|
1. According to the research
carried out by Imam Hameed Uddin Farahi (d:1930), the correct interpretation
of this incident is that the Almighty had helped the Quraish decidedly
in combating the forces of Abraha who had attacked the Baitullaah with
a sixty thousand strong army to demolish it. It was not easy for the Quraish
to face such a big army in the open. They had, therefore, sought refuge
in the nearby mountains and had defended the holy land by hurling stones
at the advancing enemy. This defence was indeed very frail and feeble but
the Almighty transformed it into a powerful outburst which took the shape
of a terrible stone-hurling storm that totally destroyed the enemy in the
valley of Muhassab, and their dead bodies were devoured by kites, vultures
and crows. The timely assistance of the Almighty was in accordance with
His law that He helps only those who set out to fulfil their obligations,
however small in number they may be and however limited their resources
may be.
2. The Quran has not mentioned
any details regarding the People of the Elephant. The reason for this brevity
is that the addressed people knew these details very well. Only their introduction
by the words "Ashaab-ul-Feel" (People of the Elephant) was enough to indicate
that Abraha, the Abyssinian ruler of Yemen, whose troops also consisted
of elephants has been referred to. It was the first time that the Arabs
had encountered elephants in a war and to express the grimness of the event
they remembered it by the above name. The words alam tara (Have you not
seen?) are grammatically for a singular subject, but they are mostly used
to address plural entities, as if directed to every person individually
in a group of people. Here, as mentioned earlier, the addressees are the
Quraish.
3. The words `treacherous
scheme' refers to the lame excuse Abraha had made up to attack the Ka`ba.
He had made up a story that an Arab had violated the sanctity of the cathedral
built by him at San`aa. Considering the traditional bravery and courage
of the Arabs, it is very unlikely that something like this might have happened.
Even if the episode is assumed to be true, a person's individual misdeed
is not enough to justify the exaction of revenge from a whole nation and
to go as far as razing down the Baitullaah. It is quite evident that only
to inflame the Arabs and to gain the support of king Negus of Abyssinia,
on whose behalf Abraha was ruling Yemen, that this tale was concocted.
4. This is a graphic description
of the final state of devastation and helplessness of Abraha's army. The
Almighty totally ravaged them and not a single sole survived to gather
the dead. They remained scattered in the battle field. The Almighty sent
forth on them carnivorous birds, which tore and ate their flesh. `Sending
forth birds on the enemies' is a common metaphorical depiction of the state
of utter decimation. The Arab poets in their odes have after made use of
this metaphor. They often extol their armies by saying that when they attack
the enemy, meat eating birds fly with them as if they knew that after the
complete destruction of the enemy they would get a chance to satisfy their
hunger. In the old Testament, the episode of Daood (David) and Jaloot (Golaith)
has been narrated. It says that when the two faced each other in combat
and David answered all the conceited remarks of Golaith, Golaith, replied
irritably `I shall feed the kites and crows with your meet today'.
5. These verses explain
how the destruction of Abraha's army actually took place. It should be
noted here that the verb ramaa (to pelt) has been related to the people
addressed, but rendering the enemy as `straw eaten away' has been attributed
to the Almighty's power. The reason is that it was not possible for the
Arabs alone to destroy their enemy. The Almighty helped them by unleashing
a ravaging stone-hurling wind (haasib) on the enemy, after the Quraish
had put in all their effort. This haasib has been reported by many eye
witnesses and historians like Ibni Hashaam have recorded their observations.
We, shall restrict ourselves to two examples only. The famous poet Abu
Qais while mentioning the Power and Glory of the Almighty refers to this
haasib in the following way:
Fa ursila rabbihim haasibun
Yaluffuhumu mithla laffil qazam
["Then the Almighty unleashed
a haasib on them which enwraped them like rubbish."]
Similarly, Saifee bin Amir has referred to a haasib and a saaf,
which is similar to a haasib, differing only in intensity:
Falammaa 'ajaazoo batna nu`maana raddahum
Junoodul ilaahi baina saafiw wa haasibi
["As soon as they advanced
beyond Batan-i-Nauman the forces of the Almighty alighted among the haasib
and saif and destroyed them."]
6. The verse explains
that the association under discussion is the one the Quraish had with their
trade journeys of summers and winters. It should be kept in mind that during
the winter season the Quraish used to travel to Yemen, while their summers
were spent journeying towards Syria and Palestine. With these caravans
travelled the wealth of the whole nation. The reason being that there were
many traders and businessmen who acted as agents of those who could invest
money, and hence people who did not go along with these caravans were also
able to benefit from this profitable business. It was these tours which
were the real source of wealth for the Meccan people. By this means merchandise
reached other markets and at the same time their own consumers were able
to buy goods from other markets. Thus, these trade routes were the real
source of sustenance for the Quraish. Although these were international
trade routes, yet they were safe in the true sense of the word for the
Quraish only. The extent of protection provided to them was not provided
to any other tribe. Other tribes were robbed in broad daylight and had
to seek permission by paying huge amounts to the tribe whose territory
they had to pass, but the Quraish enjoyed unlimited freedom and liberty.
They were even provided with people who acted as guides and no one could
even think of harming them, for they were given a special respect as the
custodians of the Baitullaah and caretakers of the pilgrims.
7. The verse states
the obligations entailed by the favours of peace and sustenance bestowed
on the Quraish by the Almighty. They should be grateful to Him and worship
Him with all sincerity. Haram, (the land around the Baitullaah) before
the advent of Abraham had always remained scarce in food resources and
was also in a constant state of strife and unrest. It was because of the
Baitullaah that the Almighty blessed the area with peace and ample sources
of sustenance. It is with all this background that the Quran admonishes
the Quraish not to become inebriated with these worldly successes and forget
the Lord of this House. All these successes are due to the Baitullaah and
they will only remain its beneficiaries if they remain sincere to the cause
of the exalted House. |