242 – ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; he said: Ishaq ibn Ismaʿil narrated to us; he said: Abu Muʿawiyah narrated to us, from al-Aʿmash, from Abu Sufyan, from ʿUbayd ibn ʿUmayr, who said ⦗163⦘:
“When Allah—exalted is He—resolved to destroy the Companions of the Elephant, He sent against them birds that had emerged from the sea, piebald and the size of swallows. Each bird carried three variegated stones: two in its claws and one in its beak. They came, formed ranks over their heads, then screeched and hurled what they held in their feet and beaks. No stone struck a man’s head without passing out through his posterior, nor did it hit any part of his body without exiting from the opposite side. Allah then unleashed a violent wind that drove the stones and increased their force, so they were all annihilated.”