Have you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم not seen how your Lord dealt with the Owners of the Elephant? [The elephant army which came from Yemen under the command of Abrahah Al-Ashram intending to destroy the Ka'bah at Makkah].
2.
''Alam yaj-'al kaydahum fi tadlilin
Did He not make their plot go astray?
3.
Wa-''arsala 'alayhim tayran "ababila
And sent against them birds, in flocks,
4.
Tarmihim bi-hijaratinm min sijjilin
Striking them with stones of Sijjil (baked clay).
5.
Faja-'alahum ka'asfinm ma" kulin
And He made them like (an empty field of) stalks (of which the corn has been eaten up by cattle).
When Abdul Mu'tallib made the du'a (prayer) to Allah, he saw flocks/herds of birds flying from the direction of Yemen (interestingly because the army of Abraha also came from Yemen).
He then said; wallahi inaha la tayrun ghareeba, ma hiyya bi najdiyya wa la tah-hamiyyah, - I swear by Allah, these are strange birds, they are not from Najd, nor are they from Tahhaam.
Each bird carried 3 stones, two in its feet claws, and one in its beak.
Then the stone that would land - would land on a person and hit their head and come out from the other side.
Abu Ubayda said: Ababeel - multiple groups of different kinds (species).
It is said; the horses (or birds?) came herds upon herds from many different directions.
an-Nuhaas (a great arabic grammarian in our Islamic history) said: The reality is that they are huge awesome flocks of many different kinds of birds / species.
They were coming from every part of the sky - so it was very dark in the sky.
The arabs had an amazing imagination, with picturesque poetry. This is proven through their literature because they lived in a plain desert. So they needed to put colour and description in their lives through their media - poetry.
It was said; They were green birds coming from the oceans.
Allah might not want us to see what He did, but How He did it (kayfa).
Weightless birds destroyed an army of Elephants?
How can Allah use birds destroy an army?
Why did Allah say; arsala 'Alayhim(sent Upon them) and not; arsala Ilayhim (sent To them).
The word 'Ala shows Superiority and and Domination and wreaking havoc on someone and imposing oneself on them.
And this is why Allah says when punishing people; aRsala 'Alayhim (sent Upon them) - showing His domination over them.
Until when We have opened upon them [علي alayhim] a door of severe punishment, immediately they will be therein in despair. [Mu'minum 23:77]
fa arsalna 'alayhim tayran abaabeel - so We sent Upon them birds in flocks.
So we see Allah says 'Ala (upon) when sending punishment to show Power from above.
But when He sends a Messenger, He mentions Ilaa إلى (to). (il-laa fir'awn.. - quran)
So we see that Moses was sent as a Mercy, if he was sent as a punishment - Allah would say 'alaa fir'awn.
at-Tabari: And your Master sent upon them birds of different natures, one kind would follow behind another kind.
ababeel - in herds/flocks/packs. There is no singular for this word. Flocks upon flocks of birds, scores upon scores.
Tayr - used as a collective/plural noun = All kinds of birds. (in comparison to tayoor which would be many birds only) Tayran implies ALL kinds of birds.
Adding tanween on it - TayraN - showing they were many birds of different kinds and to terrify.
Because tanween is done to Terrorise (in Nasab form [fat-ha/zabar form] - TayrAN). TayrAN! Terror. All birds! Exclamation.
This exclamation of tanween which had guided shooting stones - they did not hit you. But you were there - what if they had hit you?
Similar words are; shammaateet شماتة abbaadeed
and others.
Ibn Hashim: the arabs never used a singular word for Abaabeel (flocks).
Ibn Abbas and ad-Dahhak: Abaabeel refers to groups that follow one after the other.
Hasan al Basri and Qatadah: Ababeel refers to many and many.
Mujahid: they are dispersed (in their species), continuous and unified in one place.
Ibn Zayd: they came from every direction and united.
Al Farraa': I did not hear the arabs use the single form of the word Ababeel ever.
This surah is a gift to the Messenger of Allah.
al Bica'i: Allah gives His Messenger gifts even before he was born. He protects this city, and He defended this holy House of worship for him, so he could clear the Holy house from idols and turn to it for prayer and the Muslims (a house originally built for Allah's worship alone by Prophet Ibraheem).
