--- title: "The People of the Elephant: When God Protected His House | Islam Is Mercy" description: "Surah al-Fil recalls how Abraha's army marched on the Ka'bah and was destroyed, in the year the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born (c. 570 CE)." lang: en url: https://islamismercy.com/en/history/people-of-the-elephant/ --- 1. [Home](https://islamismercy.com/en/) 2. [History in the Qur’an](https://islamismercy.com/en/history/) 3. The People of the Elephant: When God Protected His House # The People of the Elephant: When God Protected His House Written by **Islam Is Mercy Editorial Team**· 4 min readAwaiting scholar review ## The short answer The People of the Elephant were the army of Abraha, a ruler in Yemen, who marched on Makkah to destroy the Ka'bah. Surah al-Fil (Qur'an 105) recalls how God defeated them with flocks of birds carrying stones. This happened in the Year of the Elephant, around 570 CE, the year in which the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born, and Surah Quraysh calls the people of Makkah to thank the Lord of that House. ## On this page 1. A House built for the worship of God 2. Abraha’s march 3. What the Qur’an says 4. Gratitude: the lesson of Surah Quraysh 5. What the story teaches Surah al-Fil, the Elephant, is one of the shortest chapters of the [Qur’an](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/quran/): just five verses. But when it was first recited in Makkah, its listeners did not need the story explained. Many of them had seen it happen, or had heard it from their parents. It was the event by which the Arabs of Makkah counted their years, and it happened in the same year that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born. ## A House built for the worship of God To understand why anyone would march on the [Ka’bah](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/kaaba/), we need to know what it meant. Muslims believe the Ka’bah in Makkah was raised by Abraham and his son Ishmael (peace be upon them) as a house for the worship of the One God. The Qur’an teaches that it is the oldest house of worship founded for people on earth: > إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍۢ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِى بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكًۭا وَهُدًۭى لِّلْعَٰلَمِينَ ﴿٩٦﴾ فِيهِ ءَايَٰتٌۢ بَيِّنَٰتٌۭ مَّقَامُ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ ۖ وَمَن دَخَلَهُۥ كَانَ ءَامِنًۭا ۗ وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ حِجُّ ٱلْبَيْتِ مَنِ ٱسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًۭا ۚ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَنِىٌّ عَنِ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ ﴿٩٧﴾ > 96Indeed, the first House \[of worship\] established for mankind was that at Makkah - blessed and a guidance for the worlds. 97In it are clear signs \[such as\] the standing place of Abraham. And whoever enters it shall be safe. And \[due\] to Allah from the people is a pilgrimage to the House - for whoever is able to find thereto a way. But whoever disbelieves - then indeed, Allah is free from need of the worlds. [Qur'an, Aal-i-Imraan 3:96-97](https://quran.com/3?startingVerse=96&translations=20)Saheeh International Abraham had settled part of his family in that barren valley and prayed for two things: that the place would be safe, and that its people would be provided for, so that they would be grateful: > وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَٰهِيمُ رَبِّ ٱجْعَلْ هَٰذَا ٱلْبَلَدَ ءَامِنًۭا وَٱجْنُبْنِى وَبَنِىَّ أَن نَّعْبُدَ ٱلْأَصْنَامَ ﴿٣٥﴾ رَبِّ إِنَّهُنَّ أَضْلَلْنَ كَثِيرًۭا مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ ۖ فَمَن تَبِعَنِى فَإِنَّهُۥ مِنِّى ۖ وَمَنْ عَصَانِى فَإِنَّكَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ ﴿٣٦﴾ رَّبَّنَآ إِنِّىٓ أَسْكَنتُ مِن ذُرِّيَّتِى بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِى زَرْعٍ عِندَ بَيْتِكَ ٱلْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ فَٱجْعَلْ أَفْـِٔدَةًۭ مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ تَهْوِىٓ إِلَيْهِمْ وَٱرْزُقْهُم مِّنَ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ ﴿٣٧﴾ > 35And \[mention, O Muhammad\], when Abraham said, "My Lord, make this city \[Makkah\] secure and keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols. 36My Lord, indeed they have led astray many among the people. So whoever follows me - then he is of me; and whoever disobeys me - indeed, You are \[yet\] Forgiving and Merciful. 