Chapter 4 : The Elephant Army Flashcards
Briefly explain the religious history of Yemen prior to the Invasion of Makkah
- In order to fully understand the circumstances surrounding the Invasion of Makkah, we need to examine the religious / political history of Yemen
- Christianity appeared in Yemen in 340 CE / AD when Roman Forces conquered the area and helped Abyssinian Christian Missionaries to settle in Najran
- The Abyssinians remained in control of Yemen for 38 years until the local Himyarite Arabs regained their independence
- Later, in the 5th century, many of the Himyarite Kings turned to Judaism and converted a number of subjects to their faith
- In 523 CE, the Yemeni King Yusuf Dhu Nawas attempted to force Christians in Najran to convert to Judaism
- When they refused, entire communities were exterminated
- Tens of thousands of faithful Christians were thrown into a ditch of fire ( A massacre that scholars believe is referenced in Surat Al-Buruj ) :-
” Cursed were the companions of the trench. ( Containing ) the fire full of fuel. When they were sitting near it. And they, to what they were doing against the believers were witnesses. They had nothing against them, except that they believed in God, The All Mighty, Worthy of All Praise “
- Al Quran 85 : 4-8
- Backed by Roman Forces, Christian Abyssinians reconquered Yemen 2 years after the brutal massacre
- In the aftermath, Abraha, an Abyssinian general who had fought against the Himyarites quickly maneuvered into the role of Governer of Yemen
- Shortly, after Abraha assumed control, he erected a grand cathedral in Sana’a called the Al-Qalis Church to compete with the Ka’bah
- His ambitious plan to lure pilgrims away from Makkah did not sit well with some Arabs and a man from Bani Kinanah ( Just South of Makkah ) traveled to Sana’a and defiled Abraha’s Cathedral
- In response, the Abyssinian General swiftly assembled 60,000 soldiers and several elephants and set out to destroy the Ka’ba in Makkah
- It is important to note that Abraha’s true motivation for destroying the Ka’ba was economic and not religious
- Politicians have always used religion to mask their worldly ambitions
- Abraha’s army first stopped at Ta’if
- The Thaqif feared that they had been misidentified as the Quraysh and quickly redirected Abraha toward Makkah
- The army stopped about 2 miles outside Makkah and plundered the area and stole 200 camels
- Before invading the actual sanctuary of Makkah, Abraha asked to meet with the chief of Quraysh
What was the conversation that occurred between Abdul Muttalib and what happened during the Invasion of Makkah
- When Abraha meets Abdul Muttalib, he was so impressed and said :-
” You are more impressive than a king in your honour and comportment. You must be the leader of your people “. Then Abraha asked “ Why have you come ? I have heard of your magnanimity, honour and virtue and I have witnessed your comportment, your beauty and your honour so I am compelled to consider your request. So ask me what you will “
- Amali Al-Tusi ( Al-Shaykh Al-Tusi ), Page 80
- Abdul Muttalib then said :-
” Your army confiscated my camels. Order them to give them back to me “
- When Abraha realizes that Abdul Muttalib only wants his camels back, he is disappointed and says :-
” You have fallen in my gaze ! You came to me to ask about your camels when I have come to destroy the source of your honour and the honour of your people through which you are distinguished from all other people, this Ka’bah to which people from all over the earth come for pilgrimage. But you have overlooked that and asked me about your camels “
- Amali Al-Tusi ( Al-Shaykh Al-Tusi ), Page 81
- Abdul Muttalib famously replies :-
” I am not the Lord of that House which you wish to destroy. I am only the Lord of those Camels that your soldiers have seized. I have come to ask after what is mine. The House has a Lord who is more able to defend it than all of creation combined “
- Amali Al-Tusi ( Al-Shaykh Al-Tusi ), Page 81
- Abraha’s army resumed its march to Makkah
- Abdul Muttalib then says to his servants :-
” Bring my son to me “. They brought Abbas but Abdul Muttalib said “ Not Him “. Then they brought Abu Talib and again he said that was not the son he wanted. Then they brought Abdullah to him. Abdul Muttalib said “ O my dear son, climb the mountain of Abu Qubays and look in the direction of the sea and see what comes from there and ( Come back ) and inform me “
” When Abdullah climbed Mount Qubays, he saw birds approaching that looked like a black sea in the sky … He then descended ( From the Mountain ) and performed 7 circuits around the Ka’ba, 7 circuits between Safa and Marwa and went to his father and informed him of what he saw “
- As the army of Abraha approached the Ka’ba, the sky turned ominously dark and the lead elephant refused to go further :-
” Suddenly, it was too late : The western sky grew black and a strange sound was heard, its volume increased as a great wave of darkness swept over upon them from the direction of the sea and the air above their heads as high as they could see was full of birds. Survivors said they flew with the flight like that of swifts and each bird had three pebbles the size of dried peas, one in its beak and one in between the claws of each foot. They swooped to and fro over the ranks pelting as they swooped and pebbles were so hard and launched with such velocity that they pierced even the coats of mail “
- ” Muhammad : His Life Based on the Earliest Sources “ by Martin Lings
- It is also narrated in Surat Al-Fil :-
” Do you not see how your Lord dealt with the elephant riders ? Did he not make their machinations come to naught ? And did he not send down upon them flocks of birds which pelted them with sandstone pebbles ? He thereby turned them into chewed straw “
- Al-Quran 105 : 1-5
What was the significance of the Year of The Elephant
- This is one of those historical events that was so widely transmitted that it leaves no doubt that it occurred
- There were many Arabs living during the period of revelation who were eye witnesses to the destruction of the army of Abraha
- Not a single critic of the Quran among the Arabs ever claimed that this tory was a lie
- The Year of The Elephant was an extremely significant year for the Arabs
- After this incident, Quraysh were called “ The People of God “ by other Arab tribes
