5 Historic Attacks on the Kaaba

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5 Great Attacks on the Kaʿbah — History, Lessons, and Hope


Introduction — The House that Allah Protected

The Kaʿbah (Baitullāh) stands at the heart of Islamic faith — a symbol of tawḥīd, unity, and the bond between millions of Muslims across the world. Across centuries powerful men and radical groups tried to profane, damage, or seize this sacred place. Each attack is not only a chapter in political history but a test of faith and a reminder that Allah protects what He wills. In this article I, speaking in the measured voice of a Muslim scholar, will explain five major attacks on the Kaʿbah: who did it, why it happened, what exactly took place, and the outcome — with lessons that should move the Indian Muslim heart to knowledge, patience, and unity. (Careful sources are provided for the main historical facts.)

1) The Year of the Elephant — Abraha’s Invasion


Attacker: Abraha, ruler of Aksumite/Himyarite forces.

Time: Around the Year of the Elephant (traditionally c. 570 CE), before the birth of Prophet Muḥammad (PBUH).
Motive: Political and religious — Abraha sought to make his grand church (in Yemen) the focal pilgrimage site and remove Mecca’s prestige by destroying the Kaʿbah. He marched with a large army said to include war elephants.

What happened: Traditional Islamic sources and the Qur’ān (Sūrah al-Fīl) tell the moving story: Abraha’s army advanced on Mecca but a divine miracle intervened — birds (abābīl) dropped small stones that destroyed the invaders and saved the Kaʿbah. This event is told as proof that Allah preserves His House. For Muslims it is both historical memory and a sign of Divine protection. Wikipedia

Lesson for us: A small, faithful trust in Allah can defeat overwhelming force. This is a spiritual and historical truth Muslims remember each time they turn to the Kaʿbah.

2) The Siege by Yazīd — The Civil War and the Burning of the Kaʿbah (683 CE)


Attacker: Forces loyal to Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiyah of the Umayyad dynasty.

Time & Motive: During the Second Fitna (Islamic civil war), when Yazīd’s forces sought to crush the revolt of ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Zubayr (R.A.) who had declared himself caliph in Mecca. The campaign followed heavy unrest including the tragic events at Karbalā’ and the earlier sack of Medina.

Events: Yazīd’s army besieged Mecca. The fighting and bombardment — catapults and fire — led to the Kaʿbah catching fire. Contemporary reports differ on exact cause (some blame besiegers’ projectiles; others point to burning material inside the sanctuary), but the result was severe damage: the Kaʿbah burned and the Black Stone cracked. The siege lasted many weeks until news of Yazīd’s death prompted a withdrawal. In Mecca, ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Zubayr later rebuilt the Kaʿbah according to what he believed was the original measure of Ibrāhīm (A.S.), enlarging it in some respects. Wikipedia

Reflection: This episode shows how politics and bloodshed can stain even the most sacred spaces. It warns the believer: fitna (discord) destroys more than palaces — it wounds the soul of the ummah.

3) Hajjāj ibn Yūsuf’s Campaign — Demolition and Rebuilding (c. 692 CE)


Attacker: Hajjāj ibn Yūsuf, commander under Umayyad Caliph ʿAbd al-Malik (acting to restore Umayyad rule).

Motive: To remove the last major political rival, ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Zubayr (R.A.), and to reassert Umayyad authority over the Hijāz.

Events: Hajjāj laid siege to Mecca and directed heavy bombardment against the sanctuary area from surrounding heights. Stones and projectiles struck the Kaʿbah, and after Ibn al-Zubayr’s martyrdom, Hajjāj — by the order of the Umayyad center — demolished what remained of Ibn al-Zubayr’s reconstructed Kaʿbah and rebuilt it to the previous form that corresponded to the dimensions from the time of the Prophet (PBUH). Historical chronicles report fear, divine signs reported by some witnesses, and afterwards the physical Kaʿbah was returned to the form that survived into later centuries. Wikipedia

Spiritual note: The rebuilding under duress teaches us that rulers may fight over form and authority, but the sanctity of the House endures beyond their ambitions.

