The Elephant Refuses to Move

Abrahah who came from Abyssinia, a country in Africa-conquered the Yemen and was made vice-regent there. Later, he noticed that at a certain time of the year large numbers of people would travel from all over the Yemen and the rest of Arabia to Makkah. He asked the person for this ans was told that they were going on pilgrimage to the Kab'ah.
          Abrahah hated that idea of Makkah being more important than his own country, so he decided to build a church of coloured marble, with doors of gold and ornaments of silver and ordered the people to visit it instead of the Kab'ah. But not one obeyed him.
          Abrahah became very angry and decided to destroy the Kab'ah. He prepared a large army led by an elephant and set off towards Makkah. When the Makkans heard that he was coming they became very frightened. Abrahah's army was huge and they could not fight it. But how could they let him destroy the Holy Kab'ah? They went to ask the advice of their leader Abd al-Mutalib.
 When Abrahah arrived outside Makkah, Abd al-Mutalib went to meet him. Abrahah said, "What do you want"?
          Abrahah had taken Abd al-Mutalib's camels,which he had found grazing as he entered Makkah, so Abd al-Mutalib replied, "I want my camels back".
          Abrahah was very surprised and said, "I have come to destroy your Holy Kab'ah, the holy place of your fathers, and you ask me about some camels?"
          Abd al-Mutalib replied calmy, "The belongs to me; the Kab'ah belongs to Allah and He will protect it";  Then he left Abrahah and went back to Quraysh and odered them to leave Makkah and wait for their enemies in the mountains .
          In the morning Abrahah prepared to enter the town. He put armour on his elephant and drew up his troops for battle. He intended to destroy the Kab'ah and then return to the Yemen. At that moment, however, the elephant knelt down and refused to get up, no matter how much the soldiers tried to get it to move by beating it. But when they turned its face into the direction of the Yemen it immediately got up  and started off. In fact, it did the same way in other direction, but as soon as they pointed towards Makkah it knelt down again.
          Suddenly, flocks of birds appeared form over the sea. Each bird carried three stones as small as peas and they dropped them on Abrahah's army. The soldiers suddenly fell ill. Even Abrahah was hit by the stones and fled in fear with the rest of his army back to the Yemen, where he later died. On seeing their enemy flee the Arabs came down form the mountains to the Kab'ah and gave thanks to Allah.
          After this, Quraysh gained great respect and became known as 'the people of Allah', and the year in which these events took place, 570 AD, was named as the 'year of the Elephant'.In that year Allah had saved the Kab'ah and He would soon bring forth a prophet form among the Quraysh.

• In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
• Hast thou mot seen how thy Lord dealt with the owners of the Elephant?
• Did He not bring their stratagem to naught, And send against them swarms of flying creatures, Which pelted them with stones of baked clay, And made them like green crops devoured (by cattle)?

(Qur'an cv. 1-5)

