one of those Arabs who perform pilgrimage to
the Ka`bah at Makkah when he heard of your declared intention to
divert pilgrimage from their Sacred House to your recently-built
church. He got angry and came to urinate in it, declaring it to be
unqualified (for Pilgrimage).”
Upon
hearing this, Abraha burst with rage and swore that he would
demolish the Ka`bah. Then he ordered the Abyssinians, who were
Christians, to prepare for war. He led a big expedition against
Makkah with one or more elephants.
The
Arabs heard the news and were terrified, but they decided to fight
him when the news was confirmed that he intended to destroy the
Sacred House. A nobleman of Yemen called Dhu Nafar set out to
encounter him, accompanied by his own clan and those who answered
his call to fight against Abraha. The two parties met, and Dhu
Nafar and his followers were defeated and he himself was taken as a
prisoner of war.
He
was then brought before Abraha, who was about to kill him, but Dhu
Nafar said, “O king! Don’t kill me, I may be of any use to
you.”
Abraha
did not kill him but kept him tied up in custody. Then Abraha went
on intending what he set out for.
When
he arrived at the land of Khath`am, he encountered with Nufail Ibn
Habib Al-Khath`ami, who was leading his two tribes, Shahran and
Nahis, along with his followers from among the Arabs.
Nufail
was defeated and taken as a prisoner of war to be brought before
Abraha. Abraha intended to kill him, but Nufail said: “O king!
Don’t kill me. I may guide you to the destination you desire.
Here is my pledge of allegiance.”
Abraha
set him free and took him as a guide. When they passed by Ta’if,
there came to him Mas`ud Ibn Mu`tab Ibn Malik Ibn Ka`b Ibn `Amr Ibn
Sa`d Ibn `Auf Ibn Thaqif along with his followers, who said, “O
king! We are nothing but your slaves, we listen and obey, no
hostility is ever there between you and us, and our House (the
house of Al-Lat) is not the one you want. You only want the House
in Makkah, so we will send with you someone to leads you to it.”
Al-Lat
was their sacred house in Ta’if. It was to them just as the
Ka`bah was to the rest of the Arabs.
They
sent a man called Abu Rughal to show Abraha the way to Makkah. They
went on till they arrived at a place called Al-Maghmas, where Abu
Rughal died. Abu Rughal was buried there and afterwards, the Arabs
used to stone his grave.
However,
it is mentioned elsewhere in the Story of Thamud that Abu Rughal
was among the train of Abraha and that he sheltered himself with
the Sacred House (Ka`bah) and when he came out, a stone hit him and
he was killed. The Prophet (peace be upon him) told his Companions,
“As a sign of this, he was buried with two branches of gold.”
They dug and found them. To settle between this and the narration
of Ibn Ishaq, we may say that the later Abu Rughal had the same
name as his ancestor whose grave used to be stoned by the Arabs.
Moreover, the people used to stone his grave as they stoned that of
the former.
Ibn
Ishaq said that when Abraha arrived at Al-Maghmas, he sent a man
called Al-Aswad Ibn Maqsud with a cavalry dispatch. Al-Aswad seized
some of the Arabs’ property, which included two hundred camels
belonging to `Abdul Muttalib, the Prophet’s uncle, who was the
principal man among the nobility.
Upon
this, the tribes of Quraish, Kinanah and Hudhail decided to fight
against Abraha, but they realized that they could not afford it, so
they abandoned the idea.
Then,
Abraha sent Hanatah Al-Himiari to Makkah, ordering him to ask for
the chief of the people and tell him, “I did not come to fight
against you, I only came to destroy the Sacred House. If you do not
stand in our way, we will not harm any of you at all.” Abraha
added to his messenger, “And if he shows his desire not to fight,
bring him to me.”
When
Hanatah entered Makkah, he asked about its chief and master. He was
told that it was `Abdul Muttalib Ibn Hashim. He saw him and thus
delivered the message.
`Abdul
Muttalib replied, “By Allah! We do not intend to fight. Really we
cannot afford it. This is the Sacred House of Allah and His Khalil
(friend) Ibrahim (peace be upon him). Only He Alone can protect it
if He wills to.”
Upon
hearing this, Hanatah said, “Come with me to meet with Abraha. He
ordered me to do so.”
`Abdul
Muttalib set out for him accompanied by some of his sons. When they
approached the camp, he asked about Dhu Nafar, who was a friend of
his. He entered upon him in his prison and said, “O Dhu Nafar!
Can’t you do anything for us in this plight of ours?”
Dhu
Nafar said, “What can a prisoner do while waiting for death to
come either in the morning of at night? All that I can do is to
send to the keeper of the elephant, Anis, who is a friend of mine,
to recommend you, say a good word for you, intercede for you before
him, and to seek permission for you to meet with Abraha.”
`Abdul
Muttalib said, “That’s enough with me.”
