Abraham (as)1, who is regarded as a distinguished and high-ranking prophet of God by Muslims, Christians, and Jews, passed away 2700 to 2800 years before the advent of Muhammad (sas). Abraham (as) spent his early life in Iraq, but later traveled through Egypt and migrated to western Palestine where he settled down. He had three wives; out of them Hagar (as) and Sarah (as) are well-known. Ishmael (as) was born to Hagar (as) and Isaac (as) was born to Sarah (as).
Abraham’s elder son, Ishmael (as), was still an infant when Sarah (as), their stepmother, became angry with them for some reason, and asked Abraham (as) to expel them out of the house. This greatly grieved Abraham (as), but Allah, the Exalted, Who had plans to establish a grand nation in the land of Hijaz from the progeny of Ishmael (as), consoled Abraham (as):
Be not displeased because of the lad and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your descendants be named. And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.2
Abraham (as) took Hagar (as) and Ishmael (as) with him on a long journey and after traveling hundreds of miles left them alone with little provisions in a state of great desperation in the uninhabited and deserted valley of Becca3, thereafter returning back.4
When Abraham (as) turned to go back, leaving behind his beloved wife and innocent child, Hagar (as) followed him, and after a little while called him from behind, “O Abraham (as)! To whom are you leaving us?” He replied, “(I am leaving you) to Allah’s (Care).” She said, “I am satisfied to be with Allah.”5
Hagar (as), having full trust in God, turned back to the place where Abraham (as) had left her. According to the traditions, when Abraham (as) was leaving his dear wife and innocent child alone in the valley, after going a little way, he looked back and prayed in the following words recorded in the Qur’an:
رَبَّنَاۤ اِنِّیۡۤ اَسۡکَنۡتُ مِنۡ ذُرِّیَّتِیۡ بِوَادٍ غَیۡرِ ذِیۡ زَرۡعٍ عِنۡدَ بَیۡتِکَ الۡمُحَرَّمِ ۙ رَبَّنَا لِیُـقِیۡمُوا الصَّلٰوۃَ فَاجۡعَلۡ اَفۡئِدَۃً مِّنَ النَّاسِ تَہۡوِیۡۤ اِلَیۡہِمۡ وَارۡزُقۡہُمۡ مِّنَ الثَّمَرٰتِ لَعَلَّہُمۡ یَشۡکُرُوۡنَ
Our Lord, I have settled some of my children in an uncultivable valley near Thy Sacred House—our Lord—that they may observe Prayer. So make men’s hearts incline towards them and provide them with fruits, that they may be thankful.6
Now observe the situation of Hagar (as). We find from both the Hadith7 and history, that when Hagar (as) ran out of provisions and the infant child became thirsty, she ran around desperately in search of water but failed to find any. The condition of the child was deteriorating moment by moment. Hagar (as) would helplessly look at her beloved and innocent child. Finally, when the child’s condition grew critical, Hagar (as) started crying out of desperation looking towards the sky. She ran up the hill named Safa opposite her in search of water but did not find any, then ran up a hill named Marwah on the other side. In a state of great anxiety and despair, she went back and forth seven times between the two hills. While running back and forth, Hagar (as) continuously cried and prayed to Allah, the Exalted. Finally, when she ran between the hills for the seventh time, she heard the voice of an angel:
O Hagar, Allah has listened to you and your child’s plea.
Hagar (as) went back to her child and saw an angel striking his heel on the ground as if digging out something. Hagar (as) observed that a spring had erupted from that place, which today is known by the name of the Well of Zamzam. On this Divine miracle, she expressed gratitude to God and gave water to the child. She made a small boundary wall around the spring to secure the water. There is a tradition narrated by Ibn ‘Abbas (ra) that Muhammad (sas) said, “May Allah have mercy on Hagar (as); if she would not have stopped the water, it would have turned into a flowing spring.” It is also recorded that Muhammad (sas) said that the running back and forth between the Safa and Marwah hills (at the time of Hajj) is practiced in the blessed memory of Hagar (as)8. When people found out about the existence of the Well of Zamzam, they, with the permission of Hagar (as), started settling there. It is recorded that Madad bin ‘Amr, the chieftain of the Banu Jurham, which was part of Banu Qahtan was the first person to settle there.
