THE COMPANIONS OF THE ELEPHANT

ALLAH says in the qur’an in surah al-fil verses (1 to 5):
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“Have you not considered how your lord dealt with the companions of the elephant? Did he not make their guile to go astray? And he sent against them swarms of birds, striking them with stones of baked clay, thus he rendered them like straw eaten up.”
Abraha ashram was the governor of Yemen appointed by the king of Ethiopia. He followed the religion of the Ethiopians, Christianity. He was a prejudiced Christian and he despised all non-Christians. He had complete control over the Yemenites but, in spite of that, the Arabs of Yemen did go for the annual pilgrimage to the bayt Allah (house of Allah ) he used to ask about this house in makkah.
One of his advisers told him that it was a house not very high and not decorated. Prophet Ibrahim (…………….) and his son prophet Ismail (…………..) had built it. It is the ka’bah, house of allah. Whose enters it is safe and no one can hurt him. People from all over the world travel to it on specified days to perform hajj (or the annual pilgrimage)
Abraha thought that if they could be diverted to san’a in yemen, they would bring much wealth to it. That would improve the economic condition of san;a however, the question worrying him was how to prevent the people from going to baytallah and convince them to come to san’a
So, he decided to build a large house of worship in sana so that people should come to if from different places to perform the hajj. He geve the command and thousands of people were employed to build the house of worship. precious stones and valuable material was brought from the palace of the queen bilquis of saba. Blocks of gold and silver were used. The pillars were of ivory and ebony and lofty towers were ercted.
This was the kanisa or cathedral. When it was built and ready, abraha wrote to the king of Ethiopia that he had built for him a unique cathedral whose example could not be presented he wrote that he would not rest till he stopped the arabs from baytallah and diverted them to sana where the cathedral was built. When the makkans and the arabs learnt of Abraham;s designs, two men of the tribe kinanah brought dung of a donkey, entered the church and defiled its walls with it. Then they fled. When abraha learnt of it, he flew into a terrible rage and swore on his religion that he would pull down the baytallah and make it deserted in such a manner that no one would be able to perform hajj there.
He amassed an army of thousands of soldiers equipped with weapons of war. Then, he led them towards makkah. He kept elephants ahead of the army. The arabs had never seen such an army and the like of it was not prepared for any battle. The elephants led the army. It was like a flood about to wipe out everything in it wake. They ruined all that they came across and killed anyone who resisted if anyone was not killed then he was taken captive. They came to the lofty mountains of makkah very soon.
The advance units crossed the towns around makkah and confiscated the camels and sheep that grazed in the deserts. The confiscated property included two hundred camels of abdul muttalib ibn hasim. The moment he came to know that his camels were confiscated, he rushed to the camps of the army to demand his property. He asked the guards to lead him to their commander. When he was there, he was an awe-inspiring personality. He was strong in body and had a dignified face. Abraha received him warmly and made him sit next to him because he knew of his standing among the arabs. He knew too that he was their chief, and he also was the administrator of the ka’bah he also held the keys to baytallah which came down to him from his fore-fathers. Abraha asked him why had come. He said, “Your men have taken away my camels they must be returned to me.” Abraha said, “When I saw you, you appealed to me. But, on hearing your demand I have chanced my opinion of you. You ask for your camels but say nothing about the ka’bah that is the religious center of yourself and your forefathers though I have come to topple it.”
Abdul muttalib said, “I am the owner only of my camels. The owner of the kabah is someone else. He will protect it from your onslaught.” Abraha said, “no one can stop me when I attack it.” Abdu muttalib said, “That is not my concern. It is between you and the owner of that house.” He meant, “you come forward and you will know whether Allah stops you or not.”
Abraha observed that abdul muttalib had full confidence in allah protecting the kabah so, he tried to win over his pleasure and immediately ordered that his camels must be returned to him. Other chiefs of the quraysh had also come with him. They advised him to give up the idea of demolishing the baytallah and to give up the idea of demolishing the baytallah and agree to receive one-third of the earnings of qumamah. He refused to disuse this subject in any manner.
The chiefs of quraysh departed from him with a heavy heart. They did not know who to tackle the issue. So, the people of makkah retreated to mountain tops deserting their dear town.
Abdul muttalib and the other chiefs went to the baytallah and clung to its door. They prayed against abraha and his army again and again they sought allah’s help against him. They prayed to him to protect the kabah then they retreated to their people on the mountain tops.
Makkah was empty of its inhabitants, and they waited to see what abarah did. The army was about to advance towards it.
Abraha arranged his army ranks. He kept the elephants ahead of all. Just as they were near the kabah swarms of birds carrying burning pebbles in their beaks appeared overhead. They released those pebbles on them. The pebbles broke their skulls and their bodies were torn to pieces. Soon, there were severed corpses around. Abarah wasa also hurt and he deserted his army and flied towards yemen where he died of his wound.
Thus did Allah protece his house, the kabah, from the evil designs of the transgresses.
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“And blessing of allah the exalted be on the best of his creatures, Muhammad, and on his family and companions all together.”
With your mercy, O the most merciful of those who show mercy.
(02 -10- 2014) JUMAT UL MUBARAK
(08 -12-1435) ——— BAROZ HAFTA