The
Elephant

As we know Muhammad's grandfather was called 'Abd al-Muttalib,

and his family were the clan of Hashim in the tribe of the Quraish,

the richest and strongest tribe in Makkah and around.

'Abd al-Muttalib was one of the most powerful people in the tribe.

He was in charge of the well that gave water to the pilgrims who came to Makkah

to visit the Ancient House that had been built by Ibrahim and Isma'il.

And the pilgrims who came to visit Makkah brought with them money

to pay for their food and lodging, and souvenirs of their journey.

So the shopkeepers of Makkah became rich from their trade,

and the news of their wealth spread far and wide when the pilgrims left Makkah and returned home.

Now, to the south of Makkah in a town called San'a lived a man called Abraha,

who ruled over that part of the land in the name of the King of Abyssinia.

And when Abraha heard tales of the great wealth the pilgrims brought to Makkah he was jealous.

So he built a great big church in the town of San'a so that the pilgrims would go there instead of Makkah.

But even though the Ancient House in Makkah may not have been grand like a palace,

the pilgrims knew its history, and the story of those who built it.

So they kept on visiting Makkah every year and hardly anyone went to the new church in San'a.

This made Abraha really angry, so he gathered together a great army to capture Makkah and destroy the Ancient House.

And this army had soldiers marching and some riding horses or camels.

There were men with spears and men with swords, and at the front of the army there were men riding armoured elephants.

When Abraha and his army got close to Makkah they came across a herd of about 200 camels grazing,

which they captured before they made camp a short way outside of the town.

But the camels belonged to 'Abd al-Muttalib,

and when he heard they had been captured he went straight away to talk with Abraha.

When Abraha asked 'Abd al-Muttalib what he had come to discuss, 'Abd al-Muttalib said he wanted his 200 camels back.

At this, Abraha laughed and said

"Why do you want to talk about a few camels I have taken, but say nothing about the Ancient House of your religion which I am about to destroy?"

'Abd al-Muttalib said

"I am the owner of the camels, but the House has an Owner who can defend it better than I can, and will surely do so."

The next day, Abraha prepared his army for the march into Makkah to tear down the Ancient House, with his giant elephant Mahmud at the front taking the lead.

But when they tried to head towards Makkah Mahmud stopped and knelt down in the road and would not walk in that direction.

So Abraha's soldiers beat Mahmud the elephant with sticks,

but no matter how hard they tried to make him he would not walk towards Makkah,

but always turned away and tried to head back to San'a.

At this, the soldiers began to get a bit scared,

especially when they remembered what 'Abd al-Muttalib had said the day before

about the Owner of the House.

But worse was to come for Abraha and his army,

for when they looked up into the sky they saw it was becoming dark with the beating wings of great flocks of birds.

And as this strange gathering of birds flew overhead they began to drop stones that they held in their beaks and claws,

a rain of stones on the army below.

And Abraha saw that his soldiers and animals died when these stones hit them.

Very soon his army was shattered and scattered,

and by the time that those who survived had made their way back to San'a, Abraha was very sick and quickly died.

Now, when a great army led by elephants is beaten in a battle by flocks of birds dropping stones, that is a very strange event.

So strange, in fact, that the people of Makkah always remembered that year,

and they called it "The Year of the Elephant".

But very few of them noticed another event that year which would change their history forever.

For it was on the 12th day of the month of Rabi al-Awwal in the Year of the Elephant, that 'Abd al-Muttalib's grandson Muhammad was born.