What is the Year of the Elephant mean?

Today we will learn about the Year of the Elephant, what happened in it, why it was named like this, and much more, let’s get started.

Why was the Year known as the Year of the Elephant?

The year was known as the Year of the Elephant due to a known incident that occurred that year. It occurred around 570–571 CE when Abraha the ruler of Yemen decided to destroy the Ka‘bah, so he gathered his huge army with elephants and headed to Mecca to destroy the Kabah. Therefore, the year was called the Year of the Elephant.

What happened in the Year of the Elephant?

The year of the elephant is called “ʿam al-fīl” in Arabic, it’s around 570–571 CE. In that year the prophet, Muhammad was born. And the year was called that name because of the known incident when Abraha the ruler of Yemen decided to destroy the Ka‘bah, so he gathered his huge army with elephants and headed to Mecca.

Abraha al-Ashram was the roller of Yemen, and he was a staunch Christian, he was annoyed by the Kabah that All Arabs go to for pilgrimage so he built a big cathedral in Sanaa and ordered the Arabs to go there for pilgrimage instead of Kabah but they refused.

This made him mad and he decided to destroy the Kabah, he gathered his huge army of elephants and headed to Mecca. When the Arabs heard that Abraha’s army is coming to Mecca to destroy the Kabah, all the tribes of Quraish, Kinanah, Khuza’ah, and Hudhayl gathered and united to defend the Kabah.

However, Abraha sent a contingent to capture all the camels and young people in Mecca, and he did capture many animals, among those animals there were 200 of them belonging to Abdul-Muttalib.

 Abraha sent a man from the tribe of Himyar to tell the Quraish tribes that he didn’t come to fight he only came to destroy the Kabah and that he won’t hurt anyone. But they knew that even though he didn’t come to fight, his army will crush anyone who stands in the way.  

Abdul-Muttalib said: “By Allah, we do not want to fight him. So far as this House (the Kaaba) is concerned, it is the House of Allah; if Allah wants to save His House, He will save it, and if He leaves it unprotected, no one can save it.”

Afterward, he and ibn Lu’aba and some other prominent leaders went to Abraha to ask him to free the animals that he had captured. Abraha was familiar with Abdul-Muttalib and he was informed that he is one of the prominent men of Quraish leaders. So, when Abdul-Muttalib entered Abraha’s tent he rose and welcomed him, then they sat down and talked.

Abdul-Muttalib asked him to free his camels but didn’t say anything about the Kabah which made Abraha confused, and he said to him: “When my eyes fell upon you, I was so impressed by you that had you requested me to withdraw my army and go back to Yemen, I would have granted that request. But now, I have no respect for you. Why? Here I have come to demolish the House which is the religious center of yours and of your forefathers and the foundation of your prestige and respect in Arabia, and you say nothing to save it; instead, you ask me to return your few camels back to you?!”

Year of the Elephant in Islam

‘Abdul-Muttalib replied: “I am the owner of the camels, (therefore, I tried to save them), and this House has its own Owner Who will surely protect it.”

The answer surprised Abraha and he ordered his men to free the animals, then the men of  Quraish returned to Mecca.

On the next day Abraha ordered his men to enter Mecca and destroy the Kabah, and ‘Abdul-Muttalib told the Meccan people to leave Mecca and to hide until this is over, while he and some of the leaders of Quraish tribes stayed in the Kabah to defend it.

Abraha sent a warning to them, and when the messenger arrived and asked about their leader, they all pointed to ‘Abdul-Muttalib. Therefore, the messenger invited him to go and see Abraha and talk to him.

 ‘Abdul-Muttalib said: “The Owner of this House is its Defender, and I am sure He will save it from the attack of the adversaries and will not dishonor the servants of His House.”

And then he held the door of the Kabah and prayed:

“O, Allah! Surely a man defends his own home, therefore, Thou shouldst protect Thy Own House. Their cross and their wrath can never overcome Thy wrath. O Allah, help Thy Own people against the fellows of the cross and its worshippers”.

 Then he and the other leaders of the Quraish tribes left and went to the summit of the hill to be safe. Abraha and his army went to destroy the Kabah, however, they were attacked by Allah’s army. A dark cloud of small birds came from the western side and attacked Abraha’s army. The bird’s army rained down pebbles on Abraha’s army, and in just a few minutes his army was defeated.

What is the month of the Elephant?

There is no month in the Islamic calendar called the Month of the Elephant.

Why did the governor of yemen abraha al habashi want to destroy the Kaaba?

Abraha al-Ashram was the roller of Yemen, and he was a staunch Christian, he was annoyed by the Kabah that All Arab go to for pilgrimage so he built a big cathedral in Sanaa and ordered the Arabs to go there for pilgrimage instead Kabah but they refused.

This made him mad and he decided to destroy the Kabah, he gathered his huge army of elephants and headed to Mecca.

How did Allah destroy Abraha and his army?

When Abrah’s army stood in Infront of the Kabah, and were given the order to destroy it, they were attacked by Allah’s army. A dark cloud of small birds came from the western side and attacked Abraha’s army. The bird’s army rained down pebbles on Abraha’s army, and in just a few minutes his army was defeated.

Surah al fil benefits

 The elephant incident has a whole Surah in the holy Quran to describe it, and it’s called Surat Al-feel in English it’s called “The Elephant”. It is a small surah with only five verses, yet it shows us in detail what happened in the year of the elephant.

The Elephant Story in the Quran.

