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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

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Treasures of the Prophetic Biography.

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Chapter One.

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The Period Before His Mission (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

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His Name and Lineage.

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He is Muhammad, son of 'Abd Allah, son of 'Abd al-Muttalib,

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son of Hashim, son of 'Abd Manaf,

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son of Qusayy, son of Kilab, son of Murrah,

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son of Ka'b, son of Lu'ayy, son of Ghalib, son of Fihr.

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And this Fihr is Quraysh itself;

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thus, every Qurayshi is a Fihri.

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And he (peace be upon him) is Mudari—

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meaning his lineage traces back to Mudar,

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and ultimately to 'Adnan, from the offspring of Isma'il (peace be upon him).

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The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

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"Allah chose Kinanah from the descendants of Isma'il,

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chose Quraysh from Kinanah,

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chose Banu Hashim from Quraysh,

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and chose me from Banu Hashim."

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The Prophet's fifth grandfather was 'Abd Manaf,

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who, according to the well-known accounts, had four sons:

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Hashim, al-Muttalib,

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'Abd Shams, and Nawfal.

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So our Messenger's lineage traces back to Hashim.

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And this Hashim's actual name was 'Amr;

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he was given the epithet Hashim because he used to crumble bread—

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meaning he would break it up, prepare it, and serve it to the pilgrims.

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He was the first to feed tharid to the pilgrims,

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tharid being bread soaked in broth with meat.

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He was also the first to establish the two trade journeys for Quraysh:

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the winter journey and the summer journey.

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The poet said:

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'Amr, who crumbled the bread for his people,

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when the men of Mecca were suffering drought and emaciated;

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For him the two journeys were established,

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the winter travel and the summer trip.

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The sons of Hashim were 'Abd al-Muttalib,

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Asad, 'Amr, and Nadlah.

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Hashim married from Banu al-Najjar among the people of Medina.

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'Abd al-Muttalib was likewise an epithet;

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his real name was Shaybat al-Hamd.

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He was nicknamed 'Abd al-Muttalib only because

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he was residing with his maternal uncles, Banu al-Najjar, in Medina

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after his father passed away.

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Then al-Muttalib, Hashim's brother, went to Medina

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and brought his nephew back so he could be among his paternal uncles.

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When he entered Mecca with him,

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the people of Mecca assumed he was a slave al-Muttalib had bought,

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so they said, "This is 'Abd al-Muttalib" (the slave of al-Muttalib).

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Al-Muttalib said to them, "No,

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he is simply my brother Hashim's son."

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Yet that nickname stuck to him,

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and he came to be known by no name other than 'Abd al-Muttalib.

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'Abd al-Muttalib was the grandfather of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

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During his lifetime, two major events occurred that history has never overlooked.

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The First Event:

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The Digging of Zamzam.

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Abraham, the Intimate Friend of the Most Merciful (peace be upon him),

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had married Sarah,

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but he was not granted any child through her.

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So Sarah gifted him a servant girl of hers named Hajar,

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and she bore him Isma'il.

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Subsequently, jealousy arose in Sarah's heart,

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and she asked Abraham (peace be upon him) to take Hajar away from her.

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So he set out with Isma'il and Isma'il's mother,

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carrying with them a waterskin containing water,

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heading toward Mecca the Blessed.

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He left them both there.

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Isma'il's mother followed after him,

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until when they reached Kuda,

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she called out to him from behind:

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"O Abraham!

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To whom are you leaving us?"

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He said:

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"To Allah."

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She replied:

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"I am content with Allah."

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So she turned back and stayed in Mecca with her son Isma'il

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until the water ran out.

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She said to herself:

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"If only I went and looked around,

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perhaps I might sense someone."

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The speaker said:

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So she went and climbed Safa,

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and looked and looked,

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seeking to perceive anyone,

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but she felt no one.

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Then when she reached the valley floor,

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she ran briskly until she reached Marwah.

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She repeated this back and forth for several rounds.

