The Year of Elephant – JSS1 Islamic Studies Lesson Note (Second Term)

The Year of the Elephant is the year, about 570 CE, when Abraha’s army with elephants marched to destroy the Kaaba in Makkah and was destroyed by Allah, the same year Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. explain why the year is called the Year of the Elephant;
2. say who Abraha was and why he built the cathedral called Al-Qullays;
3. describe how Abraha’s army marched towards Makkah and how Abdul Muttalib responded;
4. describe how Allah protected the Kaaba, as mentioned in the Holy Quran;
5. state the importance of the Year of the Elephant and the lessons of Surah Al-Fil.

What are the key terms in this lesson?

These are the words students need to know before the story.

• Kaaba: the sacred House of Allah in Makkah.
• Abyssinia: the Christian kingdom across the Red Sea, in the area of modern Ethiopia.
• Cathedral: a large and important Christian church.
• Desecrate: to make a holy place unclean or show it disrespect.
• Plunder: goods and animals taken by force in war.
• Quraysh: the leading tribe of Makkah, who looked after the Kaaba.
• Ababil: flocks of birds sent by Allah against Abraha’s army.

Who was Abraha and why did he build Al-Qullays?

Abraha was the Abyssinian governor of Yemen who built a grand cathedral in Sanaa to draw Arabs away from the Kaaba.

What was Yemen like before the event?

• Location: Yemen is in the southwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula.
• Early rule: before Islam, different kingdoms ruled Yemen.
• Abyssinian control: around the 6th century CE, Christian Abyssinians crossed the Red Sea and conquered Yemen.

What did Abraha want?

• Religion: to spread Christianity in Arabia.
• Importance: to make Yemen more important than Makkah.
• Trade: to control the trade routes in Arabia.

What was Al-Qullays?

Al-Qullays was a huge cathedral that Abraha built in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen.

• Decoration: gold, silver, beautiful marble, expensive wood and colourful ornaments.
• Purpose: to replace the Kaaba as the most important religious site in Arabia.
• Plan: Arabs would make pilgrimage to Sanaa instead of Makkah.

What incident started the conflict?

The conflict began when Arabs, angry at Abraha’s plan, desecrated Al-Qullays, and Abraha swore revenge on the Kaaba.

What happened to the cathedral?

• Anger of the Arabs: they were very angry that Abraha wanted to replace the Kaaba.
• The act: according to some reports, a man from the tribe of Kinana went to Yemen and entered the cathedral at night.
• The insult: he entered without permission and defiled it with waste, showing disrespect to the Christian holy place.

How did Abraha react?

Abraha was extremely angry and made three promises.

• Revenge: to punish the insult to his cathedral.
• Destruction: to pull down the Kaaba in Makkah.
• Respect: to force the Arabs to honour his cathedral instead.

He then prepared a military campaign against Makkah.

How did Abraha march to Makkah?

Abraha marched north from Yemen with a large army that included war elephants, which Arabs had never seen in battle.

What was in Abraha’s army?

• Soldiers: thousands of men from Abyssinia and Yemen.
• Weapons: swords, spears and bows.
• Elephants: meant to terrify the Arabs. Some reports name one main elephant, Mahmud, while others say there were several.
• Supplies: food and equipment for the long journey.

What happened on the journey?

• Fighting: the army defeated some Arab tribes who tried to stop it.
• Plunder: it took camels and other animals.
• Fear: it spread fear among the tribes it met.

Who was Abdul Muttalib?

Abdul Muttalib was the grandfather of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the leader of the Quraysh.

• Role: he was in charge of the Kaaba at that time.
• Loss: near Makkah, Abraha’s soldiers captured 200 of his camels.

How did the Makkans respond?

Abdul Muttalib asked Abraha only for his camels, then told the Makkans to leave the city and trust Allah to protect the Kaaba.

What happened when Abdul Muttalib met Abraha?

1. Abdul Muttalib went to Abraha’s camp.
2. Abraha expected him to beg for the Kaaba to be spared.
3. Abdul Muttalib asked only for his camels to be returned.

Abraha was surprised and said: “I have come to destroy the House (Kaaba) which is the religion and glory of you and your fathers, and you only speak to me about your camels?”