Dhu
Nafar sent to Anis saying, “`Abdul Muttalib is the chief of the
Quraish. He is generous to both humans and animals, and the king
Abraha has seized two hundred camels that belong to him. So, seek
permission for him to meet Abraha and do whatever you see useful
for him.”
Anis
said, “Surely, I will do so.”
Anis
presented himself before Abraha and said, “O king! The chief of
the Quraish is here and wants to present himself before you, so
give him permission, please!”
Abraha
gave his consent. `Abdul Muttalib was very handsome and grand, and
when Abraha saw him, he showed great respect and was highly
impressed. He refused to make him sit lowly in front of him, and
also disliked to let the Abyssinians see him allowing him to sit on
his own chair. Consequently, he descended from his chair and sat
beside him on the rich carpet.
Then
Abraha said to his interpreter, “Ask him what does he want?”
But
Abraha was surprised to hear from `Abdul Muttalib, through the
interpreter, that all he wanted was compensation for his two
hundred camels, but did not ask him to leave the Ka`bah alone.
When
Abraha expressed surprise, `Abdul Muttalib answered, “I am the
master of the camels, whereas the Ka`bah has its Lord to defend
it.”
Abraha
said, “No one can defend it from me.”
`Abdul
Muttalib said, “You are on your own!”
Finally,
Abraha gave him the camels back.
Ibn
Ishaq continued: It is said that when `Abdul Muttalib entered upon
Abraha he was accompanied by Ya`mur Ibn Nafa’ah Ibn `Adiy Ibn
Ad-Dail Ibn Bakr Ibn `Abd Manah Ibn Kinanah, the chief of the Banu
Bakr tribe, and by Khuwailid Ibn Wa’ilah, the chief of the
Hudhail tribe, who offered Abraha one-third of the properties of
Tihamah district in return for his going back and leaving the
Ka`bah alone. But, Abraha refused their offer. Ibn Ishaq added:
“I am not certain about the authenticity of this.”
When
`Abdul Muttalib returned home, he told the Quraish about what
happened between him and Abraha and ordered them to evacuate Makkah
and move to the mountains. Then, accompanied by some men, he stood
holding the ring of the Ka`bah’s door and invoked Allah and
sought His aid against Abraha and his troops.
`Abdul
Muttalib let go the door’s ring and set out with his companions
to the mountains, seeking shelter and waiting to see what would
happen next. In the morning, Abraha prepared to enter Makkah with
his elephant and troops.
The
elephant’s name was Mahmoud. When he was directed towards Makkah,
Nufail Ibn Habib came near him and whispered in its ear, “Kneel
down, Mahmoud, and go back home safely. You are in Allah’s Sacred
Town.”
He
let go its ear and the elephant knelt down.
As-Suhaili
said that this means that the elephant fell to the ground, as
elephants do not kneel down. But it is said that some elephants
might kneel down just as camels. And Allah knows best.
Nufail
Ibn Habib went away and climbed the mountain till he was far and
safe. The Abyssinians beat the elephant to force it to stand up on
its feet, but it refused. They hit its head with axe-like weapons,
but it refused. They tried their best to force it to stand up on
its feet, but they could not. They directed its face back towards
Yemen, and it stood up and ran in that direction. They directed it
towards Syria and then towards the east, and it stood up on its
feet and ran in that direction. They again directed it towards
Makkah, but it refused.
Then
Allah the Almighty sent upon them birds resembling hawks from the
seaside. Each bird held three stones, one in its beak and one in
each foot. The stones were like chickpeas and lentils, and anyone
of the Abyssinians that was hit by a stone was killed. The birds
did not hit them all. The rest of them fled, seeking the way they
had come from and asking Nufail Ibn Habib to guide them back to
Yemen.
Ibn
Ishaq continued: The Abyssinians fled while death pursued them on
every path and in every way, and Abraha was hit with a stone as
well. They carried him, and his body began to break apart till they
reached Sanaa. After a short while, as historians claim, his chest
cracked and he died.
Ibn
Ishaq said: I have been told by Ya`qub Ibn `Utbah that that year
was the first in which measles, smallpox, and bitter trees such as
colocynth and African rue appeared in the Arab Peninsula.
According
to Ibn Ishaq: When Allah the Almighty sent His Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him), He reminded the Quraish of the Grace and Favor
He bestowed on them by defeating the Abyssinians and defying them
saying: {Have you (O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)) not seen how
your Lord dealt with the owners of the Elephant? [The Elephant army
which came from Yemen under the command of Abraha Al-Ashram
intending to destroy the Ka`bah at Makkah]. Did He not make their
plot go astray? And He sent against them birds, (Ababil) in flocks.
Striking them with stones of Sijjil (baked clay). And He made them
like (an empty field of) stalks (of which the corn has been eaten
up by cattle)}.
