Who Built the Ka’ba and Who Wanted to Destroy it

This Ka’bah is Allah’s House built by Ibrahim and his son Isma’eel. While raising the foundations of the House, they were saying (meaning of which is): {Our Lord accept [this service] from us. Verily You are the All Hearer, the All Knower} [Al-Baqarah: 127]. This House, Abrahah wanted to invade it from Yemen. So, he invaded it with a large army led by a huge elephant with the purpose of destroying the Ka’bah, the House of Allah. When he came close to the Ka’bah and got to a place called Al-Mugammas, the elephant stubbornly halted and refused to proceed. They began to force it to proceed to the Ka’bah, but it was obstinate. Whenever they directed it towards Yemen, it would gallop into action and quicken. They were held back and delayed. Thereupon, Allah sent huge flocks of Ababeel birds against them. Ababeel means: large groups; birds that were sent by Allah the Exalted. Each bird was carrying a stone it held with its legs with which it pelted each person; hitting his head and emerging from his anus: {And He made them like an empty field of stalk [of which its corn] has been eaten up [by the cattle]} (Al-Feel: 5); as if they were plants leftover by beasts, destroyed on the earth! And about that ‘Umayyah bin Assalt (a poet during pre-Islamic times) said: The elephant was withheld at al-Mugammas until it started to crawl as if it was wounded. So, Allah the Exalted protected His House against the evil plots of this wicked king who had come to destroy Allah’s House. Allah the Exalted said (meaning of which is): {And whosoever inclines to evil actions therein or to do wrong (i.e., practice polytheism and leave Islamic monotheism), him We shall cause to taste from a painful torment} [Hajj: 25]. And towards the Last Hour, a people with a huge army will attack the Ka’bah. “...and when it reaches a desert land” i.e., a wide expanse land, Allah will cause the earth to swallow the first and last of them. The earth will swallow them together with their markets and every person in their company. This contains evidence that they will be a mighty army owing to the fact that they will have their markets along with them for the purposes of buying, selling, and other things. Allah will cause the earth to swallow the first and last of them!