When the Arabs heard of the church that Abrahah erected, a member of the Kinaanah tribe defaced the building by passing stool within its precincts and thereafter fleeing. Some are of the opinion that a few Arab youngsters lit a fire in the vicinity of the church. A gust of wind carried an ember onto the church, setting it ablaze and reducing it to ashes. This infuriated Abrahah and he vowed that he would not rest until he had reduced the Ka‘bah to ruins. With this evil intention, he set out to attack Makkah Mukarramah. En route to Makkah Mukarramah, the tribes who put up resistance were subdued with the might of the sword. Together with his army of men, he was also accompanied by a herd of elephants.
The livestock of the people of Makkah Mukarramah were grazing on the outskirts of Makkah Mukarramah. Abrahah’s army seized all the grazing animals, including two hundred camels belonging to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam)’s grandfather, ‘Abdul Muttalib. At that time, ‘Abdul Muttalib was the appointed leader of the Quraish and the custodian of the Ka‘bah. When he learnt of Abrahah’s arrival, he gathered the Quraish and said, “Do not worry. Evacuate Makkah Mukarramah. Nobody will be able to demolish the K‘abah. This is the sacred house of Allah Ta’ala and He will protect it.”
(Extracted from Seeratul Mustafa 1/46)