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Then she said:

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"Let me go and see how he is doing"—

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meaning the child.

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She went and looked,

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and found him in a dire state, as though gasping in the agony of death.

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Unable to bear watching him,

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she said:

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"If only I went and looked around,

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perhaps I might sense someone."

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So she went and climbed Safa,

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and looked and looked,

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but perceived no one,

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until she had completed seven circuits.

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Then she said:

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"Let me go and see how he is doing."

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Suddenly, she heard a voice.

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She said:

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"Help, if you have any good to offer!"

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Lo and behold, it was Gabriel.

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He struck with his heel like this,

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pressing his heel into the earth,

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and water gushed forth.

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Isma'il's mother was amazed,

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and she began basin-making and scooping the earth around it.

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Abul-Qasim (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

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"Had she left it, the water would have flowed freely as a surface spring."

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She began drinking from the water,

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and her milk flowed abundantly for her child.

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Then some people from the tribe of Jurhum passed through the bottom of the valley,

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and noticed birds hovering,

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which surprised them as unusual for that place.

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They said:

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"Birds only hover over water."

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So they sent their scout,

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who looked and found that water was indeed there.

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They came to her and said:

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"O mother of Isma'il,

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will you permit us to stay with you or settle alongside you?"

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And when Isma'il reached manhood,

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he married a woman from among them.

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Later on, Abraham said to Sarah:

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"I am going to check on those I left behind."

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So he came, greeted her, and asked:

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"Where is Isma'il?"

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His wife replied:

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"He has gone hunting."

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He said:

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"Tell him when he returns:

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'Change the threshold of your door.'"

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When he returned,

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she informed him.

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He said:

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"You were that threshold,

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so return to your family."

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The narrator said:

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Then it occurred to Abraham to visit them again after Isma'il had remarried.

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He came and asked:

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"Where is Isma'il?"

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His wife replied:

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"He has gone hunting."

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She added:

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"Won't you step down and have something to eat and drink?"

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He asked:

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"What is your food and what is your drink?"

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She said:

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"Our food is meat,

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and our drink is water."

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He said:

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"O Allah, bless them in their food and their drink."

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Abul-Qasim (peace be upon him) said:

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"That blessing is due to Abraham's supplication."

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Then it occurred to Abraham to visit them a fourth time.

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The scholar noted in the margin:

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That is because he visited them when Isma'il was young,

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when Allah commanded him to sacrifice his son,

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then when Isma'il was with his first wife whom he divorced,

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then with his second wife,

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making this the fourth visit.

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So he came and met Isma'il behind the site of Zamzam,

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repairing his arrows.

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He said:

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"O Isma'il,

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your Lord has commanded me to build a House for Him."

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He replied:

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"Obey your Lord."

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Abraham said:

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"He has commanded me that you assist me in building it."

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He said:

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"Then I shall do so,"

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or as he said.

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So he stood up,

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and Abraham began building

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while Isma'il handed him the stones,

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both of them saying:

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“And when Abraham and Ishmael were raising the foundations of the House, (Abraham prayed): Our Lord! Accept from us (this duty). Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Hearer, the Knower.” (2:127)

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until the structure rose high

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and Abraham grew too weak to carry the heavy stones.

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So he stood upon the stone of Maqam Ibrahim,

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while Isma'il continued handing him the stones, both repeating:

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“And when Abraham and Ishmael were raising the foundations of the House, (Abraham prayed): Our Lord! Accept from us (this duty). Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Hearer, the Knower.” (2:127)

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Then years and centuries passed,

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until the location and landmarks of Zamzam were lost to memory.

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It is narrated that 'Abd al-Muttalib was sleeping one day

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when he saw in a dream that he was commanded to dig Zamzam,

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and its exact spot was shown to him in his sleep.

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He went to the place he was commanded to dig in his dream,

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dug there, and found the water.

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Thereafter, he re-established the service of providing water to the pilgrims.

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The Second Event:

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The Coming of Abraha the Abyssinian to Destroy the Ka'bah.