The Promise of Zamam

          The well of Zamzam, which disappeared when the Arabs placed idols at the Kab'ah, remained buried under the sand.Thus, for many years the people of Quraysh had to fetch their water form far away.One day Abd al-Mutalib was very tired from doing this and fell asleep next up Zamzam.When he woke up he was puzzled because he did know what Zamzam was, the well having disappeared many years before he was born. The next day he had the same dream, but this time he was told where to find the well.
          Abd al-Mutalib had one son at that time, and together they began to dig. The work was so difficult that Abd al-Mutalib made an oath to Allah that if one day he were to have 10 sons to help him and stand by him, in return he would sacrifice one of the in Allah's honour. After working for three days they finally found the well of Zamzam. Pilgrims have been drinking from it ever since.
          The years passed and Abd al-Mutalib did have ten son. They grew into fine, strong men and the time came for him to keep his promise to Allah. He told his sons about the promise and they agreed that he had to sacrifice one of them. To see which one it would be, they decided to draw lots, which was the custom of Quraysh when deciding important matters. Abd -al-Mutalib  told each son to get an arrow and write his own name upon it and then bring it to him. This they did after which he took the to the Kab'ah where there was man whose special task it was to cast arrows and pick one form among them. This man solemnly proceeded to do this. On the arrow he chose was written the of Abd Allah the youngest and the most favourite son of Abd-al-Mutalib. Even so the father took his son near the Kab'ah and prepared to sacrifice him.
         Many of Quraysh leaders were present and they became very angry because Abd Allah was very young and much loved by every one. They tried to think of a way to save his life. Someone suggested that the advice of wise old woman who lived in Yathrib should be sought, and so Abd-al-Mutalib took his son and went to see if she could decide what to do. Some of the people of Makkah went with them and when they got there the woman asked, "What is the price if a man's life?"
          They told her. "Ten camels", for at that time if one man killed another, his family would have to give ten camels to dead's man family in order to keep the peace among them. So the woman told them to go back to the Kab'ah and draw lots between Abd Allah and Camels. If the camels were chosen, they were to killed and the meat given to the poor. If Abd Allah ws picked then ten more camels were to be added and the lots drwan again and again until they finally fell on the camels.
          Abd al-Mutalib returned to the Kab'ah with his son and the people of Makkah. There the started to draw lots between Abd Allah and camels,starting with ten camels. Abd al-Mutalib prayed to Allah to spare his son and everyone waited in silence for the result. The choice fell on Abd Allah, so they did the same thing again and again, adding ten camels each time. Finally they reached one hundered camels, and only then did the lot fall on the camels.
          Abd Allah was saved and everyone was very happy. Abd al-Mutalib , however, wanted to make sure that this was the true result so he repeated the draw three times and each time it fell on the camels. He then gave thanks to Allah that He had spared Abd-Allah's life. The camel were sacrificed and there was enough food for the entire city, even for animal and birds.
          Abd-Allah grew up to be a handsome young man and his father eventually chose Aminah, the daughter fo Wahb, as a wife for him. It was good match, for She was the finest of Quraysh women and Abd-Allah the best of the men. He spent several months with his wife in but then he had to leaver her and travel  with one of the caravans  to trade with Syria. On his way back to Makkah form Syria Abd-Allah became ill and had to stop off in Yathrib to recover. The caravan, however, continued on its way and arrived back in Makkah without him. On hearing of
         

The Children of Ishmael

          Over the years Ismael's children themselves had children. His descendants increased and formed tribes which spread out all over Arabia. One of these tribes was call Quraysh. Its people never moved away from Makkah and always lived near the Ka'bah.
          One of the duties of the leader of Quraysh was to look after those who come on pilgrimage to Ka'bah. The pilgrims would come form all over Arabia and it was a great honour to proved them with food and water
          As time passed, however, the Arabs stopped worshipping Allah directly and started bringing idols back with them from the different countries they visited. These idols were placed at the Ka'bah, which was no longer regarded as the Sanctuary of Allah, as Abraham had intended it. It was , however, still respected by the Arabs. Around this time the well of Zamzam disappeared beneath the sand.
          Also at this time, Qusayy, one of the leader of Quraysh , became ruler over Makkah. He held the keys of the sanctuary and had the right to give water to pilgrims, to feed them, to take charge of meetings, and to hand out war banners before battle. It was also in house that Quraysh settled their afairs.
          After Qusayy's death, his son Abdu Munaf, who had become famous during his father's lifetime, took over the leadership of Quraysh. After him came his son Hashim. It is said that Hashim was the first to begin the two great caravan journeys of Quraysh, one in summer to Syria and the north, and one in the winter to the Yemen an the south. As a result, Makkah grew rich and became a large and important center of trade.
          One summer Hashim went north to buy goods to sell in the Yemen. On his way he stopped in Yathrib to trade in the market ant there he saw a beautiful woman. She was Salma, the daughter of Amr ibn Zaid, who was from much respected family. Hashim proposed marriage to her and was accepted because he was an honourbale and distinguished man. In time, Salma gave birth to a beautiful son and as some of his hair was white they called him Shaybah, which in Arabic mean 'grey-haired'. Mother and son stayed in the cooler, healthier climate of Yathrib, while Hashim returned to Makkah, but he would visit them each time he took his caravan to the north. During one of these journeys, however, Hashim became ill and died.
         Shaybah a handsome intelligent boy,grew up in his uncles's house in Yathrib. He was proud of being the son of Hashim ihn Abdi Munaf, the head of Quraysh, guardian of Ka'bah and the protector of pilgrims, even though he had known his father , who had died while Shaybah was very young.
          At Hashim's death his brother al-Muttalib took over his duties and responsibilites. He travelled  to Yathrib to see his nephew , Shaybah, and decided that as the boy would one day inherit his father's place, the time had come for him to live in Makkah. It was hard for Salma, Shaybah's mother, to let her son to go with his uncle but she finally realised that it was for the best.

