Ababil (mythology)

Ababil (Arabic: أبابيل, romanized: abābīl) means a flock of birds. It refers to the miraculous birds in Islamic belief mentioned in Sura 105 of the Quran that protected the Kaaba in Mecca from the Aksumite elephant army of Abraha, then self-styled governor of Himyar, by dropping small clay stones on them as they approached.[1] In the translation of sahih international, the phrase "tayran abābīl(a)"(طَيْرًا أَبَابِيلَ) is translated as "Birds in flocks" that is mentioned in the verse 105:3.

The event is said to have occurred in 570, the year that the Islamic prophet Muhammad was born.[2]

References

  1. Yusuf Ali, Abdullah (1989). The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an. Amana Publications. ISBN 978-1-5900-8016-0.
  2. Matthews, John and Caitlin (2005). The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures. HarperElement. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-4351-1086-1.
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