The Narration of Quraysh and Tubba's Encounter

God, in His exalted state, sent a message to the Quraysh, through a messenger that came following Tubba. The messenger reported from Yemen that a fire had been sent upon it, consuming everything it encountered. Tubba quickly set out, joined by a group of Jews, including some from the tribe of Benjamin.

The Prophecy and Departure

In his poetry, Tubba spoke of receiving advice, which urged him to distance himself from a city associated with Muhammad. Tubba then embarked on his journey, until he reached Duff from Jumadan, two nights away from Mecca. At this location, he was approached by a group from the tribe of Hudhayl bin Mudrikah.

A Scheme and Its Consequences

The tribe proposed to lead Tubba to a house filled with gold, rubies, and splendidly carved jade. He enthusiastically agreed, set on demolishing the house and seizing the riches. However, as he set about this scheme, God sent a wind upon him that paralyzed his hands and feet, causing his body to contort gruesomely. In desperate need, Tubba sent for his Jewish companions, querying what had befallen him.

Discovering the Truth

His companions asked him if he had done something to bring this fate upon himself, and discovered his plan to demolish the house and extract its riches. They revealed to him that this house was the Sacred House of God, and whoever sought to harm it would meet a bitter end. Bewildered and frightened, Tubba inquired about how he could escape this predicament.

The Path to Redemption

The Jews advised him to make amends by circulating around the Sacred House, draping it, and making offerings. Tubba took it to heart and God released him from his affliction. Tubba then journeyed until he reached Mecca, where he made rounds around the Kaaba, raced between Safa and Marwa, and, in a dream, he was instructed to cloak the Kaaba, which he did.

The Conclusion of His Journey

The narration further mentions Tubba's successful execution of a sacrifice in Mecca and his provision of food for the people. He finally returned to Yemen, where he was eventually killed. His son, Daws, fled to Caesar and sought his help concerning the actions of his people due to his father's demise.

The Story of the Abyssinians and the Du’a of Abdul Muttalib

Once, two parts of a huge rock were being thrown, one after the other, as one rock would be cast down and another would appear. Whenever any rock from those touched a stomach it would pierce it, and upon any bone, it would bruise and bore it. Abu Yaksum was returning when he was hit by some of these rocks. So whenever he returned to land a chunk of him was left behind, until he reached Yemen and there was nothing left from him except his camel driver.

Finally, when he reached his destination, his chest cracked open, his stomach split, and he perished. No harm came to any of the Khatam and Ashari tribe members.

The tribes narrated the incident in verses of poetry. Abdul Muttalib stood shivering and calling upon God against the Abyssinians, saying: "O Lord, I expect nothing but Your protection...O Lord, protect me from their intrusion. The enemy of the House is Your enemy...They indeed cannot overcome Your power."

Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar said, as I narrated, about the incident involving Abdul Muttalib and Abrahah.

Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Hafiz told us the story, word by word. He said: Abu Zakaria al-Anbari narrated to us. He said: Muhammad ibn Abd al-Salam narrated to us. He said: Ishaq ibn Ibrahim narrated to us. He said Jarir narrated to us. He quoted from Qabus bin Abi Dhubyan from his father, who quoted from Ibn Abbas, who said...

Notations:

• In "s": "pierced".
• In "s" and "h": "he perished".
• It is not in "h".
• In "h": "Ahmed - may God have mercy on him - said".
• The narration was recounted by Ibn Hisham in "Al-Sirah" (1: 49-51), and The Signs of Prophethood by Abu Nu’aym (100-108), and Hafidh Ibn Kathir in "Al-Bidaya wal Nihaya" (2: 170-176), and is well-known in the books of Tafseer regarding Surah Al-Fil.
• It is not in "s".

The Story of the People of the Elephant

The people of the elephant approached, and when they neared Mecca, they were received by Abdul Muttalib. He asked their king: "Why have you come to us? Could you not have sent for us to bring whatever you desired?" The king responded: "I was informed about this sacred house, which no one enters except in peace, so I came to scare its people". Abdul Muttalib replied: "We will bring you whatever you desire, please return home". Yet, the king insisted on entering the Kaaba, and started moving towards it. Abdul Muttalib stepped aside, standing on a hill, and exclaimed: "I will not bear witness to the destruction of this sacred house and its people".

Abdul Muttalib’s Prayer

Then, he prayed: “O Allah! Every god has believers who prevent their god's boundaries from being violated. So, prevent Yours. They will never overwhelm your bounds...”

