PROPHET MUHAMMAD, GOD'S FINAL MESSENGER TO MANKIND

4  ABD AL MUTALIB


THE VISION OF ABD AL MUTTALIB

Abd Al Muttalib was not an idolater - he directed his prayer to ALLAH  alone and loved to be near the Ka'ba. It was because of this love that he would often have his mattress spread out in a place known as 'Hijr Ishmael'  -- which is the place where Prophet Ishmael and his mother Lady Hagar lie buried and also where Prophet Ishmael used to pen his sheep --- and sleep there.

It was on one such night that he had a vision in which it was said to him, "Dig the sweet one." He asked, "What is the sweet one?" but there was no reply. The next morning he awoke with an overwhelming feeling of happiness and peace, the like of which he had never experience before, so he decided to spend the following night near Hijr Ishmael again. That night he had another vision in which the voice told him, "Dig for mercy". He asked the meaning of it but again there was no answer.

When he returned to sleep there on the third night the vision came yet again but this time he was told, "Dig for the treasure."  When Abd Al Muttalib asked what was meant by the treasure, the vision vanished as before.

The vision came again on the fourth night, however this time the voice was more specific and told him to dig for Zamzam. Abd Al Muttalib asked about [cooor=teal]Zamzam, but unlike the previous occasions the voice answered saying, "Dig for it, you will have no regrets, it is your inheritance from your greatest ancestor. It will neither dry up, nor fail to suffice the pilgrims."

The voice told Abd Al Muttalib that Zamzam  lay buried under a place in which there was blood, dung and an ants' nest, and that amongst it all he would see a crow pecking. Before the vision departed, the voice told him to supplicate to Allah for the continuous flow of pure water that would suffice all pilgrims.



THE REALIZATION OF ABD AL MUTTALIB'S VISIONS

At dawn, Abd al Muttalib arose and as in the tradition passed down from one generation to the next from the time of Prophet's Abraham and Ishmael, he circumambulated Ka'ba seven times and reverently kissed the Black Stone. Having completed his rites, he made his way to the door of Ka'ba, took hold of the metal ring that hung from its lock and started to supplicate in the manner in which the voice had instructed.

As he supplicated a large black crow flew down behind him and not long after another crow joined it. After Abd Al Muttalib had finished his supplication he turned and observed the birds strutting toward two rocks that had been taken as idols, approximately a hundred yards away. The two idols had been named Isaf and Nailah  and were among the lesser idols of Mecca. Legend had it that the idols had been early Jurhumites  that had been turned into stone because of their profanity. It was between these two idols that the idolaters would slaughter their animals and consequently it was common to find both blood and dung upon the ground.

As Abd Al Muttalib approached he noticed an ants nest and knew that this must be the place referred to by the voice in the vision. Wasting no time at all, he returned to his home to get a spade. His son Harith was there so he told him to go and fetch another spade and to come with him to the Ka'ba.


THE DISCOVERY OF ZAMZAM

The sun had risen as they set to work digging between the two idols. As the people started to rise and go about their daily chores and business they noticed Abd Al Muttalib and Harith digging away in the sacred area between their idols and not long after a crowd started to gather to see what they were doing. As much as the Meccans respected Abd Al Muttalib they felt he was going too far and told him he must stop desecrating the ground with his digging.

Abd Al Muttalib refused and told his son to stand on guard to prevent anyone interfering with his digging. The digging progressed without any incident and the people began to tire of standing around and had started to disperse when to Abd Al Muttalib's great joy he struck the stone cover of the well of Zamzam. Immediately he thanked Allah, and the excited crowd regrouped around him. News of his find spread quickly throughout Mecca and it wasn't long until a very large, joyous crowd had gathered to celebrate this great discovery.


THE TREASURE OF ZAMZAM

Abd Al Muttalib and his son removed the large stone cover from the forsaken well of Zamzam and as they did to the amazement of everyone, their eyes fell upon the treasure that had been taken from Ka'ba many centuries before when the Jurhumites had been driven from Mecca.