4) The Qarmatian Raid — The Sack and Theft of the Black Stone (930 CE)


Attacker: The Qarmatians (a radical sect based in Bahrayn, led by Abu Tahir al-Jannābī).
Time & Motive: 930 CE — the Qarmatians turned millenarian belief into violence, attacking pilgrims and aiming to shatter existing religious institutions.

Events: During Hajj the Qarmatians entered Mecca and carried out a shocking massacre of pilgrims, threw bodies into the Zamzam well, looted the Kaʿbah and removed many relics — most famously seizing the Black Stone (Ḥajar al-Aswad). The stone was taken to Bahrayn and remained outside Mecca for over two decades. It was returned years later, but the shock of this raid left deep scars in the Muslim world. Wikipedia

Moral: Fanaticism that abandons Islamic law and compassion becomes a greater enemy than foreign conquest. The Qarmatian episode is a stern warning about the corruption of belief when divorced from mercy.

5) The Grand Mosque Seizure — Juhaymān al-Otaybi (1979)


Attacker: Juhaymān al-Otaybi and a band of armed followers (claimed “Mahdī” and attempted revolution).

Time & Motive: 20 November – 4 December 1979. The group sought to overthrow the Saudi state and proclaimed a false Mahdī (Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Qahtānī). Their motive combined political revolt with religious extremism.

Events: While worshippers prayed at Fajr, the militants seized control of the Grand Mosque (Masjid al-Ḥarām), holding hostages and firing upon civilians. The crisis lasted nearly two weeks. After attempts at negotiation failed, the Saudi government — after securing religious clearance from senior scholars — authorized an assault. Saudi forces, with specialist help and advice (documented accounts note French technical assistance and foreign support in planning), retook the mosque. The rebel leader’s claim failed; the false Mahdī died in the fighting, and surviving insurgents were captured and later executed publicly. The tragedy shocked the Muslim world and led to serious introspection in Muslim societies about extremism. Wikipedia

Lesson for our time: Extremists may use religion as a mask for violence; defending the sanctity of Islam requires courage, scholarship, and unity — not chaos.

Final Reflections — What These Attacks Teach Us Today

  1. Divine protection and human responsibility: From Abraha’s defeat to modern crises, Allah’s safeguarding of the Kaʿbah is clear. Yet believers must also act responsibly: defend the truth with knowledge, not violence.

  2. Unity over faction: Many of these attacks were rooted in political division. Indian Muslims — like all Muslims — must guard against fitna and prioritize community bonds, education, and peaceful civic participation.

  3. Rejecting extremism: The Qarmatians and the 1979 seizure show how distorted ideology harms Islam itself. True faith is mercy, justice, and intellect.

  4. Learn history to strengthen faith: Knowing these events humbles us and inspires vigilance — but it should not harden hearts. Let history teach patience, charity, and devotion.

All my Indian Muslim brothers and sisters: Study our traditions deeply. Love the Kaʿbah with hearts that are humble and minds that seek knowledge. Be proud of the dignity of Islam, serve your communities, reject hatred, and hold fast to the Prophet’s (PBUH) example of mercy. Let our unity be our protection — knowledge, prayer, and service our weapon against despair and division.

Short dua for the ummah:
Allāhumma amīn. Ya Rabb, unite our hearts, increase our knowledge, protect our sanctities, and make us instruments of peace.

Sources (key references for the five main facts):

  • Year of the Elephant / Abraha: historical summaries and Qur’anic reference. Wikipedia

  • Siege of Mecca (Yazīd, 683) and burning of the Kaʿbah: historical chronicles. Wikipedia

  • Hajjāj ibn Yūsuf’s campaign and rebuilding of the Kaʿbah: classical histories of the Second Fitna and Umayyad restoration. Wikipedia

  • Qarmatian sack of 930 and theft of the Black Stone (returned ~951): medieval chronicles. Wikipedia

  • Grand Mosque seizure (1979) led by Juhaymān al-Otaybi: modern accounts and crisis reports. Wikipedia

Thankyou,

Raja Dtg

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