to rise with the final dispensation to be brought by him. One could say that the incident
foretold the advent of the great Prophet (r).
The Arabians attached too much importance, and rightly too, to this great event. They in-
stituted a new calendar from the date of its occurrence. Accordingly, we find in their writ-
ings such references as that a certain event took place in the year of Elephant or that such
and such persons were born in that year or that a certain incident came to pass so many
years after the Year of Elephant. This year of miracle was 570 A.D.