37Our Lord, I have settled some of my descendants in an uncultivated valley near Your sacred House, our Lord, that they may establish prayer. So make hearts among the people incline toward them and provide for them from the fruits that they might be grateful. [Qur'an, Ibrahim 14:35-37](https://quran.com/14?startingVerse=35&translations=20)Saheeh International Keep those two blessings in mind, safety and provision, because the story ends with them. ## Abraha’s march By the sixth century CE, the Ka’bah was the great pilgrimage centre of Arabia, though the people of Makkah had filled it with idols. In Yemen to the south ruled Abraha, a commander who had come to power under the Christian kingdom of Aksum (in today’s Ethiopia and Eritrea). Abraha is a real historical figure, known to historians from inscriptions found in Yemen as well as from Arabic sources. According to the early Muslim biographers of the Prophet ﷺ, Abraha built a magnificent church in San’a and hoped to draw the Arab pilgrims away from Makkah to it. When this failed, he set out with a large army to destroy the Ka’bah. With the army came at least one war elephant, a terrifying sight in Arabia, which gave the campaign its name. The same sources tell a famous story. Abraha’s soldiers seized camels belonging to Abd al-Muttalib, the leader of Makkah and grandfather of the Prophet ﷺ. When Abd al-Muttalib came to Abraha, he asked only for his camels back. Abraha was surprised that he did not plead for the Ka’bah. Abd al-Muttalib is reported to have replied that he was the owner of the camels, and that the House had its own Lord who would protect it. The people of Makkah could not fight such an army, so they withdrew to the surrounding hills and waited. ## What the Qur’an says The Qur’an does not retell the details. It asks its listeners to remember what they already knew: > أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَٰبِ ٱلْفِيلِ ﴿١﴾ أَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ كَيْدَهُمْ فِى تَضْلِيلٍۢ ﴿٢﴾ وَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ طَيْرًا أَبَابِيلَ ﴿٣﴾ تَرْمِيهِم بِحِجَارَةٍۢ مِّن سِجِّيلٍۢ ﴿٤﴾ فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصْفٍۢ مَّأْكُولٍۭ ﴿٥﴾ > 1Have you not considered, \[O Muhammad\], how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant? 2Did He not make their plan into misguidance? 3And He sent against them birds in flocks, 4Striking them with stones of hard clay, 5And He made them like eaten straw. [Qur'an, Al-Fil 105:1-5](https://quran.com/105?startingVerse=1&translations=20)Saheeh International Abraha’s scheme failed completely. Flocks of birds pelted the army with stones of baked clay, and the mighty force was left like stalks of grain eaten by cattle. The early sources add that the great elephant refused to move towards the Ka’bah, and that the army broke apart and fled, and they report that Abraha himself was struck and died soon afterwards. A note on dates: Muslim tradition places these events in the year in which the Prophet ﷺ was born, commonly given as around 570 CE. Some modern historians, working from inscriptions in Yemen, discuss whether Abraha’s campaigns into Arabia should be dated somewhat earlier. Such questions about exact years do not change the heart of the story. The [surah](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/surah/) addressed people who had lived through these events or heard of them from eyewitnesses, and there is no report of Quraysh disputing what it recalled. ## Gratitude: the lesson of Surah Quraysh The very next surah in the Qur’an completes the thought: > لِإِيلَٰفِ قُرَيْشٍ ﴿١﴾ إِۦلَٰفِهِمْ رِحْلَةَ ٱلشِّتَآءِ وَٱلصَّيْفِ ﴿٢﴾ فَلْيَعْبُدُوا۟ رَبَّ هَٰذَا ٱلْبَيْتِ ﴿٣﴾ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَطْعَمَهُم مِّن جُوعٍۢ وَءَامَنَهُم مِّنْ خَوْفٍۭ ﴿٤﴾ > 1For the accustomed security of the Quraysh - 2Their accustomed security \[in\] the caravan of winter and summer - 3Let them worship the Lord of this House, 4Who has fed them, \[saving them\] from hunger and made them safe, \[saving them\] from fear. [Qur'an, Quraish 106:1-4](https://quran.com/106?startingVerse=1&translations=20)Saheeh International Because their city and its House had been protected, the tribe of Quraysh enjoyed security and respect throughout Arabia. Their trading caravans travelled south in winter and north in summer in safety, and their city prospered. The Qur’an points out the obvious conclusion: if this safety and food came from the Lord of this House, then He alone deserves their worship. Here the two blessings of