Editing Mecca (section)

====Year of the Elephant (570)====
The "[[Year of the Elephant]]" is the name in [[Islam]]ic history for the year approximately equating to 570–572, when, according to Islamic sources such as [[Ibn Ishaq]], [[Abraha]] descended upon Mecca, riding an elephant, with a large army after building a [[Church (building)|cathedral]] at [[Sanaa|San'aa]], named ''al-Qullays'' in honor of the [[Negus]] of [[Axum]]. It gained widespread fame, even gaining attention from the [[Byzantine Empire]].<ref name="Hajjah" /> Abraha attempted to divert the pilgrimage of the Arabs from the Ka'bah to al-Qullays, effectively converting them to Christianity. According to Islamic tradition, this was the year of [[Muhammad]]'s birth.<ref name="Hajjah">{{cite book |last=Hajjah Adil |first=Amina |title=Prophet Muhammad |url=https://archive.org/details/muhammadmessenge0000adil |year=2002 |publisher=[[Islamic Supreme Council of America|ISCA]] |isbn=1-930409-11-7 |url-access=registration}}</ref> Abraha allegedly sent a messenger named Muhammad ibn Khuza'i to Mecca and [[Tihamah]] with a message that al-Qullays was both much better than other houses of worship and purer, having not been defiled by the housing of idols.<ref name="Hajjah" /> When Muhammad ibn Khuza'i got as far as the land of [[Banu Kinanah|Kinana]], the people of the lowland, knowing what he had come for, sent a man of [[Banu Hudhayl|Hudhayl]] called ʿUrwa bin Hayyad al-Milasi, who shot him with an arrow, killing him. His brother Qays who was with him, fled to Abraha and told him the news, which increased his rage and fury and he swore to raid the Kinana tribe and destroy the Ka'bah. Ibn Ishaq further states that one of the men of the [[Quraysh]] tribe was angered by this, and going to Sana'a, entering the church at night and defiling it; widely assumed to have done so by [[defecation|defecating]] in it.<ref name="DACB">[http://www.dacb.org/stories/ethiopia/_abraha.html "Abraha."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113213718/http://www.dacb.org/stories/ethiopia/_abraha.html|date=13 January 2016}} ''Dictionary of African Christian Biographies''. 2007. (last accessed 11 April 2007)</ref><ref name="Muller">Müller, Walter W. (1987) [http://www.yemenweb.com/info/_disc/0000002c.htm "Outline of the History of Ancient Southern Arabia"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010075912/http://www.yemenweb.com/info/_disc/0000002c.htm|date=10 October 2014}}, in Werner Daum (ed.), ''Yemen: 3000 Years of Art and Civilisation in Arabia Felix''.</ref>

Abraha marched upon the Ka'bah with a large army, which included one or more [[war elephant]]s, intending to demolish it. When news of the advance of his army came, the Arab tribes of Quraysh, Kinanah, [[Banu Khuza'a|Khuza'a]] and Hudhayl united in the defense of the Ka'bah and the city. A man from the [[Himyarite Kingdom]] was sent by Abraha to advise them that Abraha only wished to demolish the Ka'bah and if they resisted, they would be crushed. [[Abdul Muttalib]] told the Meccans to seek refuge in the hills while he and some members of the Quraysh remained within the precincts of the Kaaba. Abraha sent a dispatch inviting Abdul-Muttalib to meet with Abraha and discuss matters. When Abdul-Muttalib left the meeting he was heard saying: "The Owner of this House is its Defender, and I am sure he will save it from the attack of the adversaries and will not dishonor the servants of His House."<ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-10-18|title=The Year of the Elephant|url=https://www.al-islam.org/life-muhammad-prophet-sayyid-saeed-akhtar-rizvi/year-elephant|access-date=2021-07-07|website=Al-Islam.org|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Significance Behind Prophet Mohammad's Birth in the Year of the Elephant|url=http://aliftaa.jo/ArticleEn.aspx?ArticleId=2462|access-date=2021-07-07|website=aliftaa.jo}}</ref>

Abraha eventually attacked Mecca. However, the lead elephant, known as Mahmud,<ref>{{cite web|author=ʿAbdu r-Rahmān ibn Nāsir as-Saʿdī|title=Tafsir of Surah al Fil – The Elephant (Surah 105)|date=23 December 2009 |url=http://islaam.net/main/display.php?id=1480&category=176|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101220090653/http://islaam.net/main/display.php?id=1480&category=176|archive-date=20 December 2010|access-date=15 March 2013|translator=Abū Rumaysah |publisher=Islamic Network|quote=This elephant was called Mahmud and it was sent to Abrahah from [[Negus|Najashi]], the king of Abyssinia, particularly for this expedition.}}</ref> is said to have stopped at the boundary around Mecca and refused to enter. It has been theorized that an epidemic such as by [[smallpox]] could have caused such a failed invasion of Mecca.<ref>{{cite journal|author-link=John S. Marr|vauthors=Marr JS, Hubbard E, Cathey JT|date=2015|title=The Year of the Elephant|journal=WikiJournal of Medicine|volume=2|issue=1|doi=10.15347/wjm/2015.003|doi-access=free}}<br />In turn citing: {{cite web|author=Willan R.|date=1821|title=Miscellaneous works: comprising An inquiry into the antiquity of the small-pox, measles, and scarlet fever, now first published; Reports on the diseases in London, a new ed.; and detached papers on medical subjects, collected from various periodical publi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TXEFAAAAQAAJ|publisher=Cadell|page=488}}</ref> The reference to the story in [[Quran]] is rather short. According to the 105th [[Sura]]h of the Quran, [[Al-Fil]], the next day, a dark cloud of small birds sent by Allah appeared. The birds carried small rocks in their beaks, and bombarded the Ethiopian forces, and smashed them to a state like that of eaten straw.<ref>{{qref|105|1-5|b=y}}</ref>