Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 19
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 19 that it would be vain to oppose the invaders by force of arms; but they refused to allow the destruction of the Ka’aba on any terms. The embassy, however, prevailed on Abdul Muttalib to repair to the viceroy’s camp, and there plead the cause of the Meccans. Abdul Muttalib was treated with great honour by Abraha, who, to win him over, restored his plundered camels, but could obtain no satisfactory answer from him regarding the Ka’aba. Abdul Muttalib returned to Mecca and Abraha made preparations to advance u pon the city. Abdul Muttalib advised the Meccans to retire in a body to the hills and defiles about the city on the day before the expected attack. He himself repaired to the Ka’aba and, leaning upon the ring of the door of the Ka’aba, prayed aloud: ‘Defen d, O Lord, Thine own House, and suffer not the cross to triumph over the Ka’aba. ’ He then betook himself with the rest to the neighbouring heights and watched what the end might be. Meanwhile, a pestilential distemper broke out in the camp of the viceroy, with deadly pustules and blains. In confusion and dismay, the army commenced their retreat. Abandoned by their guides, the men perished among the valleys and a flood swept multitudes into the sea. Scarcely any recovered who was smitten by the pestilence; a nd Abraha himself, a mass of malignant and putrid sores, died miserably on his return to Sana’a. This event is mentioned in the Holy Quran, where it is said (105:2 - 6): Dost thou not recall how thy Lord dealt with the People of the Elephant? Did He not destroy them and thus cause their design to miscarry? Then He sent upon their corpses swarms of birds, which beat them against hard lumps of clay, and thus made them like b roken straw, left over.