Then,
Ibn Hisham and Ibn Ishaq started to interpret this Surah. Ibn
Hisham said: The word “Ababil” means in flocks, though the
Arabs never used that word before the Revelation of the Glorious
Qur’an. But as for the word “Sijjil”, I was told by Yunus
An-Nahwi and Abu `Ubaidah that it was used by the Arabs to mean
solid and strong. Moreover, some interpreters claimed that this
word was originally two in Persian, but the Arabs rendered them a
single word, that is “Sinj” and “Jil”. “Sinj” means
stone and “Jil” stands for clay; and hard stones consist of
these two materials, stone and clay. He added, “`Assf” stands
for leaves. Al-Kasa’i said: I have heard some grammarians saying:
The singular form of “Ababil” (flock) is “Abil”. Besides,
many of our early scholars said: “Ababil” are flocks of birds
gathering group after group from here and there.
`Abdullah
Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with father and son) narrated:
Their beaks were like those of birds and their legs were like those
of dogs.
In
addition, `Ikrimah transmitted: Their heads were like those of
lions and they came from the seaside and their color was green.
Also,
`Ubaid Ibn `Umair said: They were black marine birds, holding
stones in their beaks and feet.
`Abdullah
Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with father and son) said also:
They looked like the phoenix, and the smallest stone they carried
was equal to the head of a human being and other stones were equal
to camels.
The
same view was held by Yunus Ibn Bakir after Ibn Ishaq. Some
interpreters said: The stones were too small. Allah knows best.
Ibn
Abu Hatim said: Abu Zar`ah told us on the authority of Muhammad Ibn
`Abdullah Ibn Abu Shaibah after Mu`awiyah after Al-A`mash after Abu
Sufyan after `Ubaid Ibn `Umair: When Allah the Almighty wanted to
destroy the owners of the elephant, He sent against them birds
resembling hawks in flocks from the seaside. Each one of them
carried three stones, one in its beak and two in its two legs. They
flew over till they were directly above the army, then they
screamed and let go of the stones. The stones cut off or cracked
whom they hit from his head to his toes. In addition, Allah the
Almighty sent a severe wind that hit the stones and added to their
speed and strength, which caused the majority of the army to
perish.
As
stated earlier, Ibn Ishaq said that not all of them were hit by the
stones. Rather, some of them managed to return to Yemen and related
to their people what had happened to them and the whole army. And
Abraha himself was hit with the stones and was carried till he
reached Yemen where he died, may Allah the Almighty damn him!
Ibn
Ishaq narrated: I was told by `Abdullah Ibn Abu Bakr after Samurah
after `A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: I
saw the rider and keeper of the elephant at Makkah blind, crippled
and asking the people to feed them.” However, it was mentioned
earlier that the keeper was called Anis, but the rider was
unidentified. Allah knows best!
In
his tafsir (interpretation), An-Naqqash mentioned that the flood
carried away their dead bodies and threw them into the sea. In the
same year of this great incident, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him) was born. Some scholars say that it took place two years prior
to his birth.
Then,
Ibn Ishaq cited the poetry the Arabs composed pertaining to that
great incident in which Allah the Almighty made victorious His
Sacred House, which He wanted to honor, dignify, purify, and
respect by sending His Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) and
the Law He sent with him. One of the fundamental pillars of this
Law is the Prayer, whose Qiblah direction was made to the honorable
Ka`bah. What Allah the Almighty did to the owners of the elephant
was never for the sake of the Quraish themselves. The Christians
who were represented in the Abyssinians were really nearer to the
Ka`bah than the polytheists of the Quraish, but the victory was
granted to the Sacred House itself in preparation for the advent of
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Added
Ibn Ishaq and others: After the death of Abraha, the Abyssinians
were ruled by his son Yaksum, then by the latter’s brother Masruq
Ibn Abraha, who was their last king.
The
incident of the elephant took place in Al-Muharram 882 according to
the Roman Calendar. Following the death of Abraha and his
succeeding two sons, the Abyssinian rule over Yemen came to an end,
and the church built by Abraha was deserted. No one could even
approach it, for it was built over the burial place of two idols,
that of Ku`aib and his wife. The two idols were made of wood, they
were about sixty cubits high, and they were touched by the Jinn.
For this very reason, no one could take the risk to come near the
church or to take anything of its building or ornaments for fear of
the evils of the jinn. It stayed deserted till the time of the
first Abbaside Caliph, As-Saffah, who learned of the riches found
inside the church. He sent his governor of Yemen, Al-`Abbas Ibn
Ar-Rabi`, to destroy it and bring him all the precious objects he
might find there. `Ali As-Sayed Al-Halawani is a doctoral candidate, the managing editor of the Shari`ah Department (English IslamOnline.net), and deputy editor in chief of the the same site. He graduated from Al-Azhar University and got his MA in religious translation from the Faculty of Al-Alsun (Languages), Al-Minia University. He writes occasionally for Islamonline.net. You can reach him at
ali.halawani@iolteam.com.
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