Abdul Muttalib gave this famous reply: “I am the owner of the camels, and the Kaaba has its own Lord who will protect it.”

Why did the Makkans go to the mountains?

Abdul Muttalib advised the people of Makkah to do four things.

• Leave: go out of the city.
• Take refuge: stay in the surrounding mountains.
• Avoid battle: not fight such a powerful army.
• Trust: believe that Allah would protect His House.

The Makkans followed this advice and watched from the mountains.

How did Allah defend the Kaaba?

Allah defended the Kaaba by making the elephant refuse to advance and by sending birds that destroyed Abraha’s army.

What happened to the elephant?

When Abraha ordered the march on the Kaaba, the main elephant, Mahmud, knelt down.

• Other directions: it stood and walked normally if turned away from Makkah.
• Towards the Kaaba: it knelt again each time.
• Force: beating and poking could not make it move towards Makkah.
• Effect: the army became confused and worried.

Who were the birds of Ababil?

The birds of Ababil were flocks of birds that Allah sent to strike Abraha’s army with stones of baked clay.

• What they carried: small stones or pebbles in their beaks and claws.
• Effect of the stones: each stone struck a soldier and caused deadly wounds and sickness.
• Result: panic and confusion, with many soldiers dying and others fleeing.

What was the outcome?

Abraha’s army was defeated without the Makkans fighting at all.

• The army: most soldiers died, and survivors fled back towards Yemen.
• Abraha: reports say he was struck and died soon after.
• The Kaaba: it remained untouched.
• Lesson for the Arabs: Allah is the true protector of His House.

Why was the Year of the Elephant important?

The Year of the Elephant was important because it was the year of the Prophet’s birth, raised the honour of the Quraysh and became a reference point in Arab history.

Birth of Prophet Muhammad

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born in this same year. Muslims see it as a sign that:

• Preparation: Allah was preparing the way for His final Prophet.
• Defeat of old powers: the old powers and religions were being defeated.
• New era: a new era was about to begin in Arabia.
• The Kaaba: it would later be cleansed of idols and restored to the worship of One God.

Increased respect for the Quraysh

• Honour: Arabs had greater respect for the Quraysh tribe.
• Sacred status: the Kaaba became more sacred in people’s eyes.
• Belief in Makkah: people believed more strongly in the special status of Makkah.
• Influence: the Quraysh gained more influence in trade and politics.

Historical marker

Arabs used the Year of the Elephant as a date marker, like BCE and CE today.

• Before: “so many years before the Year of the Elephant”.
• After: “so many years after the Year of the Elephant”.

What is Surah Al-Fil?

Surah Al-Fil (Chapter 105 of the Quran) is the five-verse chapter that tells how Allah destroyed the people of the Elephant.

What does each verse say?

What are the lessons of Surah Al-Fil?

• Power of Allah: Allah has power over everything and can defeat the strongest armies.
• Sacred places: those who try to destroy or dishonour the sacred places of Allah will fail.
• Protection: Allah can step in directly to protect what is sacred.
• Pride: pride and military power cannot stand against Allah’s will.
• Small creatures: Allah can use small birds to defeat powerful enemies with elephants.
• Trust: like Abdul Muttalib, a believer should trust Allah and do what is right.

What is the evidence for the event?

The Year of the Elephant is recorded in the Quran and in early Muslim writings.

• The Holy Quran: Surah Al-Fil.
• History books: many books written by early Muslim scholars.
• Poetry: some pre-Islamic poetry mentions the event.

Evaluation

1. What year is known as the Year of the Elephant and why?
2. Why did Abraha decide to attack the Kaaba?
3. What was the response of Abdul Muttalib when he met Abraha?
4. How did Allah protect the Kaaba according to the Quran?
5. Why is the Year of the Elephant important in Islamic history?

Assignment

In your notebook, write a short account of the Year of the Elephant that answers these points:

1. The name of Abraha’s cathedral and why he built it.
2. What happened when Abraha’s elephant was turned towards Makkah.
3. Why the people of Makkah did not fight Abraha’s army.
4. The important person born in that year.
5. Write out Surah Al-Fil in English and give two lessons from it.