There was great excitement and everyone laid claim to a share of the treasure. In those days it was the practice of Meccans to use divining arrows and cast lots to settle major issues with the ceremony taking place within the confines of Ka'ba before their chief idol Hubal. There were three stakes; one that the treasure should be returned to Ka'ba, another that it should be retained by Abd Al Muttalib, and the other that the treasure be divided between the tribes.

When the time came for the settlement everyone gathered anxiously by the Ka'ba and the diviner cast the arrows. As the arrows fell they fell in favor of some of the treasure being restored to the Ka'ba, and the remainder being retained by Abd Al Muttalib, none fell in favor of the Quraysh.  After the division had been settled it was also decided that the tribe of Hashim should take charge of the Well of Zamzam  as it was their responsibility to provide water for the pilgrims.

Sephiroth

Up you go ... easier to find. :bgrin:

Thank you, Seph

___________________________________________________



5 THE VOW

ABD AL MUTTALIB TAKES A VOW


To many it would have appeared that Abd Al Muttalib had everything he could desire. He was the Custodian of the Ka'ba, handsome, wealthy, generous, and of noble character that had won him the respect of the people of Mecca. However, he only had one son, Harith, whereas his cousins Umayyah, chief of the tribe of Abdu Shams and Mughirah, chief of the tribe of Makhzum had many.

The fact that he had just one son hadn't concerned him greatly until he met with resistance from his fellow Meccans during the excavation of Zamzam. At that time he felt weaker than at any other and wished he had more sons to support him. He felt humble to be chosen as the one to be honored to restore the well and was grateful to Allah for His blessings to him, but his heart prompted him to supplicate (du'a) to Him for ten sons.

As he supplicated in earnest, he promised Allah that if He would favor him with ten sons that reached the age of manhood, he would sacrifice one of them in the Ka'ba. Allah heard his supplication and as the years passed he had, to his great pleasure, nine more sons. He never forgot the promise he made to Allah and as his sons reached manhood the matter pressed hard upon his mind, especially as the youngest of his sons, Abdullah, had now reached maturity.

Abdullah had grown into a handsome, fine, upstanding young man like his father and although Abd Al Muttalib loved his other sons, Abdullah had become his favorite. Abd Al Muttalib knew that the time had come to fulfill his vow. He was a man of his word and had no intention of turning away from his oath. Until this time, Abd Al Muttalib had kept the matter between Allah and himself secret, no one in his family knew of the oath he had taken many years before.



THE SACRIFICE


Abd Al Muttalib had raised his sons to be true men, and all were obedient to him. One day he called his ten sons together and told them of the oath he had taken. They all accepted, to them their father's vow was their vow, and bravely they asked him how the matter would be decided. He told them that the matter would be determined by arrow divining and that they must each take an arrow and make their mark on it.

After their marks had been made, Abd Al Muttalib sent a message to the arrow-diviner of the Quraysh tribe to meet him in the Ka'ba. Then he took his ten sons into the Sanctuary and led them inside the Ka'ba. Then, when the arrow-diviner arrived he told him of his oath. Each son presented his arrow and Abd Al Muttalib stood ready with his knife drawn. The arrows were cast, and the lot fell against Abdullah. Without hesitation, Abd Al Muttalib took his son's hand and led him to the door intending to make straight for the place of sacrifice.



ABDULLAH'S FEMALE RELATIVES

Abd Al Muttalib had not considered the fact that he might have to deal with his wives as he did not know they had learned of his intention. Fatima, the mother of Zubair, Abu Talib and Abdullah who were all candidates for the sacrifice, was, on her mother's side, descended from Abd, one of the sons of Ksay and belonged to the very influential tribe of Makhzum.

When Fatima learned of the vow, she immediately rallied the other wives of Abd Al Mutallib, who were from less influential tribes, and together with her own powerful tribe they now marched in force to the Ka'ba to prevent the sacrifice from taking place. As Abd Al Muttalib opened the door of the Ka'ba his eyes fell upon the large crowd assembled in the courtyard. Everyone noticed that the expression on Abd Al Muttalib and Abdullah's faces had changed. Fatima and her kinsmen were quick to realize that it was Abdullah who had been chosen as the sacrifice. Just then, someone in the crowd called out, "For whom is the knife?!" and others took up the same cry although it was evident for whom the knife was intended.

