Hazrat Saeed bin Jubair narrates that the ruler of Abyssinia, Abu Yaksum, came and with him were elephants (as well). When he reached the Haram, his elephant sat down and refused to enter the Haram. The narrator says that when Abu Yaksum directed the elephant to return, the elephant would run back swiftly, but when he intended to go towards the Haram, the elephant refused. Then, small white birds were sent upon them, each of which had stones the size of chickpeas in their beaks. Whomever those stones fell upon, he would be destroyed.

Hazrat Ikrimah narrates that these birds cast a shadow over the people from the sky. Then, when Allah Almighty made them like eaten straw, Allah Almighty sent a flood. That flood swept them away until it carried them into the sea.

It is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said in the explanation of { طَیْرًا أَبَابِیلَ }: Their noses were like the noses of birds and their palms were like the palms of dogs.

It is narrated from Hazrat Ubaid bin Umair that these were black-colored birds who were carrying stones in their beaks and claws.

Hazrat Abu Huraira narrates that when the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, mounted his ride, he said: Indeed, Allah Almighty protected Makkah from the people of the elephants, and He granted His Messenger and the believers authority over this Makkah.

It is narrated from Hazrat Ubaid bin Umair that when Allah Almighty intended to destroy the People of the Elephant, He sent upon them those birds which were brought out from the sea and they resembled swallows. Each of those birds was carrying three stones of white and black color. Two stones were in its feet and one stone was in its beak. The narrator says: Then those birds came until they formed rows over the heads of the People of the Elephant. Then they made a sound and threw the stones which were in their claws and beaks. No stone would fall on a man's head except that it would exit from his rear. And it would not strike any part of a man's body except that it would come out from the other side. The narrator says: Then Allah Almighty sent a strong wind which (also) struck with stones, so the intensity of the stones increased. The narrator says: Thus, all those people were destroyed.

Hazrat Aamir narrates that Hazrat Umar went to the Jews and said, "I ask you by the God who sent down the Torah upon Moses, do you find (the attributes of) Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in your books?" The Jews replied, "Yes." Hazrat Umar then asked, "Then what prevents you from following him?" The Jews said, "Allah has not sent any messenger except that he has a companion from among the angels. And Muhammad’s (peace and blessings be upon him) companion is Jibreel, and he is the one who comes to him. Among the angels, he is our enemy, and we are reconciled with Mikaeel. So if Mikaeel used to come to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), we would have accepted Islam." Hazrat Umar said, "I ask you by the God who sent down the Torah upon Moses, what is the status and rank of these two angels with the Lord of the worlds?" The Jews replied, "Jibreel is on the right side of Allah Almighty and Mikaeel is on the left side of Allah Almighty." Hazrat Umar said, "So indeed, I bear witness that both angels descend only by the command of Allah Almighty. And Mikaeel is not such that he reconciles with the enemies of Jibreel, nor is Jibreel such that he reconciles with the enemies of Mikaeel." Hazrat Umar was still with the Jews when the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived, so the Jews said, "Here is your companion, O Ibn Khattab!" So Hazrat Umar stood up towards the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and presented himself to him, while these verses had already been revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): { مَنْ کَانَ عَدُوًّا لِجِبْرِیلَ فَإِنَّہُ نَزَّلَہُ عَلَی قَلْبِکَ بِإِذْنِ اللہِ …إِلَی قَوْلِہِ… فَإِنَّ اللَّہَ عَدُوٌّ لِلْکَافِرِینَ }.

Hazrat Abu Bakr bin Abu Musa narrates from his father that Abu Talib set out towards Syria, and with him were the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and some elderly men of the Quraysh. When these people reached the monk, they camped and dismounted from their mounts. The monk came towards them, and previously, when these people used to pass by the monk, he would not come to them nor pay attention to them. The narrator says: As these people were dismounting, the monk began to walk among them until he came and took the hand of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "This is the leader of the worlds, and this is the Messenger of the Lord of the worlds. Allah Almighty has sent him as a mercy to the worlds." The people of Quraysh said to the monk, "How do you know this?" He said, "When you ascended the pass, there was not a tree or a stone left except that it bowed down in prostration, and these things only prostrate to prophets. And I recognize him by the seal of prophethood, which is like an apple beneath the soft bone of his shoulder."

