Army of Elephants

The following incident is mentioned in Surah Feel ofthe Holy Quran and
it happened during the period of the birth-year of Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him). Abraha Al-Ashram was thegovernor of Yemen on
behalf of the king of Ethiopia. He (Abrahah) thought to build a house
(like the Kabah at Makkah)in Sana (the capital of Yemen) and call the
Arabs to perform the pilgrimage there in Sana instead of the Kabah in
Makkah, withthe intention of diverting the trade and benefits from
Makkah to Yemen. He presented his idea to the king of Ethiopia who
agreed to it. So the house (church) was built and he named it
Al-Qullais; there was no church of its like atthat time. Then a man
from the Quraish tribe of Makkah came there and was infuriated by it,
so he relieved his nature (stools and urine) in it, soiled its walls
and went away. When Abrahah Al-Ashram saw that, he could not control
his anger and raised an army to invade Makkah and demolish the Kabah.
He had in that army thirteen elephants and amongst them was anelephant
called Mahmud which was the biggest of them. So that army proceeded
and none amongst the Arab tribes that faced them (fought against them)
but was killed and defeated, till it approached near Makkah. Then
there took place negotiations between Abrahah Al-Ashram and the chief
of Makkah (AbdulMuttalib bin Hashim, the grandfather of the Prophet),
and it was concluded that Abrahah would restore the camels of Abdul
Muttalib which hehad taken away, and then he (Abrahah) would
decidehimself as regards the Kabah. Abdul Muttalib ordered the men of
Makkah to evacuate the city and go to the top of the mountains along
with their wives and children incase some harm should come to them
from the invading oppressors. Then that army moved towards Makkah till
they reached valley Muhassir. While the army was marching towards
Makkah, in the middle of the valley, suddenly it was overtakenby
flocks of birds, flocks after flocks, air-raiding that army with small
stones slightly bigger thana lentil seed. There never fell a stone on
a soldier except it dissolved his flesh and burst it into pieces. So
they perished with a total destruction. Abrahah Al-Ashram fled away
while his flesh was bursting into pieces till he died on the way (back
to Yemen). Such was the victory bestowed by Allah,(the All-Majestic,
All-Powerful) to the people of Makkah and such was the protection
provided by Him for His House (Kabah in Makkah).

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Story :- Reward for Helping Others

Ibn Abbas narrated, Once I was in a state of itikaaf in the Prophet's
Mosque (Medina). A certain person came to me and sat down.I said to
him, 'O so and so, you look sad'. He said, 'Yesof course, o fraternal
brother of the Prophet. So-and-so has his due on me, and by the one
who lies in eternal peace in the grave (i.e. Prophet Muhammad), I am
not able to pay the debt' I said, 'Should I not talk to him about your
debt?' He said, 'You can do so if you like' There upon I put my shoes
on and went out of the mosque. The person asked him, 'Have you
forgotten the state you were in (i.e. itikaaf)?' I replied, 'Not at
all, but I have heard rom the one who lies in eternal peace in the
grave [saying this his eyes became filled with tears], said:
"One who moves to fulfill any need of his brother, and makes effort
for it, will find it better than itikaaf of ten years; and one who
performs itikaaf for one day for the pleasure of Allah, he will create
a distance of three ditches between him and the hell - and each ditch
has a width which lies between East and West, orbetween the heaven and
earth."
Source: Al Targhib Vol II p 272.
By the blessings of Allah, we are approaching another Ramadan. For
most of us, we feel a little taste of hunger during thismonth only.
But there are billions for whom it is a matter of daily life. Let us
get immense rewards by helping our needy brothers and sisters around
the world during this month of generosity.

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Story :- Better to Give

A young man, a student in one of the universities, was one day taking
a walkwith a Professor, who wascommonly called the student's friend,
from his kindness to those who waited on his instructions.
As they went along,they saw lying in the path a pair of old shoes,
which they supposed to belong to a poor man who was employed in a
field close by,and who had nearly finished his day's work.
The student turned to the professor, saying: "Let us play the man a
trick: we will hide his shoes, and conceal ourselves behind those
bushes, and wait to see his perplexity when hecannot find them."
"My young friend," answered the professor,"we should never amuse
ourselves at the expense of the poor. But you are rich, and may give
yourselfa much greater pleasure by means of this poor man. Put a coin
in each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch how this
affects him."
The student did so and they both placed themselves behind the bushes
close by. The poor man soon finished his work, and came across
thefield to the path where he had left his coat and shoes.
While putting on his coat he slipped his foot into one of his shoes,
but feeling something hard, hestooped down to feel what it was, and
found the coin. Astonishment and wonder were seen upon his
countenance. He gazed upon the coin, turned it around, and looked at
it again and again.
He then looked around him on all sides, but no person was to be seen.
He now put the money into his pocket, and proceeded to put on the
other shoe; but his surprise was doubled on finding the other coin.
His feelings overcame him;he fell upon his knees, looked up to the
heavens and uttered aloud a fervent thanksgiving in which he spoke of
his wifewho was sick and helpless,and his children without bread, whom
this timely bounty, from some unknown hand,would save from perishing.
The student stood there deeply affected, and his eyes filled with
tears."Now," said the professor, are you not much better pleased than
if you had played your intended trick?"
The youth replied, "You have taught me a lesson which I will never
forget. I feel now the truth of thesewords, which I never understood
before: "It's more blessed to give than to receive."
Abdullah bin Abbas (radi Allahu anhu) reported thatthe Prophet
(sallAllahu alaiyhi wassallam) said that encouraging good, prohibiting
evil, lifting the burden of the weak person and removing an offensive
thing from a path are all acceptable prayers to Allah.

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