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The story of Abraha, as related by the scholars, is that

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Abraha the Abyssinian built a magnificent cathedral in Sana'a,

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the likes of which had never been seen in its time,

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and wrote to the Negus:

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"I have built for you a cathedral the likes of which was never built for any king before you,

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and I shall not rest until I divert the pilgrimage of the Arabs to it,"

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intending thereby to rival the Ka'bah.

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When the Arabs learned of Abraha’s letter to the Negus,

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a man from the tribe of Kinanah became enraged.

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He set out and entered the cathedral when no one could see him,

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and he defiled it;

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that is, he defecated inside this cathedral.

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When Abraha was informed of this,

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he asked, "Who did this?"

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He was told, "It was done by a man belonging to the people of that House

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to which the Arabs make pilgrimage in Makkah,

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after he heard your vow to divert the Arabs' pilgrimage to this church of yours."

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Abraha was filled with immense fury and said,

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"I shall surely demolish the Ka'bah!"

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Here, an important point must be highlighted:

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undoubtedly, this man learned of an evil act,

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namely, that Abraha intended to divert the Arabs' pilgrimage from Makkah to this church,

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so he became indignant for that reason

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and denounced that evil

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by defiling the cathedral with excrement.

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Yet this, in turn, provoked Abraha's intense fury,

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whereupon he resolved to demolish the Ka'bah.

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The scholars have explicitly stated

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that it is impermissible to forbid an evil

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by bringing about an even greater evil;

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rather, denouncing evil must always be done

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in a manner that will not result,

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in its wake, in an evil greater than itself.

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Abraha was enraged by this deed

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and swore to march against the House and tear it down.

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He then commanded the Abyssinians to mobilize and make ready,

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and he marched forth with an army of sixty thousand men,

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bringing war elephants along with him—

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creatures unknown to the Arabs at that time.

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It is mentioned that the lead elephant among them was named Mahmud.

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When he mobilized and set out,

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the Arabs heard of it,

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and they were appalled and deeply shaken by it,

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deeming it their sacred duty to fight him;

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for despite their polytheism,

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they held the House of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, in the utmost veneration.

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Among those who confronted him was a nobleman from the people of Yemen

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named Dhu Nafar,

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who called upon his people and whoever would answer him among the Arabs to wage war against Abraha.

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But Abraha defeated Dhu Nafar and his followers,

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taking him captive.

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Abraha then passed through Ta'if,

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where Mas'ud ibn Mu'attib al-Thaqafi came out to meet him

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and said to him,

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"O King,

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we are merely your servants;

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we hear you and obey you,

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and we offer you no opposition.

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Nor is this shrine of ours the one you seek"—

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referring to al-Lat—

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"rather, you seek the House in Makkah,

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and we shall send with you someone to guide you to it."

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So they sent with him a man named Abu Righal

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to guide him along the way.

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Abraha set out with Abu Righal accompanying him

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until he encamped at al-Mughammas.

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Once he had guided him there,

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Abu Righal died at that spot,

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after which the Arabs made a practice of stoning Abu Righal’s grave,

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because they regarded him as a vile, treacherous man

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for serving as Abraha’s guide to demolish the Sacred House of Allah.

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Regarding him, Jarir said in his satire of al-Farazdaq—

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as the two were constantly trading lampoons and feuding:

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Jarir said,

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"When al-Farazdaq dies, pelt his grave with stones,

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just as you stone the grave of Abu Righal."

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When Abraha encamped at al-Mughammas,

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he dispatched an Abyssinian man named al-Aswad

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with a detachment of horsemen until he reached Makkah,

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and he seized the livestock of the people of Tihamah belonging to Quraysh and others,

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capturing two hundred camels belonging to 'Abd al-Muttalib,

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who was then the elder and chief of Quraysh.

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Quraysh, Kinanah, Hudhayl, and all who resided in that Sanctuary resolved to fight him,

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but they soon realized they lacked the strength to battle Abraha.

