Gems from the Holy Quran (Part 14)
Chapter 105 of the Holy Quran
by Mr. Mirza Abdur-Rahman Baig
The Light & Islamic Review (US), January/February 1997 Issue (Vol. 74, No. 1, p. 14)
اَلَمۡ تَرَ کَیۡفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّکَ بِاَصۡحٰبِ الۡفِیۡلِ ؕ﴿۱﴾ اَلَمۡ یَجۡعَلۡ کَیۡدَہُمۡ فِیۡ تَضۡلِیۡلٍ ۙ﴿۲﴾ وَّ اَرۡسَلَ عَلَیۡہِمۡ طَیۡرًا اَبَابِیۡلَ ۙ﴿۳﴾ تَرۡمِیۡہِمۡ بِحِجَارَۃٍ مِّنۡ سِجِّیۡلٍ ۪ۙ﴿۴﴾ فَجَعَلَہُمۡ کَعَصۡفٍ مَّاۡکُوۡلٍ ٪﴿۵﴾
“Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with the possessors of the elephant? Did He not cause their war to end in confusion, and send down (to prey) on them birds in flocks, casting against them hard stones, — so He rendered them like straw eaten up?” (The Holy Quran, Chapter 105)
This chapter shows that Allah was so jealous for the protection of the ageless House of God, the Kabah, a small building of stones, that He destroyed the most powerful army of Abraha, the viceroy at Yemen of the Christian king of Abyssinia, an army comprising of all manner of armaments, even huge elephants, but it was destroyed completely.
The Kabah was then in possession of the idol-worshipping Quraish who would merely ran away to save their lives! So, He, God Himself, took over its defence and destroyed the army of Abraha with a virulent disease like smallpox. It came with such severity that the invading army retreated in confusion and dismay, dispersing in complete disorder, losing their way and perishing in the valleys, while a part was swept away by floods. According to the orientalist Sir William Muir in his Life of Muhammad, this happened in the year 570 of the Christian era, coinciding with the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s birth.
When Abraha’s army was near and within striking distance of Makkah, Abdul Muttalib, the grandfather of the Holy Prophet, prayed thus, while leaning on the door of the Kabah:
“Defend, O Lord! Thine own House and suffer not the Cross to triumph over the Kabah!”
Then the whole population of Makkah repaired to the hills surrounding the city.