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In <strong>the</strong> Name <strong>of</strong> Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful(19)Owners <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> ElephantAllah <strong>the</strong> Almighty says:{Have you (0 Muhammad (Peace be upon him)) not seen how yourLord dealt with <strong>the</strong> owners <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Elephant? [The Elephant army whichcame from Yemen under <strong>the</strong> command <strong>of</strong> Abraha Al-Ashram intendingto destroy <strong>the</strong> Ka`bah at Makkah]. Did He not make <strong>the</strong>ir plot goastray? And He sent against <strong>the</strong>m birds, in flocks. Striking <strong>the</strong>m withstones <strong>of</strong> Sijjil (baked clay). And He made <strong>the</strong>m like (an empty field onstalks (<strong>of</strong> which <strong>the</strong> corn has been eaten up by cattle)}. (Al-Pil, 1-5)At -Tabari said: The first one to tame elephants was Ifridun Ibn Athqiyan whokilled Ad- Dahhaq. He was <strong>the</strong> first to use saddle for horses. But, <strong>the</strong> first one totame and ride on horses was Tahmuris, <strong>the</strong> third king on earth. It is also saidthat Isma'il Ibn Ibrahim (Peace be upon <strong>the</strong>m) was <strong>the</strong> first to ride horses. It isprobably that he was <strong>the</strong> first one to ride on <strong>the</strong>m from among <strong>the</strong> Arabs, andAllah knows <strong>the</strong> best.It is said: Though <strong>the</strong> elephant is so huge, he fears from cats. Thereupon,some warlords, during <strong>the</strong>ir fight against <strong>the</strong> Indians, brought some cats to <strong>the</strong>battlefield <strong>the</strong> matter that forced <strong>the</strong> elephants to bolt.Ibn Ishaq said: <strong>the</strong> governor or viceroy, Abraha Al-Ashram built a huge andvery l<strong>of</strong>ty churcb, and wrote to <strong>the</strong> king <strong>of</strong> Abyssinia, Negus that "I have builtyou a church that is unprecedented, and I am intending to divert pilgrimage fromMecca to Abyssinia " .Al-Suhaili said: Abraha Al-Ashram subjugated <strong>the</strong> Yemenites to build thatmean church and forced <strong>the</strong>m to taste several sorts <strong>of</strong> humiliation. He used tocut <strong>of</strong>f <strong>the</strong> hand <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> one who comes late for labor till <strong>the</strong> sun rises. He tookmany valuable things from <strong>the</strong> palace <strong>of</strong> Bilqis to add <strong>the</strong>reto. He took marbles,precious stones, and valuable luggage. Moreover, he erected gold and silvercrosses, built ebony and ivory pulpits, and raised <strong>the</strong> church's stature andexpanded its width. Afterwards, when Abraha was killed, whosoever tried to takeanything out <strong>of</strong> its body or ornaments, <strong>the</strong> Jinn were reluctant and hesitant to dohim harm. For, it was built above <strong>the</strong> burial <strong>of</strong> two idols called Ku'aib and hiswife, <strong>the</strong> height <strong>of</strong> which was about sixty cubits. So, <strong>the</strong> Yemenites left ituntouched till <strong>the</strong> era <strong>of</strong> Al-Saffah, <strong>the</strong> first Abbaside Caliph. He, Al-Saffah, sent agroup <strong>of</strong> pious scholars <strong>of</strong> will firm who totally demolished it, and it wasdestroyed <strong>the</strong>n till <strong>the</strong> present day.www.islambasics.com
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