Arrival of the Bird Flock

Suddenly, cloud-like formations appeared from the direction of the sea, casting their shadows over them. These were flocks of "ababil" birds, which God Almighty says pelted them with stones of baked clay. And so, their elephant began to tumble, reducing them to 'eaten straw'.

There is a longer version of this story with missing parts in the chain of narration. However, what we have mentioned here is sufficient for our purpose.

The Hadith of Abdullah bin Abbas

This story was narrated to us by Abi Abdillah Al Hafiz, who got it from Abi Al Abbas: Muhamad bin Yaqoob, who in turn got it from Ahmad bin Abdil Jabbar. Yunus bin Bukair told it to Ahmad, who had heard it from Abdullah bin Awn, who heard it from Muhammad bin Sireen, who heard it from Abdullah bin Abbas concerning His Almighty saying ‘And He sent against them birds in flocks, throwing them with stones…’. He said: ‘These birds possessed trunks much like trunks…’.

(There is a correction applied here and then some citation details about the report).

An Account of the Elephant

From the sea, as if they were kites, each bird had three perforated stones; one in its beak, and two in its legs. Then they came until they were hovering above their heads. Then they shrieked, and they cast what was in their legs and beaks, so that no stone fell from them on a man but it passed through the other side: if it fell on his head it would come out from his backside, and if it fell on any part of his body it would come out from the other side. Allah sent a severe wind, which blew them, increasing their severity and utterly destroying all.

The Narrative of the Event

It’s informed to us by Ali bin Ahmad bin Abdan, reporting from Ahmed bin Ubaid, who narrated from Abu Imran Al-Tustari, who reported from Abdullah bin Muawiyah Al-Jumahi, who narrated from Thabit bin Yazid, who reported from Hilal bin Khabbab, from Ikrimah, from Ibn Abbas, who said:

The companions of the Elephant came until they reached Al-Sifaah, where Abdul Muttalib, the grandfather of the prophet, peace be upon him, came to them. He said, "This is the house of Allah, the Exalted. Allah has never allowed anyone to dominate it."

They said, "We will not return until we have demolished it." They would not lead their elephants, except they lagged behind. Then Allah brought forth the Ababeel birds, and gave them black stones covered with clay. When they approached them, they hurled the stones at them, leaving no one behind without taking a hit. Every person they hit would scratch their skin and their flesh would fall off.

Hadith Transmission from Baghdaad

We were informed by Abu Al-Hussein bin Bishran Al-Adl, Baghdad, who said: Abu Al-Hasan: Ali bin Hasan Al-Misri [(264)], told us that Mohammad bin Ismail Alsulami told him, who said: I was told by Abu Salih who was informed by Al-Laith, who heard from Abdulrahman bin Khalid bin Musafir[(265)], from Ibn Shihab from Mohammad bin Urwah, from Abdullah bin Zubair, that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, "Indeed, Allah named the house 'Al-Ateeq' because Allah, the exalted, freed it from the tyrants, so no oppressor prevailed over it ever."[(266)]

Hafiz's Transmission

We are informed by Abu Abdullah the Hafiz, who said: Abu Al-Abbas Mohammed bin Ya'qoob told us that Ahmed bin Abduljabbar told him, who reported as being informed by Yunus bin Bukayr, from Mohammed bin Is'haq, who reported: I was told by Abdullah bin Abi Bakr bin Hazm [(267)], from Amrah bint Abdulrahman bin As'ad bin Zurarah, from Ayshah, the wife of the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "I have seen the leader of the Elephant and his wife, both blind and immobile, begging in Mecca [(268)]."

Hadith Notes and References

• [(263)] In (H) and (S): "Informed us".
• [(264)] In (H): "Al-Basri".
• [(265)] In (H): Abdulrahman bin Khalid from Ibn Musafir.
• [(266)] This hadith is mentioned by Tirmidhi in his book of Tafsir, Tafsir Surah Al-Hajj (5:324). Abu Eesa said: "This hadith is good and authentic", and it was also mentioned by Al-Hakim in "Al-Mustadrak" (2:389), who said: "This Hadith is authentic by the condition of Bukhari, and they did not expose it".
• [(267)] In (H): Hazm, typo.
• [(268)] The news is in Ibn Hesham's Seerah (1:59): "Begging from people," and it was transferred by Hafiz Ibn Kathir in "The Beginning and The End" (2:174).