Army of the Elephant: Difference between revisions

Ashaf al-Fil (army of the elephants) refers to Abraha b. Sabbah b. Ashram, the king of Yemen and his army who moved toward [[Mecca]] to destroy the Ka'ba. [[Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i]] quoted from [[Waqidi]] that Abraha was the grandfather of [[Najashi]], king of Yemen at the time of the [[Prophet (s)]] and some considered Abraha, the minister of the king of Yemen, not the king himself. After this event, that year became famous among Arabs as the [[Year of Elephant]] ('Am al-Fil) and was considered as a of beginning point of Arab's calendar in the [[Age of Ignorance]]. The birth of [[Prophet Muhammad (s)]] was shortly after this event.

* thus making them like chewed-up straw? [[Qur'an 105]]:1-5

 

Books of [[hadiths]], has mentioned this event in chapters such as: the [[miracle]]s of the Prophet (s), Imamate of [[Mahdi (a)]], issues about the situation of the world and superiority of the [[Ka'ba]].

[[al-Tabrisi]] and some exegetes have mentioned this issue that [[Abraha]] built a building like the Ka'ba in Yemen and ordered people to circumambulate it like in [[hajj rituals]]; but, they did not follow it and meanwhile, a man from [[Banu Kinana]] went to Yemen and polluted that place. Abraha became angry of that and said, "I swear by my [[Christian]] faith that I will destroy that house, so that no one goes there for visiting and [[hajj]]". Then, he ordered to gather elephants and prepared to move there with a group of people. In the middle of the way, Abraha sent a person to Banu Salim to call people to visit the building he had built like the Ka'ba, but he was killed and this made Abraha more resentful to move more quickly toward [[Mecca]].

It is said that when the army arrived in [[Ta'if]], Abraha asked the people of Ta'if to send someone with him to guide them and a man from hudhayl accompanied them. When the army arrived near Mecca, people of [[Quraysh]] climbed up the mountains in groups and when they saw the army of Abraha, said, "we would never be able to stand against them." Except [['Abd al-Muttalib]] and Shayba b. 'Uthman, no one stayed in Mecca. 'Abd al-Muttalib gripped the sides of the door of the Ka'ba and said,  

"O God! Anyone defends his property, so, You defend your house that is the symbol of Your glory and do not allow them to disrespect Your Ka'ba with their Cross and fake Ka'ba. Do not let them enter the [[sacred city]]! This is what I think, but what You will, will happen."

The army of Abraha saw some camels of Quraysh near Mecca and took them as booty. Two hundred of those camels belonged to 'Abd al-Muttalib. When 'Abd al-Muttalib received the news of taking the camels, he exited the city and went toward the camp of Abraha. Abraha was surprised and said, "I have come to destroy the house of glory, honor and merits of you Arabs and your religious house you worship and crush it, but you did not speak about your religious house and do not defend it and just speak about your own camels and defend your personal property!"

'Abd al-Muttalib replied, "O king! I talk to you about my own property I am rightful about and bound to guard. This house has an Owner for itself, He will defend; and guarding it is not upon me." They say that this speech frightened Abraha so much that he immediately ordered to give him back his camels.

Exegetes such as [[al-Tabrisi]] and [[Tabataba'i]] narrated that upon the sunrise, the army of [[Abraha]] tried hard to move the elephant leading the caravan toward Mecca, but it did not move, until "[[flocks of birds]]" appeared on the horizon while they carried small pebbles and dropped them over the army of Abraha and every single stone pierced what it hit. Abraha who received some of those stones hitting his body, decided to escape and run away until he arrived in [[Yemen]]. When he arrived there, he died and none of his companions could arrive in Yemen.

In [[al-Mizan]], [[Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i]] reports that some exegetes have considered [[Sura al-Fil]] and [[Sura al-Quraysh]] one [[sura]] and accordingly said that about Ashab al-Fil, God said, "If We did not treat Ashab al-Fil that way, We had indeed granted a blessing upon Quraysh and Ashab al-Fil were afflicted with this, so that Quraysh who had escaped from the city could return to it and live there and this made them love [[Mecca]] and the [[Ka'ba]] more than before." About the independence or unity of the two suras, exegetes have extensively discussed.

According to some sources, after 'Am al-Fil all Arabia found a great [[faith]] in the Ka'ba. Quraysh took this event a favor upon themselves.

[[Ayatollah Motahhari]] pointed that after that event, Quraysh found an unusual [[arrogance]] and the people of Arabia showed obedience toward them. The market of Mecca flourished. They ordered people and people obeyed them due to the psychological and ideological liking they had found in the Ka'ba.

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