Abraham’s prayer, safety and provision, return. God answered Abraham’s prayer over many centuries, and then asked the people who enjoyed its fruits to show gratitude. ## What the story teaches First, God protects what is His. The people of Makkah could not defend the Ka’bah, and at that time they did not even worship God alone. Yet He protected the House, because it had been built for His worship and because of what was coming: in that same year a child was born in Makkah who would restore the House to the worship of the One God. Second, power is not the same as victory. Abraha had soldiers and elephants. The Qur’an reduces all of it to straw. The pattern repeats across the Qur’an’s stories: arrogance that sets itself against God does not last. Third, blessings call for gratitude. Every safe journey and every meal is a gift, and the right response is to turn to the Giver. To read more, see [Why Does Islam Put So Much Emphasis on Gratitude?](https://islamismercy.com/en/views/gratitude-in-islam/) and [The Life of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ](https://islamismercy.com/en/prophets/life-of-prophet-muhammad/). ## Key takeaways - Abraha marched on Makkah with an army and elephants to destroy the Ka'bah, and God destroyed his army instead. - The Year of the Elephant, around 570 CE, is the year in which the Prophet ﷺ was born, according to the most widely held view. - God protected His House even when its guardians were too weak to defend it. - Surah Quraysh turns the story into a call for gratitude: worship the One who gave you food and safety. ## Share this article [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/?text=The%20People%20of%20the%20Elephant%3A%20When%20God%20Protected%20His%20House%20https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fhistory%2Fpeople-of-the-elephant%2F)[Telegram](https://t.me/share/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fhistory%2Fpeople-of-the-elephant%2F&text=The%20People%20of%20the%20Elephant%3A%20When%20God%20Protected%20His%20House)[X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The%20People%20of%20the%20Elephant%3A%20When%20God%20Protected%20His%20House&url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fhistory%2Fpeople-of-the-elephant%2F)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fhistory%2Fpeople-of-the-elephant%2F) ## Sources - [Qur'an, Aal-i-Imraan 3:96-97](https://quran.com/3?startingVerse=96&translations=20) - [Qur'an, Ibrahim 14:35-37](https://quran.com/14?startingVerse=35&translations=20) - [Qur'an, Al-Fil 105:1-5](https://quran.com/105?startingVerse=1&translations=20) - [Qur'an, Quraish 106:1-4](https://quran.com/106?startingVerse=1&translations=20) ## Talk to a Muslim Have a question that isn't answered here? Ask a real person — no pressure, no judgement. [Ask your question](https://islamismercy.com/en/talk/) [The Journey](https://islamismercy.com/en/journey/)·Chapter 21 of 26·Muhammad ﷺ, the final messenger [Previous chapter**The People of the Ditch: Faith Under Fire**](https://islamismercy.com/en/history/people-of-the-ditch/)[Next chapter**The Life of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: A Short Biography**](https://islamismercy.com/en/prophets/life-of-prophet-muhammad/) ## Keep reading [Stories of the Prophets ### The Life of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: A Short Biography A short biography of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ — from orphan in Makkah to the first revelation, years of persecution, the move to Madinah and his farewell. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/prophets/life-of-prophet-muhammad/)[Islam's View On… ### Why Does Islam Put So Much Emphasis on Gratitude? Gratitude (shukr) is at the heart of Islamic faith. Learn what the Qur'an says about thankfulness to God and to people, and how gratitude increases blessings. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/views/gratitude-in-islam/)[Stories of the Prophets ### Abraham (Ibrahim): Friend of God How the Qur'an tells the story of Abraham — his search for God, his stand against idols, the Kaaba he built with Ishmael, and his great test. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/prophets/prophet-abraham/)[History in the Qur’an ### History in the Qur'an: Why It Tells the Stories of Nations Why the Qur'an tells the stories of past nations as lessons rather than a chronicle, and the patterns that repeat across every story. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/history/history-in-the-quran/)