Chief of the Prophets — Page 32
Chapter Two 32 He sent against them swarms of birds, which ate their carrion , striking them against stones of clay. And thus made them like broken straw, eaten up. Since Abrahah’s army also included elephants, which was novel and bizarre for the Arabs, they called the army Aṣḥābul-Fīl (the People of the Elephant) and the year was called ‘Ᾱmul-Fīl (the Year of the Elephant). The destruction of Aṣḥābul-Fīl increased the Arabs’ reverence for the Ka‘bah and also for the Quraish. 1 Most probably, the intent of Allah was to show that the Ka‘bah was the cornerstone (of the world) and under His protection. 1 Ibni Hishām