(The detailed story of the Companions of the Elephant)
Al-Bayhaqi says: We were informed by Abu Abdullah Hafiz, who said that Abu al-Abbas Muhammad bin Yaqub narrated to us, who said that Ahmad bin Abdul Jabbar Attarwi narrated to us, who said that Yunus bin Bukair narrated to us from Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Yasar, who said that then Tubba advanced until he reached the land of Medina. In the valley of Quba, he dug a well there which is nowadays called Bir Malik. At that time, there were Jews in Medina along with Aws and Khazraj. Those people stood up against him and fought him. They fought him all day, and when evening came, they sent him a feast and also for his soldiers. When these people did this for several nights, he felt ashamed. He sent a message of peace to those people. Therefore, a man from the tribe of Aws went to them; his name was Ahya bin Jalah, and from the Jews, Baniamin Qarzi went to talk to him. Ahya went and said: O King! We are your people. Baniamin said: O King! This is a city into which you cannot enter victoriously even if you try your utmost. He asked: Why is that? They told him that this is the resting place of one of the Prophets, whom Allah will send from among the Quraysh. At that time, a messenger came to Tubba from Yemen and told him that a fire had broken out in Yemen and had burned everything. Therefore, Tubba quickly left from there, and with him was a group of Jews including Baniamin and others. He recited poetry there:
«القى الى نصيحة كسني ازدجسر عن قريه محجوزة بمحمد»
I have received advice to stop
From that town which has been protected because of Muhammad
It is said that he departed from there. When he reached the place of Daffr, two nights’ journey from Jamdan near Mecca, some people from the tribe of Hudhail bin Madrakah came to him; they had homes there. They said: O King! We will tell you about a house filled with gold, silver, power, and emeralds (precious jewels). Will you plunder it? You take for yourself and give to us as well. He agreed. Those tribes told him that the house was in Mecca. Therefore, Tubba set out towards Mecca, having firmly resolved to demolish the Kaaba. Allah sent upon him a strong and cold wind that paralyzed his hands and feet and stiffened his entire body. So he called the Jews who were with him and asked them: May you be cursed, what calamity has befallen me? They said: A new thing has arisen in your heart. He asked: What new thing have I created? They said: You have resolved something new in your heart. He said: Yes, what is it?
Then he mentioned his determination to demolish the Kaaba and to plunder the precious jewels inside it. They told him that the House of Allah, the honored House, whoever intends to demolish it is destroyed. He asked: If I am destroyed, what is the way to be saved from this calamity in which I am trapped? They told him: You should firmly resolve to circumambulate the House of Allah, to clothe it with a covering, and to offer sacrifice for it. He prepared his heart for this, so Allah released him. After that, he entered Mecca, circumambulated the Kaaba, ran between Safa and Marwah, and then he was shown a dream that he clothed the Kaaba. Accordingly, he covered the Kaaba with a covering and also offered sacrifice in Mecca and fed people. After that, he returned to Yemen and was killed. His son went to Caesar and accused him of what they had done to his father. Caesar wrote to the King of Abyssinia, Najashi, who sent sixty thousand with him and appointed a man named Rozbah as governor over them until they killed Hamir, who had killed his father. Then they entered Sana’a and became its rulers and also became rulers of Yemen.
The house named Kaaba in Yemen:
And among the companions of Rozbah was a man named Abraha bin Ashram, who was Abu Yaksum. He said to Rozbah that he was better suited for this matter than him, and he deceitfully killed him and gained the approval of the Najashi. Then he built a Kaaba in Yemen and made domes of gold in it, and told his subjects to perform Hajj there, likening it to the House of Allah. Accordingly, a man from Banu Malkan of Kinana, who was from Hims, went to Yemen and defecated in that house. When Abraha entered and saw this filth, he asked who had dared to insult him in this way. His companions told him that it was a man from the people living near the House of Allah, where the Arabs perform Hajj. He asked if this man had insulted him, and said, “Prepare to help me; I will demolish this Kaaba of the Arabs and destroy it, and I will show the Arabs that no one will ever perform Hajj to this house.” He summoned elephants and declared among his people, “Come with me.” So he himself set out from there, and everyone among the people of Yemen who followed him—mostly from the tribes of ‘Akk, Ash’ari, and Khath’am—departed singing verses.
«ان البلد لبلدا ماكول تاكله عك والاشعريون والفيل»
Indeed, this city is destroyed; ‘Akk, Ash’ari, and the elephants will consume it.
