Our Beloved Master - His Early Life — Page 34
•oUR BELoVED MASTER• 34 hundreds of Arabs go to Makkah for Hajj every year, he was much displeased. Abrahah devised a plan to prevent them from performing Hajj by having a magnificent church constructed in the capital of San‘ a ’. He ordered the public to circuit the church instead of making such a long journey to Makkah. How could the people of Arabia bear a church being honoured instead of the Ka‘bah? Rather than circuiting the church they sneaked up to it, littered it with filth, and ran off ! Abrahah’s anger knew no bounds at this act of the Arabs. He gathered a massive force and left with sixty thousand soldiers to attack Makkah with the intention of razing the Ka‘bah to ground in return for the disgrace shown to his church. When Abrahah reached near Makkah some camels belonging to ‘Abdul-Mu tt alib were grazing in the fields outside the city. His soldiers caught them. When ‘Abdul-Mu tt alib got this news, he went to meet Abrahah. Abrahah was thrilled when he heard that the Chief of the Quraish was coming to see him and thought that he would probably accept obedience, beg for the Ka‘bah not to be destroyed and ask for forgiveness. He greeted him with great respect and honour, seated him