Abraham (as) occasionally visited Makkah. When Ishmael (as) reached the age of 13 years, Abraham (as) had a dream in which he saw that he was slaughtering Ishmael (as)9. As human sacrifice was commonly practiced at the time and Abraham (as) had not been told about its prohibition, he mentioned this to Ishmael (as) with the intention of literally fulfilling the dream. The obedient son readily bowed his head to carry out the Divine commandment. When Abraham (as) was about to slaughter his beloved son, he heard voice of an angel, “O Abraham! Verily, you have fulfilled your dream. Now leave Ishmael and in his stead sacrifice a ram in the way of God. Apparently, this is its symbolic allusion. However, the actual purport of this dream shall be fulfilled in another manner.”10 So in this way the tradition of sacrifice was established in Islam at the time of Hajj, when thousands of animals are sacrificed every year.
When Abraham (as) went to Makkah for the fourth time, he noticed that the Ka‘bah’s structure had almost disappeared with the passage of time. With guidance from Allah, he started rebuilding it at its original site. Sir William Muir writes:
Tradition represents the Ka‘ba as being, from time immemorial, the scene of pilgrimage from all quarters of Arabia:—from the Yemen and Hadramaut, from the shores of the Persian Gulf, the deserts of Syria, and the distant environs of Al-Hira and Mesopotamia, men yearly flocked to Mecca. So extensive a homage must have had its beginning in an extremely remote age.11
For the construction of this House, the son carried the stones and the father erected the building. When the walls reached a certain height, Abraham (as) placed a special stone12 in one corner of the Ka‘bah as a marker for the people to begin the circuit of Ka‘bah. The Qur’an mentioned the erection of Ka‘bah in the following words:
اِنَّ اَوَّلَ بَیۡتٍ وُّضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِیۡ بِبَکَّۃَ مُبٰرَکًا وَّہُدًی لِّلۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ
Surely, the first House founded for mankind is that at Becca, abounding in blessings and a guidance for all peoples.13
وَاِذۡ یَرۡفَعُ اِبۡرٰہٖمُ الۡقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الۡبَیۡتِ وَاِسۡمٰعِیۡلُ ؕ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلۡ مِنَّا ؕ اِنَّکَ اَنۡتَ السَّمِیۡعُ الۡعَلِیۡمُ رَبَّنَا وَاجۡعَلۡنَا مُسۡلِمَیۡنِ لَکَ وَمِنۡ ذُرِّیَّتِنَاۤ اُمَّۃً مُّسۡلِمَۃً لَّکَ ۪ وَاَرِنَا مَنَاسِکَنَا وَتُبۡ عَلَیۡنَا ۚ اِنَّکَ اَنۡتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِیۡمُ رَبَّنَا وَابۡعَثۡ فِیۡہِمۡ رَسُوۡلًا مِّنۡہُمۡ یَتۡلُوۡا عَلَیۡہِمۡ اٰیٰتِکَ وَیُعَلِّمُہُمُ الۡکِتٰبَ وَالۡحِکۡمَۃَ وَیُزَکِّیۡہِمۡ ؕ اِنَّکَ اَنۡتَ الۡعَزِیۡزُ الۡحَکِیۡمُ
And remember the time when Abraham (as) and Ishmael (as) raised the foundations of the House, praying, ‘Our Lord, accept this from us; for Thou art All-Hearing, All-Knowing. Our Lord, make us submissive to Thee and make of our offspring a people submissive to Thee. And show us our ways of worship, and turn to us with mercy; for Thou art Oft-Returning with compassion and Merciful. And our Lord, raise up among them a Messenger from among themselves, who may recite to them Thy Signs and teach them the Book and Wisdom and may purify them; surely, Thou art the Mighty, the Wise.’14
Muhammad (sas) used to say in reference to this prayer, “I am but a fruit of the prayers of Abraham.”15
When the construction of the Ka‘bah was completed, Abraham (as) was given the following commandment by Allah, the Exalted:
وَّطَہِّرۡ بَیۡتِیَ لِلطَّآئِفِیۡنَ وَالۡقَآئِمِیۡنَ وَالرُّکَّعِ السُّجُوۡدِ وَاَذِّنۡ فِی النَّاسِ بِالۡحَجِّ یَاۡتُوۡکَ رِجَالًا وَّعَلٰی کُلِّ ضَامِرٍ یَّاۡتِیۡنَ مِنۡ کُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِیۡقٍ
And keep My House clean for those who perform the circuits, and those who stand up and those who bow down and fall prostrate in Prayer; and proclaim unto mankind the Pilgrimage. They will come to thee on foot, and on every lean camel, coming by every distant track.16
This statement contained a grand prophecy for the House of Allah to become the focal point of human attention, which is fulfilled every year during the days of Hajj, thus providing a living proof of the existence of God the Exalted.