Abd Al Muttalib tried to tell them of his vow, but was interrupted by Mughirah, the chief of Makhzum who told him that they would not permit him to make the sacrifice. He told him that they were prepared to offer a sacrifice in his stead, even to the extent of ransoming Abdullah with all the property of the sons of Makhzum. They were adamant, and prepared to take whatever steps were necessary in order to spare the life of Abdullah. By this time Abdullah's brothers had come out of the Ka'ba. Until then none had spoken, but now they too turned to their father imploring him to spare the life of their brother and to offer some other kind of sacrifice instead. There was no one present who did not urge him not to do so. Being an upright man, Abd Al Muttalib did not want to break the vow he had taken, but the pressure upon him was great. Reluctantly he agreed to consult with a wise Jewess who lived in Yathrib and was familiar with matters such as this and could tell him whether a substitution was in fact permissible in this case, and if it was, what form of ransom would be required.



THE WISE WOMAN OF YATHRIB

Abd Al Muttalib set off with Abdullah and several of his brothers for Yathrib -- Abd Al Muttalib's birth-place. When they reached Yathrib they inquired as to the whereabouts of the wise lady and were told she no longer lived there but in Khyber that was approximately ninety miles north of Yathrib. So they continued their journey through the hot desert until they reached Khyber were they found the wise woman.

Abd Al Muttalib told her of the oath he had taken and inquired whether it was possible to offer a ransom instead. She listened intently and told them to return the following day after she had time to consider the matter and that she would give them an answer.

Abd Al Muttalib prayed fervently to Allah and the next morning he and his sons returned for the verdict. The wise woman greeted them and asked what was the usual compensation offered amongst their tribe, so they told her that it was common place to offer ten camels. Upon hearing this she told them to return home and as soon as they arrived to put Abdullah and ten camels side by side and cast lots between them. She told them that in the event the arrow should fall against Abdullah they were to increase the number of camels by ten, and cast lots yet again until Allah accepted them by the arrow falling against the camels. She also told them that once the number of camels had been determined all were to be sacrificed immediately in order that Abdullah might live.



THE SACRIFICE OF 100 CAMELS


After having thanked the wise woman, Abd Al Muttalib and his sons set out for home straightaway and upon reaching Mecca Abdullah and ten camels were taken into the courtyard of the Ka'ba. Abd Al Muttalib went inside the Ka'ba and supplicated to Allah asking Him to accept what they were about to do. Upon the conclusion of his supplication he came out of the Ka'ba and the lots began to be cast. The first arrow fell against Abdullah, so ten more camels were added. The lot was cast again, but once more the arrow fell against Abdullah, and ten more camels were added and so it continued. It was only when the number of camels reached one hundred that the arrow finally fell against the camels.



THE RANSOM IS ACCEPTED


Everyone was overjoyed including Abd Al Muttalib, however, he still wanted to make sure that this was, without a shadow of a doubt the ransom required by Allah to decide on the issue, so he insisted that the lots be cast twice more. Anxiously, everyone looked on as the lots were cast, but to everyone's relief on each occasion, the arrow fell against the camels. There was no doubt left in Abd Al Muttalib's mind that Allah had accepted his expiation, and the camels were sacrificed immediately and the abundant supply of meat was amply distributed amongst the poor, needy and the orphans. There was so much meat left over that every sector of the community ate from it and joined in the great celebration.

[ Last edited by KENNKID on 22-3-2004 at 10:50 AM ]

6  THE MARRIAGE OF ABDULLAH TO AMINA

There was great happiness amongst Abd al Muttalib's family, not to mention his tribe, and the day-to-day life resumed once more.

Shortly after this significant event, Abd al Muttalib started to make plans for Abdullah's future. Abdullah was now eighteen years of age and his father thought it was time for him to marry, so he started to look for a suitable match. After much consideration he came to the conclusion that Amina, the orphaned daughter of Wahb, would be the most compatible bride for his son.