The story of the elephant was mentioned in the holy Quran in Surah Al-Fil:

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ”

Bismillah hir rahman nir Raheem

In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

  أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَـٰبِ ٱلْفِيلِ

Alam tara kaifa fa’ala rabbuka bi ashaabil feel

Have you not considered, [O Muhammad], how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant?

  أَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ كَيْدَهُمْ فِى تَضْلِيلٍۢ

Alam yaj’al kaidahum fee tadleel

Did He not make their plan into misguidance?

  وَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ طَيْرًا أَبَابِيلَ

Wa arsala ‘alaihim tairan abaabeel

And He sent against them birds in flocks,

  تَرْمِيهِم بِحِجَارَةٍۢ مِّن سِجِّيلٍۢ

Tarmeehim bihijaaratim min sijjeel

Striking them with stones of hard clay,

  فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصْفٍۢ مَّأْكُولٍۭ

Faja ‘alahum ka’asfim m’akool

And He made them like eaten straw.” [surah al-Fil]

 Here is the tafsir of the surah:

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَـبِ الْفِيلِ

“Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the Owners of the Elephant?”

Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala begins this Surah by saying, “Have you not seen..” because its direct address is not only to Rasoolullah sallalahu aalyhi wa sallam, but also to the Quraysh and other people of the entire Arabia. These were the people who had witnessed with their own eyes the event of the destruction of the people of the elephant, for it had occurred only about forty to forty-five years earlier, and the people of Arabia had continually heard it described by the eye-witnesses themselves so that they had become so certain of it as though they had seen it with their own eyes.

 أَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ كَيْدَهُمْ فِى تَضْلِيلٍ

“Did He not make their plot go astray?”

The word kayd is used for a secret plan meant to harm somebody. The question is, what was the secret in this case? Sixty thousand troops together with several elephants had openly come from Yemen to Makkah, and they had kept no secret that they had come to destroy the Ka`abah.

Therefore, there was nothing secret about this plan. However, what was secret was the motive of the Abyssinians. They by destroying the Ka`abah, crushing down the Quraysh, and intimidating the Arabians, wanted to take control of the trade route that led from south Arabia to Syria and Egypt. This motive they kept hidden, and instead proclaimed their intent that they wanted to destroy the Ka`abah, the principal House of Arab worship, in retaliation for the pollution of their cathedral by the Arabs.

 وَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ طَيْراً أَبَابِيلَ – تَرْمِيهِم بِحِجَارَةٍ مِّن سِجِّيلٍ

“And He sent against them birds, in flocks (Ababil). Striking them with stones of Sijjil.”

Ababil means many separate and scattered groups whether of men or other creatures, which come from different sides successively. ‘Ikrimah and Qatadah say that these swarms of birds had come from the Red Sea side. Sa`id bin Jubair and ‘Ikrimah say that such birds had neither been seen before nor ever after; these were neither birds of Najd, nor of Hijaz, nor of Timamah (the land between Hijaz and the Red Sea).

lbn ‘Abbas says that their beaks were like those of birds and claws like the dog’s paw. ‘Ikrimah has stated that their heads were like the heads of the birds of prey, and almost all the reporters are agreed that each bird carried a stone in its beak and two stones in its claws. So the people of Makkah had these stones preserved with them for a long time.

Thus, Abu Nu`aim has related a statement of Naufal bin Abi Mu`awiyah, saying that he had seen the stones which had been thrown on the people of the elephant; they equaled a small pea seed in size and were dark red in color. According to Ibn `Abbas’s tradition that Abu Nu`aim has related, they were equal to a pine kernel, and according to Ibn Marduyah, equal to a goat’s dropping. Obviously, all the stones might not be equal but differing in size to some extent.

 Ibn Hisham said, “Al-Ababil are the groups, as the Arabs do not speak of just one (bird).” He also said, “As for As-Sijjil, Yunus An-Nahwi and Abu `Ubaydah have informed me that according to the Arabs, it means something hard and solid.” He then said, “Some of the commentators have mentioned that it is actually two Persian words that the Arabs have made into one word. The two words are Sanj and Jil, Sanj meaning stones, and Jil meaning clay. The rocks are of these two types: stone and clay.”

فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصْفٍ مَّأْكُولٍۭ

“And He made them like eaten straw”.

The word asf means the outer covering of seeds, which the farmer throws away after the grain has been separated from it. Then the animals eat it, and some of it falls down in the chewing and some is trampled under the hoofs. So the flocks of birds showered the army with stones and killed each of the individuals. In this ayah, Allah SWT gave the resemblance of their bodies with the husk of grain, which have been chewed by cattle.

Surah al fil written

Here’s the whole Surah:

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ”

Bismillah hir rahman nir Raheem

In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

 أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَـٰبِ ٱلْفِيلِ

Alam tara kaifa fa’ala rabbuka bi ashaabil feel

Have you not considered, [O Muhammad], how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant?

 أَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ كَيْدَهُمْ فِى تَضْلِيلٍۢ

Alam yaj’al kaidahum fee tadleel

Did He not make their plan into misguidance?

 وَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ طَيْرًا أَبَابِيلَ

Wa arsala ‘alaihim tairan abaabeel

And He sent against them birds in flocks,

 تَرْمِيهِم بِحِجَارَةٍۢ مِّن سِجِّيلٍۢ

Tarmeehim bihijaaratim min sijjeel

Striking them with stones of hard clay,

 فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصْفٍۢ مَّأْكُولٍۭ

Faja ‘alahum ka’asfim m’akool

And He made them like eaten straw.”

 

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