Departure for the attack on the Kaaba Sharif:
It is said that after this, he set out. After covering some distance, he sent a man from Banu Sulaym to invite the people to perform Hajj at the house he had built. Accordingly, he met a man from the tribe of Hamis, from Banu Kinana, who killed him. When Abraha received news of his death and the boldness of that man, his anger increased even more. Therefore, he urged the people to depart and move forward. Upon reaching Ta’if, he asked the people of Ta’if for a guide to lead the way. The people of Ta’if sent a man from the tribe of Hudhail named Nafil, who led them. When they reached Maqam Mughammas, which is six miles north of Mecca, they dismounted and sent the vanguard of their army ahead to Mecca. The Quraysh scattered and went up to the mountain peaks, saying they did not have the strength to fight them. In Mecca, no one remained except Abdul Muttalib bin Hashim. Therefore, Abdul Muttalib held onto the doorposts of the House of Allah and stood up, saying:
«لاهم ان العبد يمنع رحله قامنع حلالك لايغلبوا بصليبهم ومحالهم غدوا محالك ان كنت تاركهم وكع بتنافامر مابدالك»
O Allah! Indeed, a person protects his belongings. You also protect Your people and community, or protect Your belongings, meaning protect Your House. Do not let these people overpower Your cross and do not let them overpower Your strength and power. If tomorrow morning You leave them and our Kaaba (helpless), then do as You see best (meaning, do not do to us what is clear before You).
Catching the camels of Quraysh:
After that, Abraha’s soldiers seized the Quraysh’s livestock. Among them were two hundred camels belonging to Abdul Muttalib. When Abdul Muttalib received this news, he went to those people. Abraha’s spokesperson was a man from Banu Ash’ari, who already knew Abdul Muttalib. When Abdul Muttalib arrived, this Ash’ari asked if he had come for some purpose. He said: Please grant me permission to meet the king. He went inside and said, “O King! The chief of Quraysh has come to meet you. He is the one who feeds people in both prosperity and hardship; please allow him to meet you.”
Abdul Muttalib was a well-built and handsome man. When permission was granted, he entered. When Abu Yaksum saw him, he did not consider it appropriate to seat him below nor to seat him beside himself on the throne. Therefore, he himself came down and sat on the ground and took Abdul Muttalib to sit beside him. He asked the reason for his coming, and he said, “The purpose of my coming is that your soldiers have seized my two hundred camels; please release them.” Abu Yaksum said, “By Allah! I liked you when I saw your appearance; you pleased me. But when I spoke to you, I became averse to you.” Abdul Muttalib asked, “Why, O King?” He said, “Because I have come to demolish your Kaaba. It is the honor of all your Arabs, your superiority among people, your dignity among people, and your religion and faith which you worship. I have come to break it. Meanwhile, your two hundred camels have been seized; I asked you about your need, and you spoke about your camels but did not mention your Kaaba to me.” Accordingly, Abdul Muttalib said to him, “O King, I will speak to you about my condition. As for this Kaaba and this house, its owner is present; He Himself will protect it. I have no authority over it.” Abu Yaksum considered his words and ordered that Abdul Muttalib’s camels be returned to him.
Leaders repenting and returning:
Then they returned, and that night they spent counting the stars, as if they were conversing with them. Thus, their hearts felt the torment. And their guide who showed them the way had left them and gone to the sanctuary. The Ash’aris and Khush’amis, feeling the torment, betrayed the king. They broke their swords and quivers and declared disassociation before Allah, refusing to assist in demolishing the Kaaba. They spent that dreadful night in a state of fear. Then, in the latter part of the night, they rose in darkness to set out for the attack. They lifted their elephants, thinking they would enter Mecca early in the morning. When they directed the large elephant towards Mecca, it sat down. Then they tried to lift it by beating it, but it lay down. It remained in this state until morning.
After that, the people pressed behind their elephant, saying, “By Allah, will you not go to Mecca?” They swore at it, but it shook its ears as if refusing, and the elephant became angry with them. When they troubled it more, they lifted it onto the path back to Yemen, and it began to run away. When they saw it moving, they again directed it towards the Kaaba, but it sat down again and then lay on the ground. Seeing this, they swore at it, and it shook its ears. When they troubled it more, it stood up, and when they directed it towards Yemen, it ran away. Seeing this, they again put it on the path to Mecca. When it reached the first place, it sat down again. They beat it, and it lay down.