Ishmael (as) was married to the daughter of Madad bin ‘Amr, the chieftain of the Jurham tribe, and had twelve sons from her, Kedar17 being the youngest of them. Kedar’s descendents mostly settled in Arabia, Quraish being his descendents. During the lifetime of Ishmael (as) and his elder son Nebaioth, the custody of the Ka‘bah remained with their family. But afterwards, it was handed over to Madad bin ‘Amr, Ishmael’s father-in-law and the chieftain of the Jurham tribe. After a long time, Banu Khuza‘ah, which belonged to a branch of Banu Qahtan, appropriated the custody.
It is said that when ‘Amr bin Harith, the chieftain of the Jurham tribe left Makkah, he buried all the national treasures in the Well of Zamzam and leveled it. Hundreds of years later, ‘Abdul-Muttalib, the grandfather of Muhammad (sas), discovered it after a long quest and revived the Well of Zamzam.
‘Amr bin Luhayy was a chieftain of the Banu Khuza‘ah. He was greatly impressed upon seeing the Syrians worshipping idols, and desired to have similar idols in the Ka‘bah, the religious center of the Arabs. He brought several idols and set them up in the close proximity of the Ka‘bah18, and slowly the number of idols in the Ka‘bah increased to 360.
It became a temple of idolaters,
Three hundred sixty idols were worshipped there.19
The custody of the Ka‘bah remained with the Banu Khuza‘ah for a long time. Qusayy bin Kilab, a descendent of Ishmael (as) and a very wise and intelligent person earnestly wanted to restore the custody of Ka‘bah to the descendents of Ishmael (as) considering them the true heirs. So he came to Makkah and married Hubba, the daughter of Halil bin Habashiyyah, the chieftain of the Banu Khuza‘ah. Halil made a will to transfer the custody of the Ka‘bah to his daughter Hubba, (the wife of Qusayy bin Kilab) after his death. Now, the management of the Ka‘bah was practically in the hands of Qusayy (through marriage and inheritance)—but he was not contented. He wanted full custody of the Ka‘bah as he considered himself the real heir. Banu Khuza‘ah strongly opposed him and prepared for a battle. The two tribes fought for many years and finally the arbitration of the dispute was entrusted to ‘Amr bin ‘Auf. He made the judgment in favour of Qusayy and so after a very long time the custody of the Ka‘bah was restored to Banu Isma‘il, the rightful owners.
It is narrated that Tubba As‘ad, the king of Tubba (Yemen), once had a dream that he was draping the Ka‘bah. He decided to carry out the physical draping of the Ka‘bah. After the death of the king, it turned into a custom and continued during the Islamic era. Even today, every year an expensive Kiswah is draped on the Ka‘bah and the old one is taken off, and its pieces are either sold or distributed among the pilgrims.
The origin of the name Quraish is attributed to Fihr bin Malik, who was one of the descendents of Ishmael (as). There is disagreement regarding how this name came about. Some people hold the view that during the time of Fihr, Banu Isma‘il acquired tremendous strength and force, therefore, the tribe was named after a fish of large size that eats smaller fish. Others think that when Qusayy bin Kilab acquired the custody of Ka‘bah, and united different branches of his tribe settling them in Makkah, the tribe received the name of Quraish as it has the connotation of “gathering.”
Qusayy bin Kilab, who has been mentioned above, was a person of extraordinary capabilities. His era was 500 A.D., about 150 years before Muhammad (sas). He not only restored the original administration of Ka‘bah, but also formally organized the people of his tribe and laid the foundation of a new democratic state.