How it All Began

          Nearly four thousand years ago, in the Sumerian town of Ur in the valley of the river Euphrates, lived a young man named Abraham. The people of Ur had worshipped Allah but as time passed they forgot of the true religion and started praying to idols, statues made of wood or clay and sometimes even of precious stones.
          Even as a small child Abraham could not understand  how his people , and especially his father ,could make these iamges with their own hands, call them gods and then worship them. He had always refused to join his people when they paid respect to these statues. Instead he would  leave the town and sit alone, thinking about the heavens and the world about him. He was sure his people were doing wrong and so alone he searched for the right way.
         One clear night as he sat staring at the sky he saw a beautiful shining star, so beautiful that he cried: "This must be Allah!" He looked at it in awe for some time, until suddenly it began to fade and then it disappeared . He turned away in disappointment saying:

I love not things that set.

(Qur'an vi. 77)

          On another night Abraham was again looking at the sky and he saw the rising moon, so big and bright that he felt he could almost touch it. He thought to himself.

This is my Lord

(Qur'an vi. 78)

          But it was not before long before the moon set as well . Then he said:

Unless my Lord guides me. I surely shall become one the folk who are astray.

(Qur'an vi. 78)

Abraham then saw the beauty and splendor of the sunrise and recited that the sun must be the biggest and most powerful thing in the universe . Bur for the third time he was wrong, for the sun set at end of the day. It was then realised  that Allah is the Most Powerful, the Creator of the stars, the moon, the sun, the earth and of all living things. Suddenly he felt himself totally at peace, because he knew that he had found the Truth.

• When he said who his father and his folk:
• What was your worhsip?
• They said: We worship idols, and are ever devoted to them.
• He said: Do they hear you when you cry:
• They said: Nay, but we found our fathers acting in this manner.
• He said: See now that which you worship, You and your forefathers!
• Lo! they are (all) enemy to me, except the Lord of the Worlds.
• Who created me, and He guides me, And Who feeds me, and waters me.
• And when I sicken, then He heals me.
• And Who causes me to die, then gives me lfe (again)
• And Who, I ardently hope, will forgive me my sin on the Day of Judgement     (Qur'an xxvi. 70-82)

          One day while all the towns people were out, Abraham angrily smashed all the idols with hi right hand except for the one which was very large . When the people returned they were furious. They remembered the things Abraham had said about the idols. They had him brought forth before everyone demanded, "Is it you who did this to our gods, O Abraham?" Abraham replied, "But this their chief did it. Ask them, if they are able to speak." The exclaimed , "You know they do not speak." "Do you worship what you yourelves have carved when Allah created you and what you make?" Abraham continued, "Do you worship instead of Allah that which cannot profit you at all, nor harm you?"

 (Qur'an xxxvii. 95-6)

 (Qur'an xxi. 66)

          Finally Abraham warned them,

• Serve Allah, and keep you duty unto Him; that is better for you if you did but know.
• You serve instead of Allah only idols, and you only invent a life. Lo! those whom you serve instead of Allah own no provision for you. So seek your provision form Allah, and serve Him, and give thanks unto Him, (for) unto Him you will be brought back/

      (Qur'an xxix. 16-17)

          The people of Ur decided to give Abraham worst punishment the could find: he was to be burnt to death. On the chosen day all the peop;e gathered in the center of the city and even the King of Ur was there.Abraham was then placed inside a special building filled with wood. The wood was lit. Soon the fire became so strong that the people were pushed back by the flames. But Allah said:

• O fire, he coolness and peace for Abraham.

 (Qur'an xxi. 69)

          The people waited until the fire had completely died down, and was the they saw Abraham still sitting there as though nothing had happened! At that moment they were utterly confused . They were not, however, moved by the miracle that had just happened before their eyes. Still Abraham tried to persuade his own dear father, who was named Azar, not to worship powerless , un-seeing, un-hearing statues. Abraham explained that special knowledge had come to him and implored his father