They were engaged in this struggle when, with the sunrise, birds appeared upon them. Birds appeared from the sea like black hair of smoke, and in no time, they filled the sky. They began to pelt them with stones. Each bird had a stone in its beak and one in its claws. When one stone was thrown and passed, another came. Wherever the stone fell, it pierced through; if it fell on the belly, it tore it; if it hit the bones, it passed through them.
Seeing this scene, Abu Yazid, the king, panicked and tried to flee. He was also hit by stones. Wherever he passed, hope was cut off for him. Running in this state, he reached Yemen, but no part of his body remained intact. When he arrived there, his chest burst open, his belly was torn, and he died. The tribe of Khuza’a and the Ash’aris, who had declared disassociation, were not harmed.
Regarding this, the poetry they recited has also been narrated by people. Abdul Muttalib recited verses saying:
«يارب لا ارجولهم سواكا يارب فامنع منهم حما كا ان عدو البيت من عاداكا انهم لن يقهروا فى قواكا»
“O Lord, I place my hope in none but You concerning them. O my Lord, protect Your property from them. Indeed, the enemy of the House of Allah is also Your enemy. It is also true that indeed they cannot overcome Your powers.”
Al-Bayhaqi says that Muhammad bin Abdullah Hafiz narrated this hadith as dictation. He says Abu Zakariya Anbari narrated to us, who said that Jarir narrated to us from Qabus bin Abu Dhubyan, who narrated from his father, who narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both). He said that the people with the elephants came. When they approached Mecca, Abdul Muttalib went forward to meet them and said to their king, “Why have you come to us? If you had sent your representative, we would have come to you ourselves and brought whatever you wanted from us.” He said, “I have heard news about this house that whoever enters it is granted safety. I have come to terrorize its inhabitants and destroy its peace.” Abdul Muttalib said, “We will give you whatever you want; just go back.” He said, “No, I will enter it.” He proceeded towards the Kaaba, and Abdul Muttalib stepped back. He stood on the mountain and said, “I will neither be present at the destruction of this house nor witness the destruction of its people.”
After that, they recited supplicatory poetry:
«اللهم ان لكل اله حلا لا فامنع حلالك لايغلبن مجالهم ابدا محالك اللهم فان فعلت فامر مابدالك»
“O Allah: Indeed, every deity has a possession. Protect Your own possessions. Their power will never overcome Your power. O Allah! If You do not protect Your house now, then it is a matter You may do as You please.”
As soon as they made this supplication, a storm of birds like clouds rose from the sea, and the Ababil birds pursued them. Thus, the command of Allah the Exalted is:
«ترميهم بحجارة من سجيل»
That the birds pelted them with hard stones. It is said that the birds attacked them, and in no time, with the bombardment of pebbles, they made them like eaten straw.
Hadith Research:
Although Al-Hakim and Al-Dhahabi have declared it authentic, it is weak. Regarding its chain, Hafiz Ibn Hajar says about Qabus bin Abi Zubyan: it is weak. Abu Hatim says: the narrated tradition is not reliable.
In it, this incident is narrated by Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Yasar, who was born after the time of the Prophet ﷺ. He heard this incident from someone; there is no chain. A researcher has made a profound commentary on this story. He says: The source of the details of Abraha’s arrival is Ubaid bin Umair, who was born during the time of the Prophet ﷺ. Among the information that has reached us, these are the oldest. Their chain is weak; it includes Absafyan Talhah bin Nafi’, who is a mudallis (one who conceals a link in the chain) and he narrated these events with the word ‘an’ (from).
These details were narrated by Al-A’mash from Talhah, and it is well-known among the muhaddithin that Al-A’mash’s narration from Talhah is from a book of which he heard only a part, not the entire book. This narration does not explicitly state that he actually heard it.
Tabarani’s chain up to Qatadah is good because Yazid bin Zuray’ heard from Sa’d bin Abu ‘Arubah early, i.e., before the Hafiz Sa’id’s memory weakened, but this narration is mursal (missing a link) and weak.
Qatadah’s statement Muhammad bin Thawr from Mu’ammar from Qatadah has reached al-Tabari with an authentic chain.
Apart from this, all other narrations narrated through the chains of Ibn Mas’ud, Ibn Abbas, Sa’id bin Jubayr, and others are limited only to the interpretation of the words of Surah Al-Fil. They do not provide any detailed depiction of the incident.