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Then Abraha sent an emissary named Hunatah to Makkah,

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saying, "Inquire about the chief and nobleman of the people of this land,

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and then tell him:

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'The King says:

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I have not come to wage war against you;

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I have only come to demolish this House.

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If you do not stand between us and it,

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I have no need to shed your blood;

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and if he has no desire to fight me, bring him to me.'"

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Hunatah arrived and conveyed to Quraysh what Abraha had said,

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and 'Abd al-Muttalib went forth with him,

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being the chief of Quraysh at that time.

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When 'Abd al-Muttalib entered into Abraha’s presence,

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Abraha was perplexed as to how to receive him;

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he wished to honor 'Abd al-Muttalib,

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yet thought: "If I seat him with me upon my throne,

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it will demean my stature;

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and if I remain on my throne while leaving him below,

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it will demean his."

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So he descended from his throne and sat with 'Abd al-Muttalib upon the ground.

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The first thing he asked 'Abd al-Muttalib was:

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"What is your request?"

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He replied,

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"You have seized two hundred camels belonging to me,

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so return them to me."

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Abraha grew angry and said,

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"I thought far greater and nobler of you than this!

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You come to me asking about your camels,

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yet make no plea that I spare the House and refrain from demolishing it?"

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Thereupon 'Abd al-Muttalib uttered words

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that were profoundly momentous at the time,

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and subsequently became a celebrated proverb.

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'Abd al-Muttalib said,

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"I am the master of the camels,

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and the House has a Lord Who will protect it."

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Abraha retorted,

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"He cannot defend it against me!"

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He said,

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"That is between you and Him."

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Abraha then ordered,

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"Return his camels to him."

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When 'Abd al-Muttalib returned to Quraysh,

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he informed them of what had transpired

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and told them,

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"Evacuate Makkah,

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for you have no power to fight Abraha."

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So they took refuge in the mountains.

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Then 'Abd al-Muttalib went and took hold of the ring of the Ka'bah's door,

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accompanied by a group of men from Quraysh,

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praying to Allah and imploring His aid against Abraha and his host.

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'Abd al-Muttalib recited:

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"O Allah, truly a man protects his camp, so protect Your sanctuary!

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Let not their cross and their might ever triumph tomorrow over Your might!

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If You leave them to destroy our Qiblah,

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then do whatever You will!"

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Then 'Abd al-Muttalib released the door-ring,

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and he and those with him departed to take shelter in the mountains,

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awaiting what Abraha would do.

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When morning broke, Abraha

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prepared to enter Makkah;

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he readied his elephant and drew up his ranks.

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Yet whenever they directed the elephant Mahmud toward Makkah,

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it knelt down and refused to advance with them,

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and consequently the remaining elephants halted as well.

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Some of them asked,

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"What is holding back the elephant?"

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They replied, "We do not know."

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He ordered, "Beat it!"

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So they beat the elephant,

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but it stubbornly refused.

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Yet when they turned it toward Yemen, it sprang to its feet;

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when they turned it toward the Levant, it stood up;

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when they turned it toward the east, it stood up;

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but whenever they turned it toward Makkah, it knelt down.

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And shortly thereafter,

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they were suddenly struck when Allah, Blessed and Exalted, sent swarms of birds against them,

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just as Allah, Blessed and Exalted, said:

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“Hast thou not seen how thy Lord dealt with the owners of the Elephant?” (105:1)

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“Did He not bring their stratagem to naught,” (105:2)

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"And sent against them swarms of birds,

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“Which pelted them with stones of baked clay,” (105:4)

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and made them like eaten straw."

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Yes;

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thus did Allah, Blessed and Exalted, unleash the swarms of birds,

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pelting Abraha and his host with stones of baked clay,

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so that Allah, Blessed and Exalted, destroyed them all.

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And it is said

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that a remnant of them survived

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only to inform their people of what Allah, Blessed and Exalted, had done to them.