Abraha al-Ashram (also known as Abraha al-Habashi or Abu Yaksum) was a Christian ruler in South Arabia in the sixth century, known above all in the Islamic tradition for his attempt to destroy the Kaʿbah in Mecca in what the tradition calls the “Year of the Elephant”.
Origin and power
Abraha began his career under the influence of the Aksumite empire (Ethiopia) in Yemen. After the fall of Dhu Nuwas he seized power in Sanaa, and he extended his authority over parts of South Arabia. According to epigraphic evidence he was the initiator of great projects such as the restoration of the dam of Maʾrib; his longest known inscription, CIH 541, describes his restoration works, his military campaigns and his diplomatic relations with neighbouring powers.¹
On account of a duel with his rival Ariat, or of wounds sustained during conflicts, he is said to have suffered an injury to his nose, and this gave rise to the byname al-Ashram (“split nose, or scarred face”) in later sources.²
The expedition against Mecca
In the Islamic sources he is remembered above all for his expedition against Mecca, traditionally dated around the year of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (around 570 CE). According to the tradition Abraha set out with an army that included elephants, with the aim of destroying the Kaʿbah and diverting the stream of pilgrims to his own church (al-Qulays in Sanaa).³ The Qur’an mentions this incident in Surah al-Fīl (105:1-5), in which the design of the men with the elephants fails when birds (abābīl) cast stones (sijjīl) upon them, and the army is destroyed.³
Later accounts say that the elephant (Mahmūd) refused to go forward, and that the army collapsed under divine intervention.⁴
Legacy and death
Abraha is thought to have died in Yemen as a result of his injury or in the aftermath of his expedition against Mecca.³ After his death his sons Yaksum and later Masruq ruled over parts of his realm, though their power was less stable than that of their father.⁵
His reign is remembered to this day through the historical inscriptions and through the legendary status of his expedition against Mecca. In the Brill Encyclopaedia he is described as a Christian ruler of South Arabia who attacked Mecca with the army of the elephants.⁶
Footnotes
- The inscription CIH 541, in which Abraha documents his restoration of the dam of Maʾrib, his military campaigns and his diplomatic relations.
- The injury to the nose and the byname al-Ashram in later Islamic tradition.
- The Islamic tradition and the Qur’an (Surah al-Fīl) describe his expedition against Mecca.
- Accounts of the elephant’s refusal and the collapse of his army through divine intervention.
- Legacy through his sons Yaksum and Masruq and their weaker control.
- Description of Abraha as a Christian ruler of South Arabia who attacked Mecca (Brill Encyclopaedia).