Amina was of noble birth, her father, Wahb had been the chief of the Zuhra -- a branch of the Quraysh -- but upon his death, her paternal uncle, Wuhayb had become its new chieftain and taken care of her. His own daughter, Halah, was of similar age and so the two girls had grown up together like sisters. Among Amina's many qualities were that she was known for her honorable, endearing character and to compliment these characteristics she was very intelligent.Years later, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him confirmed his mother抯 status when he told his companions, "I have been chosen from the most choice."

During Abd Al Muttalib's search for a suitable bride for his beloved son, it came to his notice that Wuhayb's daughter, Halah, was also of marriageable age, so he asked his permission to marry her himself. A proposal such as this was indeed a great honor and through these kind of arrangements essential inter-tribal ties were often strengthened.

Upon his return, Abd Al Muttalib told Abdullah that he had found the perfect match for him. Abdullah was overjoyed when he heard all the wonderful things his father had to say about Amina and so preparations for a double wedding were made. As soon as the wedding preparations had been finalized, the bridal party set out for the house of Wahb. On the way to the celebration, people came out of their houses to greet the procession and wish them well. Abdullah had always been handsome, but that day he looked more handsome than ever. As the party passed the homes of the Bani Asad, Abdullah's cousin, Kutaylah, sister of Warakah, called to him and with the permission of his father he stopped to speak with her.

Kutaylah had noticed something very special about Abdullah that day, she had seen a radiant light upon his face, the like of which she had never seen before. On impulse she asked Abdullah to marry her, offering him the same number of camels that been sacrificed in order to save him. Abdullah was astonished by the proposal but declined her offer and the bridal procession continued on its way. In those days it was the custom to stay in the house of the bride for several days after the marriage and then take her to her new home shortly afterwards.

However, a few days after Abdullah and Amina's marriage, it was necessary for Abdullah to return home. On his way he met Kutaylah who told him that she was no longer interested in him because the radiant light she had seen on his face was no longer there. Amina conceived on the first night of their marriage and the young couple were very happy together.

Everything his father had told him proved to be true, and Abdullah was as delighted with Amina as she was with him.

Two months after their marriage Abdullah joined a trading caravan destined for Al Shams. Today, Al Shams is a conglomerate of several countries known to us as Syria, Jordan and Palestine. On the return journey, Abdullah was taken seriously ill in Yathrib. Abdullah had many relatives in Yathrib and so the caravan left him in their care and continued on to Mecca without him.


THE DEATH OF ABDULLAH

A messenger bearing news of Abdullah's illness was sent on in advance of the caravan and as soon as Abd Al Muttalib heard the disturbing news he sent his eldest son, Harith, to Yathrib to bring Abdullah home. Harith was not destined to see his brother again as Abdullah died before he reached Yathrib and so he was buried near the cemeteries of his cousins, the children of Adiyy, the son of Najjar in Yathrib. Harith returned to Mecca and conveyed the sad news to his father and Amina whereupon great sorrow fell upon the entire family.

LADY AMINA'S PREGNANCY



Allah, the Most High, made Lady Amina's pregnancy easy for her, in fact she commented that she didn't feel any different from her usual self. However, as her pregnancy progressed Lady Amina became aware of a light shining from within her. One night in particular, the light was so spiritually, intensely bright that she had the ability to see the castles and turrets of far away Basra in Al Shams.

During her pregnancy Lady Amina had many visions concerning her unborn baby. On one such occasion she heard a voice telling her, "You are carrying in your womb the master of this nation. When he is born say, 'I place him under the protection of the One from the evil of every envier; call him Muhammad (meaning, the glorious one)."

[ Last edited by KENNKID on 22-3-2004 at 06:07 PM ]

7 THE MEMORABLE YEAR OF THE ELEPHANT

Fifty days before Muhammad was born, an event occurred which every person in Mecca would remember for the rest of their lives. It was an attempt by Abraha, the governor of Yemen, to destroy the Sacred Ka'ba with an elephant's might.