This newly found respect for Allah's Messenger.
We gain new respect of how Allah guards this house for Allah's Messenger (alam tara kayfa fa'ala Rabbuka - do you know how Your Lord [O Muhammad] - dealt with the companions of the elephant.
The arabs thought Allah had protected this house for them. But Allah firstly, had protected this house for His beloved final Messenger, Muhammad (sal Allah alayhi wasalam) - so he could revive the legacy of Ibraheem for mankind, and unite people to the worship of Allah alone.
Saudis retrace route of Abraha’s army
came to destroy Kaaba
Thursday 9 October 2014
A group of young Saudi history enthusiasts has retraced the path of the People of the Elephant who tried to destroy the Holy Kaaba centuries ago.
The Holy Qur’an, in a short chapter, briefly refers to the story of the army of elephants led by Abraha Al-Ashram, who was a governor of Yemen. God destroyed Abraha and his army that included 13 elephants, by sending flocks of birds that dropped small stones on them.
“There never fell a stone on a soldier except it dissolved his flesh and burst it into pieces … Abraha Al-Ashram fled while his flesh was bursting into pieces and died on the way back to Yemen,” said the 14th century scholar Ibn Kathir, an authentic Qur’an commentator.
During their tiring journey across mountains and rough terrain, the young Saudi men took photographs of important landmarks, beginning from north of Najran, to the east of Asir, and then east of Baha.
Some of the most important historical sites along the way included inscriptions of elephants on rocks in the Al-Qahr Mountain, southeast of Tathlith; an old well in Hafaer, east of Asir; and a paved road near Kara in Aqeeq principality in the Baha region.
Mohammed Al-Amry, head of the geology department at King Saud University, said he had seen the path of Abraha and his army in Tathlith and Baha. “The army had passed the Arabian shield region comprising rocks and there were writings in the Humairiya language on some mountains,” he said.
According to historical Islamic sources, Abraha, who was a Christian, had thought of building a church similar to the Kaaba in Sanaa. He wanted the Arabs to perform the pilgrimage in Sanaa instead of Makkah, with the intention of diverting trade and benefits to Yemen. He presented the idea to the then king of Ethiopia who agreed to it.
Abraha built the church but the Arabs refused to come for pilgrimage in Sanaa. This infuriated him, prompting him to form an army to invade Makkah and demolish the Kaaba. He defeated all Arab armies on the way until he reached Makkah where he was attacked by the flocks of birds sent by the Almighty.
From a book recently posted on the forum - a fascinating read - Looking into the eye of dajjaal-ml ridhwan kajee.pdf Please note, this book is over 400 pages, caution if clicked using limited data on mobile devices.
The ‘New Jerusalem’ During the era of the eastern empires, the land of Jerusalem with Al-Aqsa at its centre, was the known capital of spirituality for the world, and thus the obvious target of the satanic empires around it. The Ambiya عليهم السلام of the Banu-Israel had however informed their people of another ‘new Jerusalem’ (Holy Land) that shall be, during the last era, the centre of spiritual light for the world.
Reference towards this ‘new Jerusalem’ can be found in the Bible till today, and any reader of the Bible blessed with an unbiased attitude shall admit that this ‘new Jerusalem’ refers to none other than the holy city of Makkah Mukarramah, with the Ka’bah at its
centre.
An example of the reference towards this city found in the present scriptures of the Christians and the Jews is what has been mentioned in the book ‘Psalms chapter 84.
After cursing those who had opposed the truth, this chapter commences with expressing praise upon a nation that shall one day rise, which shall continuously pass through the valley of Bakka (Makkah), on their way for the pilgrimage (Hajj). Through this nation, the name of Almighty Allâh shall be raised high in the entire world. Their pilgrimage shall be to a land in which birds are safe from hunters (the Haram); towards the house of the Lord (Ka’bah), in which a few moments spent is better than a thousand elsewhere Verses of the Bible indicating to the above, as found in the present translated scriptures, shall now be quoted, with a brief explanation after each verse. Obviously Christian translators have made every possible attempt to conceal the meaning of these verses, but then too, with a little effort, one is able to extract its true meaning.
How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!
- i.e. How wonderful is the house of the Lord (the Ka’bah), upon which the Graces (Tajalli) of His Divine Presence descend.