Qusayy bin Kilab established Darun-Nadwah close to the Ka‘bah which was used by the Quraish to perform all of their governmental activities. Prior to the migration, the infamous plan to murder Muhammad (sas) was hatched by the leaders of the Quraish in Darun-Nadwah.
Qusayy had four sons; among them ‘Abdud-Dar and ‘Abdi Manaf are the most well-known. Qusayy nominated ‘Abdud-Dar to succeed him after his death. ‘Abdud-Dar admirably performed his responsibilities, but after his death, the custody of the Ka‘bah was taken over by the people of Banu ‘Abdi Manaf which included ‘Abdi Shams, Muttalib, Hashim, and Naufal as they were known for their capabilities and high ethics.
This led to a dispute between the two sides and it came close to war, but finally a compromise was reached. Two offices, including the Rifadah (feeding poor pilgrims) and the Siqayah (watering pilgrims) were given to Banu ‘Abdi Manaf, and the other three offices including the administration of Darun-Nadwah (assembly or parliament), Liwa (issuances of the standard and the banners) and Hijabah (guardianship of Ka‘bah) stayed with Banu ‘Abdud-Dar. Banu ‘Abdi Manaf, with mutual consultation, appointed Hashim the trustee of the Rifadah and the Siqayah.
In addition to being solemn and wise, Hashim was unmatched in his generosity. He showed such generosity to the Quraish during the time of a famine that he earned the respect of all the tribes. He repeatedly went to the Roman authorities and the Ghassanid prince to secure rights for the trade caravans of the Quraish. Umayyah, the son of ‘Abdi Shams, became jealous of the good name and fame of Hashim, but did not succeed in his schemes to bring him down. ‘Abdul-Muttalib bin Hashim was successful in keeping Banu Umayyah in check during his life. After the death of ‘Abdul-Muttalib, during the time of the grandsons of Hashim, the influence of the Quraish declined and the Banu Umayyah slowly gained power.
While in Yathrib (later named Madinah), Hashim married Salma bint ‘Amr, a young woman from Banu Najjar (which was a branch of the Khazraj tribe). Salma gave birth to a son, Shaibah bin Hashim who stayed in Madinah with her. Shaibah was still a child when Hashim died in Makkah. Since the other children of Hashim were still young at the time of his death, his elder brother Muttalib succeeded him.
Because of the extraordinary qualities and intellect of Shaibah, Muttalib brought Shaibah from Madinah to Makkah. The people of Makkah were under the impression that he had brought a slave with him; therefore Shaibah came to be known by the name of ‘Abdul-Muttalib20. ‘Abdul-Muttalib was an intelligent man, but since he was new in Madinah, he initially struggled to secure his inheritance.
Naufal bin ‘Abdi Manaf, who has been mentioned above, wanted to take over the custody of the Ka‘bah. ‘Abdul-Muttalib first appealed to the Quraish, but when they refused to interfere, requested help from Banu Najjar, the tribe of his mother, who immediately sent eighty fighters. Naufal was so intimidated by the fighters that he immediately resigned from the dispute.
The tribe of ‘Abdi Shams was already against them, now the relationship with Banu Naufal was also contentious. So the tribe of ‘Abdi Manaf bin Qusayy was divided into two groups: Banu Hashim and Banu Muttalib were on one side, and Banu Naufal and Banu ‘Abdi Shams were on the other. The effect of this division was so far reaching that much later, when Banu Hashim and the other Muslims were besieged in the Valley of Abi Talib, Banu Muttalib supported Banu Hashim, and Banu Naufal and Banu ‘Abdi Shams supported the disbelievers. It was for this reason that when Muhammad (sas) set aside one fifth of the booty from a battle for Allah, His messenger, and the close relatives, he included Banu Muttalib with his tribe Banu Hashim, and used to say that Banu Hashim and Banu Muttalib were one21, but did not include Banu Naufal and Banu ‘Abdi Shams with them.