Before that time the Arabs paid little attention to the passage of years, although each month was recognized by the new moon. From that year onwards the Arabs would refer to events as being either before the year of the elephant or after it.

At that time, Yemen was under the rule of Abyssinia. The King of Abyssinia, called Negus, had appointed a governor named Abraha to govern Yemen in his absence. Negus was a Nazarene who followed the true teachings of Prophet Jesus and not the trinitarian teachings of Paul, and Abraha, anxious to promote himself still further in the eyes of his king, decided he would build a magnificent church with the intention of luring pilgrims from Ka'ba to it.

The church was built in Sanna with marble pillaged from the ruined palaces of Sheba, whilst its interior was embellished with gold and silver, and its pulpit carved from ivory and ebony. Upon completion, Abraha sent word to Negus that he had built a magnificent church in his honor and mentioned his underlying intention. Abraha bragged so much of his intention to lure pilgrims away from the Ka'ba that word spread like the fury of a violent sandstorm throughout Arabia. As could be expected the Arabs were enraged by the whole affair to the extent that a man from the tribe of Kinanah, a branch of the Quraysh, was so incensed by the audacity of Abraha that he set out for Sanna determined to defile the church.

When he reached Sanna night had fallen so he crept unseen into the church and defiled it with trash and filth. Having accomplished his mission he left undetected. When news of the defilement reached Abraha his anger was so great that he swore to take revenge and to lead an army to would destroy Ka'ba once and for all. Immediately, orders were issued to his army and they prepared themselves for the long march across the hot and sandy desert to Mecca. He also gave orders that an elephant should lead them as a sign of his might.

As soon as the preparations were complete Abraha gave the order to march with the canopied elephant leading the way. Not far out of Sanna the army encountered resistance from a small band of Arabs, but they were greatly outnumbered and fled. Their leader, Nufayl, from the tribe of Khathan, was captured and in fear for his life offered to guide Abraha and his soldiers on to the Ka'ba. The news of Abraha's march to destroy the Ka'ba reached Ta'if ahead of their arrival, so a delegation from the Thakif, fearing Abraha might mistake their temple of Al Lat for the Ka'ba, rode out to meet him and offered to be Nufayl's co-guides, and Abraha accepted.

At a place called Mughammis, a few miles outside Mecca, Abraha decided to strike camp and it was there that Nufayl died and was buried. Meanwhile, Abraha sent his spies on in advance to the outskirts of Mecca. On their way they came across a herd of camels belonging to Abd Al Muttalib together with some other animals so they seized them together with anything else they could lay their hands on and sent their plunder back to Abraha. In the meantime, Abd Al Muttalib, together with other Qurayshi chieftains and chiefs from neighboring tribes met together to discuss how they might best defend their beloved Ka'ba.

After much deliberation all concluded that Abraha's army was so great in number that they did not stand a chance against him, so Abd Al Muttalib decided it was best for the people of Mecca to seek refuge on the slopes of Mount Thabir saying, "O people of Quraysh, you will be protected," and assured them that the Ka'ba would be unharmed saying, "Abraha and his army will not reach the Holy Ka'ba because it has a Protecting Lord."

As the people of Mecca made their way to the mountain, Abd Al Muttalib supplicated saying, "O Allah, it is customary for one to protect his possessions, so please, protect Yours." Soon after, Abraha sent his envoy into Mecca inviting their leader to visit him in his camp and so Abd Al Muttalib, together with one of his sons accompanied Abraha's envoy back to the camp.

As Abd Al Muttalib approached, Abraha was greatly impressed by his noble composure and rose to greet him. Abraha then told Abd Al Muttalib of his intent to destroy the Ka'ba and asked him if there was any favor he might grant him. Abraha was extremely surprised by Abd Al Muttalib's reply, he expected him to plead with him to spare the Ka'ba but instead Abd Al Muttalib asked for the return of his herd of camels.

Abraha scoffed at his request but the wise, trusting, Abd Al Muttalib replied, "I am the lord of my herd of camels, so I must protect them. The Lord of the Ka'ba will protect His House."