My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God!
- i.e. I am desirous of presenting myself at this wonderful court
Yea, the sparrow hath found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God.
- i.e. This is a land wherein even the sparrow has been granted protection from the hunter since hunting has been prohibited in The Haram. The prohibition for hunting is restricted only and only with the Haram, thus this verse can refer to no other site but the Haram. That the bird now enjoys a place close to the Divine Dwelling (The Ka’bah), that is evident when one witnesses the numerous birds residing within the Masjid and continuously flying around The Ka’bah.
Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee.
- i.e. Blessed are the thousands that shall worship in this Masjid
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
- i.e. Blessed are those coming for Hajj
Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.
- i.e. On their journey of Hajj they pass the valleys of Makkah. Almighty Allâh refers to Makkah Mukarramah in the Quraan as ‘Bakka’. Besides Makkah Mukarramah, no other place has been termed Bakka, thus Christian scholars find no alternative but to comment on this word as ‘location unknown’, whereas its location is indeed one of the most well-known spots on earth.
As for the spring in this land, it is nothing but the well of Zam-Zam, thus one finds some translating the verse as ‘Wherein God has taken out for them a blessed spring of water, which they make into wells’ With regards to the words ‘the rain (mawrah) also filleth the pool’ it is highly possible that ‘mawrah’ does not refer to rain, especially since certain verses indicate that Baca is a dry valley devoid of rain.
‘Mawrah’ most probably is what is today known as Mount Marwah, the mountain closest to the Ka’bah.
They go from strength to strength; every one of them in Zion appearethbefore God.
- i.e. As the pilgrims continue their journey they increase in spiritual strength, until finally they present themselves in front of their Lord, either at the Ka’bah, or at Arafah. ‘Zion’ here is a translation of ‘siyawn’. Zion is generally used to refer to Jerusalem, but since here clear indication has been made that in this ‘Zion’ sparrows too are safe from hunters, it is clear that it refers to the ‘new Jerusalem’ that shall arise during the era of the final Nabi , i.e. Makkah Mukarramah.
O Lord, God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah. Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand.
- i.e. A short while in worship in this Masjid is better than a thousand elsewhere, as is evident from the Ahadith.
I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
(End of Quote)
Like this there are numerous other passages of the Bible that make reference to the Ka’bah as the centre of spirituality, especially at the end of times, but what has been quoted thus far is more than sufficient for one blessed with understanding.
I updated my post and removed Abaabil. But the thread is about Allah sending the birds :)
Anyways, I just checked something.
Abaabil are called Swallows (mentioned in an earlier post). They are dark and vary slightly in colour like blueish black, black, browninsh, greenish etc from the top and with their wings closed, but once open, they appear white (some reddish white) from the bottom.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barn_Swallow/id
Not to be a party pauper but this is normal. Most times I been there I've seen same birds do that.
Also birds tend to circle around many objects I see them do it outside the pylong in front of my house. I think we read too much into these things sometimes. Few years ago whilst watchin these birds goin around kabah someone said look out of respect they never fly directly over the kabah. Nxt day i saw some fly directly over and one sittin on kabah. Il search my laptop to see if i can find the pic.
Ps why is the area nearest to kabah cordend off. I dnt see the sense. Either close entire masjid or open it all. Why is that area any more at risk of spreading corona then the inside or outer mataf?
I've seen birds flying around the kaba every time too.
But I don't always mention the other things I've seen, like: they directly fly over it, they sit on top of it and you will also find bird dropping on the kiswah occasionally. Sometimes, some things are better left unmentioned :) as long as our faith is safe and sound :)
But such stories and posts brings life back into those who have little faith or gives hope to those who worry for their loved ones and also the greatness of Allah.
I would disagree. I know many scholars allow it and as a friend said, for a true lover, any sign is good. I think mufti taqi mentioned something similar too but on the flip side can't those with weak emaan also go other way should this signs be not what they seem? Eg a emotional Muslim says hey look Islam is haq birds are doing tawaf. An athiest says hey look birds are going around xyz.
I agree on a personal level these signs can boost peoples imaan but shouldn't be shared. Let it be a personal experience
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
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, i.e. Makkah Mukarramah.
