Salamun Alaikum.
The Story of Abraha and all the details are written by later
professional 'story tellers' centuries removed from the Prophet's ministry and are
not found in the Quran. The Quran simply relates an incident which the people at the time may have been familiar with and no details are given in the Quran other than the ones present in the short Surah.
If the details were crucial for mankind's guidance, they would have been mentioned in the Quran which calls itself 'mufassalan' (explained in detail) 6:114, tafsila (detailed explanation) 12:111 and 'tibiana lekulli shaun' (clarification of all things) 16:89.
The Quran asks us to rely on clear matters and not indulge ourselves of details which are not important to us (18:22) for our guidance.
The earliest record of a detailed story is found in the Sira of Ibn Ishaq. My studies in this area have found this kind of 'story telling' highly questionable. Ibn Ishaq is the earliest historian of Islam from where we get a comprehensive Prophetic biograpahy.
Please find information with regards him below:
IBN ISHAQ'S SIRA OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD (pbuh)http://quransmessage.com/articles/ibn%20ishaq%20FM3.htmAs I do not trust the overall veracity of the information given the late compilation of the source and the manner in which it is collated, I would question the whole narrative attached to it and rely simply on the Quranic narratives and on clear proof. The following articles may also help.
THE QURAN STANDS ALONE AS SOLE RELIGIOUS GUIDANCEhttp://quransmessage.com/articles/quran%20sole%20guidance%20FM3.htmUNKNOWN TOWNS AND NAMES - WHY FILL IN THE GAPS?http://quransmessage.com/articles/unknown%20towns%20and%20names%20FM3.htmI hope this helps, God willing,
Joseph.