After this totally unexpected reply, Abd Al Muttalib and his son returned to Mecca. Soon after this Abraha gave the order to advance on the Ka'ba and the soldiers took their marching positions behind the elephant. Now that all was ready the elephant was given the command to rise and march, but it refused and sat still. Its handlers tried to tempt it, but when that failed they beat it, driving iron hooks deep into its flesh, but still the elephant refused to march on the Ka'ba. Then, one of its handlers had an idea to trick the poor elephant by turning it around to face the direction of Yemen. Then, as soon as it started to walk and turn it around to march on the Ka'ba instead.

His deception worked for a while. They succeeded to get the elephant to stand, and even take a few steps in the direction of Yemen, but when he tried to turn it around to march on the Ka'ba, the elephant, with all its might, sat down and despite the renewed extreme cruelty it endured still refused to march on the Ka'ba.

Suddenly, the sky became blackened with flocks of birds named "Ababil". Each bird carried three stones, one in each claw and another in its beak. When the birds reached Abraha's army they pelted the soldiers with them. As soon as a soldier was struck by a stone he died -- not one single stone missed its mark. As for Abraha, he did not die instantly, the stones that hit him brought about a painful slow death that caused his bones to crumble thereby bringing about the agonizing collapse of his ribs.

These miraculous happenings were witnessed by all the citizens present in Mecca that day, and as a result the year became known as the "Year of the Elephant."

As for the grave of Nufayl, the guide who had led Abraha to the Ka'ba, the Quraysh took to stoning it.

Unfortunately, there are some misguided people who promote the theory that the stones carried by the birds were not in fact stones but rather  germs.

Their knowledge of the Words of Allah is indeed pitiful, because their theory is in direct contradiction to the unchangeable word Allah Himself, This is the chapter revealed in the Qur'an, confirming the event.  

105: 1-5







In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Most Merciful.

Seest thou not how thy Lord dealt with the Companions of the Elephant?
Did He not make their treacherous plan go astray?
And He sent against them Flights of Birds,
Striking them with stones of baked clay.
Then did He make them like an empty field of stalks and straw, (of which the corn) has been eaten up.

[ Last edited by KENNKID on 23-3-2004 at 04:30 PM ]

FaithHealer3

Originally posted by KENNKID at 2004-3-23 12:47 PM:
As soon as the preparations were complete Abraha gave the order to march with the canopied elephant leading the way.

Thats very intelligent of the offensive army leader... use elephant in desert warfare.:lol

Sephiroth

by FaithHealer3

Thats very intelligent of the offensive army leader... use elephant in desert warfare.  

The elephant was to be used to bring down Kaabah faster ... which should be the biggest building in Mecca at that time. Same way you take a buldozer to take down a building.

Debmey

Its a lie. Yemen is far from Mecca & elephants cannot survive the desert. Its just a silly boast by Muslims.

Sephiroth

by Debmey

Its a lie. Yemen is far from Mecca & elephants cannot survive the desert. Its just a silly boast by Muslims.

Africa do have elephants, Debmey. And this elephants can even survive in places like Kalahari deserts, much less Sahara.

And an elephant need WATER and green vegetables to survive, the increase in temperature doesn't give it much problems.

Debmey

Elephants are too huge and do need a lot of greens. When I was in Phuket, they have to restrict the elephant population to only 200 so that the island will not turn bald. So i cannot imagine elephants being used in desert for war. Its impossible for an army to carry so much water and greens.

Sephiroth

by Debmey

Elephants are too huge and do need a lot of greens. When I was in Phuket, they have to restrict the elephant population to only 200 so that the island will not turn bald. So i cannot imagine elephants being used in desert for war. Its impossible for an army to carry so much water and greens.

Elephants needs 300 pounds of green vegetables a day. I don't think it is very hard to find 300 pounds of green vegetable in Yemen, especially in areas where there is Oasis throughtout the desert. And even if an elephant miss a meal in a day, it can go on living for couple of days as long as it has water supply.

As for water, desert routes are paved from one oasis to another and an elephant can sniff out water even in the desert. So survival for this creatures are no big deal.

