A. Muhammad Al-Maghdawi,

1. We have an inscription dating from 552 CE detailing an expedition by Abraha into Central Arabia. Islamic tradition associates Muhammad’s birth with an expedition led by Abraha into the Hijaz from Southern Arabia, known as the Year of the Elephant. However, the inscription differs from Islamic tradition in two important respects: Abraha appears to have never reached Mecca, and he emerged victorious rather than suffering defeat. Murayghān 1 = Ry 506 “Cross With Rahamanān’s might and that of his Messiah, King Abrahā Zybmn, king of Sabaʾ, of dhū-Raydān, of Hadramawt, 2 and of Yamnat, and of their Arabs in the Upper-Country and on the Coast, inscribed this text when he raided 3 Maʿaddum for the fourth time, in the month of dhū-thābatān {= April}, when all the banū ʿAmrum revolted; 4 the king sent Abīgabr with Kiddat and ʿUla, and Bishrum son of Hisnum with 5 Saʿdum and Mu[rādum]; the two chiefs of the army began to battle against the banū ʿAmrum , Kiddat, and ʿUla in the wādī dhu-Murākh, and Murādum and Saʿdum in a wādī 6 at the water hole of Turabān, and they slew, took prisoners, and seized booty in abundance; the king held an assembly at Halibān and they pledged allegiance, 7 the rebels of Maʿaddum who surrendered hostages; following this, ʿAmrum son of Mudhdhirān submitted to {Abraha}, 8 he gave his son as a hostage while he {= ʿAmrum} had been set up as governor over Maʿaddum; {Abraha} returned from Hali9[bā]n [with] Rahmānān’s might, in the month of dhu-ʿallān {= September} six hundred and sixty-two.”
2. So how do historians reconcile the historicity of Abraha’s expedition to Mecca in light of the epigraphic evidence, which makes no mention of it? According to the French archaeologist/epigraphist Christian Robin, Abraha’s expedition against Mecca, despite its failure, offers a plausible explanation for Quraysh’s prominence in the late sixth century. This tribe, known for its small size and poverty, gained significance after defeating Abraha, earning the title ‘the people of God’ and attracting pilgrims to their temple. The establishment of the great fair of Quraysh in al-ʿUkāz and the ʿhums cultural association followed the ‘Elephant’ expedition by fifteen years. (Arabs and Empires Before Islam. p. 152)