The year of the elephant - Animals 1

THE ARMY OF ELEPHANTS1

Salaamun ‘alaykum Dear Children,All living things are under the command of Allah (s.w.t.) and in this story, we are going to learn about the birds that were sent from the sky to destroy the army of an evil tyrant oppressor. These very tiny birds have been mentioned in the Holy Qur’an in Surah al-Feel. Read along to find out more…

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Our Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) was born in ‘Aamul Feel which means “The Year of the Elephant.” In that year, the tyrant king of Habasha and his big army of elephants headed towards Masjid al-Haram in Makka

and destroy the Kaaba.

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to steal the Hajr al-Aswad

This was Makka…

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In those days, Makka was known for its trade because goods used to come from Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Abraha, the tyrant king had built a big temple in Habasha and had decorated it with gold and silver.

He wanted to steal the Hajr al Aswad so that people would come to his temple instead of going to the Kaaba. He did not realize that the Kaaba is the House of Allah.

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Abraha and his army surrounded Makka. They were determined to attack the Kaaba. The Makkans did not have the strength to defend the House of Allah that was built by Prophet Ibrahim (a.s.)

Abdul Muttalib advised the people to leave their homes and go to the mountainside and pray to Allah (s.w.t.) to help them.

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Abdul Muttalib, the grandfather of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.), went to meet Abraha because he wanted his camels back. Abraha expressed his surprise that Abdul Muttalib never asked anything about the Kaaba. In response, he told him that the owner of the Kaabah would take care of His house.

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“The Lord of the House will protect His House”

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Just before the final attack, the biggest elephant would not move any further, even though they tried very hard to push it.

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A large flock of birds each carrying stones in their beaks were sent down by Allah (s.w.t.) to destroy the army. The pebbles hit Abraha and his army. No one survived. A few men returned to Habasha to inform the people of the death of Abraha and his army.

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Abdul Muttalib and the people of Makka thanked Allah (s.w.t.). The birds of Ababeel returned to the skies.

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F. T. Jaffer