And they were not used in warfare, they were used as a bulldozer. And "they" were only ONE, not many.

[ Last edited by Sephiroth on 24-3-2004 at 09:23 AM ]

Debmey

You are wrong, oasis are not very big. You can't have an army of elephants stripping one oasis to the next. And deserts aren't paved with oases, they are far and few in between. And nope, elephanst can't go waterles for long, especially not marching in deserts.
Yemen isn't green either. We are not talking about elephants living in a city by the coast but marching elephants thru hot desert. Don't try to bs your way about like yu always do. It just doesn't make sense. There is absolutely no history of elephant warfares in the middle east.

Sephiroth

Debmey

You are wrong, oasis are not very big. You can't have an army of elephants stripping one oasis to the next.

And WHO said that there were an ARMY of ELEPHANTS in this charge? Even Kenkidd wrote about ONE. And I have already inform you that there is only ONE elephant. You do know how much is ONE is, right? ;) (No, One doesn't means Three either).

And deserts aren't paved with oases, they are far and few in between. And nope, elephanst can't go waterles for long, especially not marching in deserts.

Facts about Elephants :

http://www.zoo.org/chai/site/learn/african.htm

Yemen isn't green either. We are not talking about elephants living in a city by the coast but marching elephants thru hot desert. Don't try to bs your way about like yu always do. It just doesn't make sense. There is absolutely no history of elephant warfares in the middle east.

Sigh ... when talking to you, facts simply pass through your ears like a car through a tunnel. ;)

Here :

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/m ... n_land_use_2002.jpg
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/atlas_middle_east/yemen_land.jpg

Map of Yemen - Land Usage

From http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/yemen.html

Don't tell me that the WHOLE freaking country do not have enough water to support ONE freaking Elephant. :spd:

[ Last edited by Sephiroth on 24-3-2004 at 10:25 AM ]

Debmey

not even one elephant boy. and if its only one elphant, whats teh big deal?

Sephiroth

by Debmey

not even one elephant boy. and if its only one elphant, whats teh big deal?

One elephant with a few dozen armed men could be enough to bring down Kaabah ... at least that's what the king must have thought.

Only thing was, the elephant decided not to play along in this fiasco and the King didn't expect an airstrike from above either.

Debmey

You don't need an elephant, just camels and horses will do.

Sephiroth

by Debmey

You don't need an elephant, just camels and horses will do.

Actually, Men alone could do the job if they are enough in numbers and have enough equipment to bring down a small building like Kaabah.

But the King's intention is not just to destroy Kaabah, but to show off his reputation and his own might to others.

That's why he choose to built beautiful building with marble and decorations, thinking that his building will not be a match for an old and not so attractive Kaabah.

In his mind, beautiful buildings could be enough to get people to come ... just like the local government and their building of Mosques. ;) Just to boost to the world, nothing more.

The reason why he brought an elephant probably to show off that he had bigger and mighter army than the "owner" of Kaabah. Only thing was ... he choose the wrong "fellow" to piss off. :lol

Originally posted by Sephiroth at 2004-3-24 11:35 AM:
by Debmey

You don't need an elephant, just camels and horses will do.

Actually, Men alone could do the job if they are enough in numbers and have enough equipment to bring down a sma ...

That is just to show how 'The Year of The Elephant' got its name. Debmey can deny history and call it 'the year of horses or camels': thats up to him. He has denied that Jesus never mentioned, implied or even asked his followers to take him as 'god' or the 'begotten son of God' or that his blood washes away debmey's sins. But then, Debmey is 'cleverer' than history and 'higher' & more powerful than his Creator.

[ Last edited by KENNKID on 24-3-2004 at 12:31 PM ]

Debmey

Sealing of prophethood is a stupid idea. Why would God not want to speak to his people today? How stupid can kennkid be? Its no wonder that Muslims today do not seek guidance from God and that made a mess of themselves and others and also created immorality in their behaviors.

[ Last edited by Debmey on 24-3-2004 at 04:55 PM ]

FaithHealer3

Water boldly goes where no elephants can go...