Saying · At the temple of al-Uzza, during the 19 days in Makkah
O Uzza! You protect yourself! I have to flee!
Said as Khalid ibn al-Walid arrived at the temple to destroy the idol al-Uzza.
~8 AH, during the Prophet ﷺ's 19-day stay in Makkah after the Conquest · 8 AH
During his 19-day stay in Makkah after the Conquest, the Prophet ﷺ ordered every household to destroy its own idols. He also sent out small expeditions to destroy the remaining public centers of idol worship. He sent Khalid ibn al-Walid RA to destroy the great idol al-Uzza, which is mentioned in Qur'an 53:19, and sent a separate group to destroy Manat (Qur'an 53:20). When Khalid reached al-Uzza's temple, one of its custodians hung an axe around the idol's neck and cried, "O Uzza! You protect yourself! I have to flee!" The custodians all ran away. The idol did nothing, and Khalid destroyed it. Within a few days, all the idols in the area around the Hejaz had been destroyed.
Part of the wider campaign, following the Conquest of Makkah, to rid the Arabian Peninsula of idolatry once the Prophet ﷺ's political authority extended across central Arabia.
Other events recorded in 8 AH. Their order within the year is not established; use the storyline above for the sequence.
O Uzza! You protect yourself! I have to flee!
Said as Khalid ibn al-Walid arrived at the temple to destroy the idol al-Uzza.