Abraha’s Attack on the Kaaba

 Abraha’s Attack on the Kaaba

Abraha hated the Kaaba because it had become the most sacred place for all Arabs. People from every part of Arabia used to come to Makkah for worship, and the Quraysh earned money and respect from this. Abraha could not tolerate that the poor people of Makkah, without any king or government, had become the center of Arabia.

Before attacking, Abraha built a huge church in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, so that people would leave the Kaaba and come to his place instead. But this project failed completely. No one came, and people continued to visit the Kaaba. After this failure, Abraha was left with only one option: to destroy the Kaaba.

Abraha was not born in a royal family. He was originally a slave of a small businessman from the Roman Empire. The main conflict was between Yemen and Abyssinia. Yemen was ruled by Jews, and Abyssinia was Christian. First, the Jews attacked and caused destruction in Christian areas, which angered the Roman Empire. At that time, Christians were the superpower. Rome helped their Christian brothers in Abyssinia and sent their slave Abraha with a large army. He destroyed the Jewish kingdom in Yemen.

After this victory, Abraha became very powerful and separated Yemen from Abyssinia. The king of Abyssinia got angry and sent an army against him. But instead of fighting, the soldiers killed their own general and joined Abraha. This made Abraha the ruler.

Abraha then thought, “If Makkah has a Kaaba, I will also build something better.” He built a great church in his capital, decorated with jewels and treasures, the most beautiful building in Arabia. But still, people ignored it and continued to go to the Kaaba. After spending so much money and effort, when he failed, Abraha decided to gather 60,000 soldiers and attack the Kaaba.

Historical sources mention that Abraha was a great ruler, but there was no clear record of his journey to Makkah. However, recent findings of Jewish inscriptions mention that he attacked a place and was defeated badly. Many historians now believe that this was the attack on Makkah, where Abraha brought elephants with him.

When Abraha reached near Makkah, some tribes tried to fight, but he told them he didn’t want bloodshed, only to destroy the Kaaba. He also seized some camels belonging to Abdul Muttalib, the chief of Quraysh. When Abdul Muttalib came to him, he asked only for his camels back. Abraha laughed and said, “I thought you were brave, but you only care for your camels?” Abdul Muttalib replied, “I am the owner of my camels. The Kaaba has its own Lord who will protect it.”

The next day, Abraha ordered his army to attack, but the lead elephant refused to move. At that moment, birds appeared from the sky, each carrying a stone. These birds had never been seen before or after that day. They dropped the stones on Abraha’s army, and whoever was hit started scratching their flesh until even bones became visible. The army was destroyed, and Abraha’s 60,000 soldiers were finished.

The news of Quraysh’s victory spread across Arabia. People started coming to Makkah in even greater numbers for pilgrimage, and Quraysh’s wealth grew rapidly. In the same year, a child was born in Makkah — his name was Muhammad (peace be upon him).