As previously mentioned, when the dominance of Banu Khuza’ah in Makkah drove the chieftain of the Jurham tribe out of Makkah, he buried the national treasures in the Well of Zamzam and leveled it. Centuries later, when the office of the Siqayah came under the control of ‘Abdul-Muttalib, he had a dream in which he was shown the signs of the Well of Zamzam. He along with his son Harith started the quest for the Well of Zamzam. The Quraish, instead of helping the father and the son, ridiculed them. ‘Abdul-Muttalib prayed to God that if he were given ten sons, and all of them reached their adulthood in his life time, he would sacrifice one of them in the way of God.22 After searching for some time, ‘Abdul-Muttalib discovered the Well of Zamzam and the buried treasure. This greatly impressed everyone and established his esteem over the entire Quraish.23
Glory to God’s powers! God the Exalted, did grace ‘Abdul-Muttalib with ten sons, who grew up quickly. When they reached their adulthood, ‘Abdul-Muttalib took them to the Ka‘bah in order to fulfill his promise by casting lots in front of the Hubal idol to determine which son would be sacrificed. The lot fell to ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib24, who was the dearest to ‘Abdul-Muttalib. ‘Abdul-Muttalib was badly shaken by the result of the lot, but was determined to fulfill his pledge. Helplessly he took his son for the sacrifice. When the chieftains of the Quraish tribe found out about it, they rushed to ‘Abdul-Muttalib and stopped him.
First, ‘Abdul-Muttalib insisted on carrying out the sacrifice, however, on the consultation of an acquaintance, it was decided to cast lots between ‘Abdullah and ten camels (which was equivalent to blood money at that time), and if the lot came in favour of camels, they would be sacrificed in place of ‘Abdullah. But the lot came in favour of ‘Abdullah. Now, ‘Abdul-Muttalib added ten more camels and again cast the lot. But the lot again came in favour of ‘Abdullah. ‘Abdul-Muttalib kept on increasing the camels by ten until the time the lots were cast between 100 camels and ‘Abdullah. This time the lot came in favour of the camels. To be sure about it, he cast the lots again and it still came in favour of the camels. ‘Abdul-Muttalib was ecstatic at this; he sacrificed 100 camels and jubilantly went home with ‘Abdullah. From this time onwards, blood money was set at 100 camels.25
‘Abdullah married at the age of 17 or 25 (based on different traditions) to a pious lady, Aminah bint Wahb26 who belonged to the respected tribe of Banu Zuhra.
Soon after the marriage, ‘Abdul-Muttalib sent ‘Abdullah with a trade caravan to Syria. On the way back, ‘Abdullah fell ill and stopped in Yathrib to rest with his relatives. From there, he alerted ‘Abdul-Muttalib about his sickness. ‘Abdullah passed away before ‘Abdul-Muttalib’s son Harith reached Yathrib to get him. In this way, Muhammad (sas) was still in the womb of his mother when the protection of his father was taken away, leaving him an orphan.
It is noteworthy that the inheritance left by ‘Abdullah for Muhammad (sas) consisted of five camels, a few sheep, and a slave woman named Ummi Aiman.27
It was 52 days before the birth of Muhammad (sas) (or 55 days—traditions vary) when a strange event took place in Arabia. It is said that Abrahah al-Ashram, the Viceroy of Yemen under Abyssinian Christian rule, witnessed the attraction of the Ka‘bah for the Arabs and wanted to sway Arabs from visiting the Ka‘bah. He erected a lavish temple in Yemen and invited people to visit it.
An impudent Arab was annoyed by this; he looked for an opportunity and reliaved himself in the temple which infuriated Abrahah. Abrahah marched towards Makkah with an army of thousands to destroy the Ka‘bah. The Quraish, greatly distressed about it, sent ‘Abdul-Muttalib with a delegation to Abrahah to talk him out of it. Abrahah was greatly impressed by the personality, charm, and esteem of ‘Abdul-Muttalib, so he treated him with great honour and inquired about the reason for his arrival. ‘Abdul-Muttalib, who probably had already thought about the dialogue, said that a few people from his army had captured his camels, and he would be grateful if he returned them. Abrahah returned the camels, but the impressions he had of ‘Abdul-Muttalib’s charm and esteem were gone, and he said with great amazement, “I have come to destroy your Ka‘bah and you worry about your camels?”
‘Abdul-Muttalib quite nonchalantly replied:
اَنَا رَبُّ الْاِبِلِ وَ لِلْبَیْتِ رَبٌّ یَمْنَعُہٗ
I am the owner of the camels (therefore, worried about them) and the House also has an Owner who will defend it.