2. Then the monk returned and prepared food for them (the caravan). When he brought the food to the caravan, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was (assigned) to guard the camels. The monk said, "Send someone to him." So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came, and a cloud was shading him. The monk said, "Look at him! There is a cloud over him, shading him." Then, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) approached the people, and the people were already sitting in the shade of a tree, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sat down, the shade of the tree inclined towards him. The monk said, "Look at the shade of the tree; it has inclined towards him as well."

3. The narrator says: When the monk was standing with the people of the caravan and insisting that the caravan people should not take him to Rome, because if the Romans saw him, they would recognize him by his attributes and kill him. Meanwhile, he turned and saw a group of nine (9) people who had come from Rome. The monk turned to them and asked, "What has brought you here?" They said, "We have received information that this Prophet will emerge from this city. There is no route left except that people have been sent towards it, and we have been informed about him and sent towards your route." The monk said to those people, "Have you left anyone behind you who is better than yourselves?" They said, "No! We have only been informed about your route regarding his news." The monk said, "Tell me about this matter which Allah Almighty has decided to fulfill; is there anyone among the people who has the power to reject it?" They said, "No!" The narrator says: So those people accepted the monk's words and stayed with him.

4. Then the monk came to the people of the caravan and said, "I ask you by Allah! Who is the guardian of this (child)?" Abu Talib said, "I am his guardian." The monk kept insisting to Abu Talib until Abu Talib sent the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) back, and Hazrat Abu Bakr sent Hazrat Bilal with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The monk presented cake and olives to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) as provisions for the journey.

It is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that there was no tribe of the jinn except that they had seats for listening (to heavenly matters). He says: When revelation would descend, the angels would hear a sound like the sound of iron being thrown on a smooth stone. He says: When the angels heard this sound, they would fall into prostration. They would not raise their heads until the revelation was completed. Then, when the revelation was completed, some angels would ask others: What has your Lord said? If the revelation was about a heavenly matter, the angels would say: He has spoken the truth, and He is Most High, Most Great. And if the revelation was about an earthly matter—an unseen affair, death, or any worldly matter—the angels would converse among themselves and say: Such and such will happen. The devils would overhear these things and then convey them to their friends (allies). But when Allah Almighty sent Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the devils were destroyed by the stars. The first to become aware of this (the falling of the stars) was the tribe of Thaqif. Among them, the one with goats would go to his goats and slaughter one goat each day, and the one with camels would slaughter one camel each day. So the people began to hasten among themselves. Then some of them said to others: Do not do this. If these are the guiding stars (then it is fine), otherwise it is due to some new event. So the people observed and saw that the guiding stars were as they were; none of them had been thrown. The people stopped. And Allah Almighty turned the jinn away, and they heard the Qur’an. So when the jinn attended (the recitation of) the Qur’an, they said: Be silent. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says: The devils went to Iblis and informed him, and he said: This event has occurred on the earth. So bring me soil from every land. When the devils brought Iblis the soil of Tihamah, he said: It is here that this new event has occurred.

Hazrat Safwan bin Assal narrates that a Jew said to his companion, "Take us to this Prophet!" His companion replied, "No! Do not say 'Prophet,' because if he hears you, he will have four eyes." The narrator says: Both of them came to the service of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and they asked him about the nine clear signs. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Do not associate anyone with Allah, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden except by right, do not slander an innocent person before a powerful one so that he kills the innocent, do not practice magic, do not consume usury, do not accuse a chaste woman of adultery, do not turn your back and flee on the day of battle, and O special ones among the Jews, it is also obligatory upon you not to transgress on the Sabbath." The narrator says: The Jews kissed the hands and feet of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and began to say, "We bear witness that you are indeed a true Prophet." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "What prevents you from following me?" They replied: "David prayed that prophethood would remain continuously in his lineage, and we fear that the Jews will kill us."