Examine the significance of the year of year of Elephant (570 C.E.)

Answer Details

The Year of the Elephant (Amul-Fil, about 570 C.E.) is the year in which Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) was born and in which Abrahah, the Abyssinian governor of Yemen, marched with an army led by elephants to destroy the Ka'bah in Makkah. Its significance is examined below.

1. Divine protection of the Ka'bah: Abrahah intended to demolish the Sacred House so that people would turn to his own church at San'a'. Allah destroyed his army with flocks of birds (Ababil) that pelted them with stones of baked clay, as recorded in Suratul-Fil (Q.105). This showed that the Ka'bah is under Allah's protection.
2. Birth of the Prophet: It marks the year of the birth of Muhammad (S.A.W.), the Seal of the Prophets, giving the event lasting importance in Islamic history.
3. Chronological landmark: The Arabs, who had no fixed calendar then, used the Year of the Elephant as a point of reference for dating other events.
4. Rise in the honour of the Quraysh: After the defeat of Abrahah, the Quraysh and the custodianship of the Ka'bah gained greater respect throughout Arabia.
5. Confirmation of Tawhid: The miraculous defeat of a powerful army reminded the Arabs of the might of Allah and prepared the ground for the message of monotheism the Prophet would later bring.
6. Lesson of humility: It teaches that no power, however great, can prevail against the will of Allah, and that arrogance leads to ruin.