‘Abdul-Muttalib’s reply enraged Abrahah even more and he angrily said, “I will see how the Lord of that house stops me!” He moved forward with his army, but the decree of God was such that dangerous smallpox broke out in the army which destroyed most of the army. The Qur’an mentions this event in Chapter Al-Fil (the Elephant) in the following words:
اَلَمۡ تَرَ کَیۡفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّکَ بِاَصۡحٰبِ الۡفِیۡلِ اَلَمۡ یَجۡعَلۡ کَیۡدَہُمۡ فِیۡ تَضۡلِیۡلٍ وَّاَرۡسَلَ عَلَیۡہِمۡ طَیۡرًا اَبَابِیۡلَ تَرۡمِیۡہِمۡ بِحِجَارَۃٍ مِّنۡ سِجِّیۡلٍ فَجَعَلَہُمۡ کَعَصۡفٍ مَّاۡکُوۡلٍ
Hast thou not seen how thy Lord dealt with the People of the Elephant? Did He not cause their plan to miscarry? And 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.28
Since Abrahah’s army also included elephants, which was novel and bizarre for the Arabs, they called the army Ashabul-Fil (the People of the Elephant) and the year was called ‘Amul-Fil (the Year of the Elephant). The destruction of Ashabul-Fil increased the Arabs’ reverence for the Ka‘bah and also for the Quraish.29
Most probably, the intent of Allah was to show that the Ka‘bah was the cornerstone (of the world) and under His protection.
1 The title of Khalilullah is often used with the name of Abraham (as) which means the Friend of Allah. [Publisher]
2 Genesis, 21:12-13 (English Standard Version).
3 The valley where Makkah is located.
4 For the answer to the objections of the Christians that there is no historical evidence for Ishmael’s settlement in Arabia, see Sirat Khatamun-Nabiyyin, Urdu edition, published by Islam International Publications, 1996, p. 69 to 71.
5 Bukhari (Book of Prohets) and Tarikhul-Khamis.
6 Ibrahim, 14:38.
7 Sayings of Muhammad (sas) of Islam. [Publisher]
8 Bukhari (Book of the Beginning of Creation) and Ibni Hisham.
9 According to the Bible, Issac (as) was to be sacrificed, but other statements of the Bible and the Islamic traditions support that Ishmael (as) was to be sacrificed. For a detailed discussion, see Sirat Khatamun-Nabiyyin, Urdu edition, published by Islam International Publications, 1996, p. 69–74.
10 The Qur’an, Chapter As-Saffat and Tafsir Ibni Jarir.
11 The Life of Mohammad: From the Original Sources by Sir William Muir and T. H. Weir, p. ciii, Published at Edinburgh by J. Grant, 1912.
12 It is the Black Stone that is kissed with the lips or with a gesture of hands while doing the circuit, but it should be remembered that it is not sacred in itself, rather only a memento. Once ‘Umar, Khalifa II (ra) was performing the circuit of Ka‘bah, pointing towards the Black Stone, he said, “You are only a stone which has no power to influence gains or losses, and if I had not seen Muhammad (sas) kissing you, I would have never kissed you.”—Bukhari (Book of Hajj).
13 Aal-e-‘Imran, 3:97.
14 Al-Baqarah, 2:128-130.
15 Ibni ‘Asakir, cited by Jami‘us-Saghir.
16 Al-Hajj, 22:27-28.
17 According to Sirat Khatamun-Nabiyyin and the Bible, Kedar was the second son of Ishmael (as). [Publisher]
18 Ibni Hisham.
19 Musaddas Hali, a famous poem of Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali (1837–1914) about the rise and fall of Islam. [Publisher]
20 ‘Abdul-Muttalib literally means the slave of Muttalib.
21 Bukhari, Kitabul-Maghazi (Book of Expeditions Led by Muhammad (sas)).
22 Ibni Sa‘d, the Pledge of ‘Abdul-Muttalib.
23 Ibni Sa‘d and Ibni Hisham.
24 The father of Muhammad (sas).
25 Ibni Sa‘d.
26 The mother of Muhammad (sas). [Publisher]
27 Ibni Sa‘d and Az-Zarqani.
28 Al-Fil, 105:2-6.
29 Ibni Hisham.