Polytheism of the Arabs: Idols and Islam

Arabian society was a society that held many beliefs.  One of the most important things that could not be excluded from their lives for any reason was their beliefs.  Today we are talking about the gods that the Ancient Arabs valued most in their lives.

An Introduction to Arabian Society

The civilization before the Islamic Republic of Arabia was known as the Dark Age.  There are a number of reasons behind this adjective.  The most important of these were the beliefs of the Arabs.

His religious views were so ugly and distorted.  The Arabs were people who attached great importance to faith.  They paid special attention to finding new gods and performing the rituals required for them.  There are some idols and deities who were given a prominent place in the field of faith in Arabia.

The main gods of the Arabs

As mentioned earlier, the Arabs were the guardians of many gods and beliefs.  They were willing to sacrifice even their own family and even their children for their beliefs.  The following are the main deities and descriptions of the great status of the Arabs in their lives.

As mentioned earlier, the Arabs were the guardians of many gods and beliefs.  They were willing to sacrifice even their own family and even their children for their beliefs.  The following are the main deities and descriptions of the great status of the Arabs in their lives.

Hubul

The Quraish, who had defeated the Muslims at the Battle of Badr, blindly imitated Hubli at that time.  Muhammad ibn Ishaq (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: At that time, there was a pit called Ahsaf to the right of a person entering the Kaaba.  Its depth is three cubits. It was dug by the great Ibrahim (a) and his son Ismail (a) to place the vows and gifts coming to the Ka'bah.  That situation continued until the time of Amrubin Lihi.  Amru first placed an idol of Hubul in the pit.  The largest of the Quraish idols was brought from the Arabian island of Hubul Heath.

After setting up the idol, Amru bnu Lihiyy ordered the people to worship it.  After that, when a person returned from his journey, he would first go around the Kaaba and shave his head in front of Hubul. (Tarikh Mecca / 140)
Disagreements would have arisen between the Quraish at the time of child circumcision, marriage and burial.  Then they will bring a hundred dirhams and other gifts to Hublin and ask for a solution. They say: '' Our God! '  Explain the truth to us.  Then they decide to cut the neck of the person who brought it (Tarikh Mecca / 142).
Hubl became extinct with the influx of Muslims to Makkah.  Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came to the Ka'bah on the day of the conquest of Makkah, he circumambulated (Tawaf) the Holy House seven times.  Later, when Ibrahim came to Makkah, 'Abdullah ibn Nallah (may Allah be pleased with him) came and presented the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as a gift.  After praying two rak'ahs from the maqam of Ibrahim, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) moved towards Samsam.  He said: If Abdul Muttalib's family was not well, I would have asked for it from Samsam . Abdul Muttalib's son Abbas drew a bucket full of water.  The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) drank from it.  The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) then ordered the destruction of Hubul .The Companions did so.  He replied: Ibn Awwam, avoid that.  I comment.  There is no god like the God of Muhammad.  There has never been such a God.

Esaf, Nailath

Isaf and Nailat were accepted by the Quraish who blindly imitated the gods.  When the Jurhum tribe ruled Makkah, a man and a woman from among them entered the Kaaba.  They both committed adultery inside the Kaaba. They rubbed stones and transformed their bodies.  When the two of them came out of it, one was on the side of Safa and the other was on the side of Marava.  Gradually it became worship.
During the reign of Qassabin Qilab, when the whole of Mecca, including Swafa Marwa, came under his rule, an idol was attached to the Ka'bah.  The second was placed on the side of the Samsam well.
The ignorant people will greet Isaf and Nailat.  If a group intends to encircle the Ka'bah, it will start from Isaf and end at Nailat.  When they bring any present, they throw it at them and slaughter the sacrificial animals beside them.(Tarikh Mecca / 142)

 Manatha

Manatha was one of the important deities of the land sanctified by Allah.  The idol was erected by Amru bnu Lihiyy on the beach at Mushallil near Qadeed.  When the tribes of Asad, Khasraj, and Ossani from the provinces of Makkah came to circumambulate the Kaaba, they would first touch and greet Manat and receive blessings.  One, on the instructions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), it was Saeed ibn Abdul Ashhal who demolished the idol of Manatha in Al Mushallal during the eighth and ninth month of the Hijra.

Dattu Anwath

Reported by Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) Dattu Anwath was one of the best evergreen trees worshiped by the Arabs during the Jahiliyya period.  The mushriks would sacrifice animals under it.  They will hang their weapons on its branches.  The Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) set out for the battle of Hunain.  On the way, Haris ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Make Dattu Anwath an idol for us as the Messenger of Allah did for the Quraish. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said takbeer.(Tarikh Mecca / 154)

Latha

Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Lat was a man who used to sit on a solid rock in Makkah and sell sweets made of butter to the pilgrims coming through it.  After his death as a shepherd, he was ordained as an adored man.(Tarikh Mecca / 150)

Uzza

Uzza has three palm trees that cause carnage.  It was Amr ibn Rabia and Haris ibn Ka'b who called on the people to worship Lata and Uzza.  Amr ibn Rabia said to the people: "Your god Latta will be warm to you from the cold in Ta'if.  The Quraish had built a square block near Ta'if as part of the Uzza faith.  Its foundation was shaken with the arrival of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his Companions to Makkah.
They made man-made idols and idols into gods and were reluctant to sacrifice even their own households and offer their daughters to the rulers without any human consideration.  Although there are differences of opinion among historians regarding the conquest of Makkah by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the destruction of the idols, each and every fact is clear from the hadiths.

Destruction of Uzza

Sayyid ibn Amr al-'Adli (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated about the destruction of Uzza: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) arrived in Makkah on the last tenth Friday of the month of Ramadan.  The face of the revered Prophet (peace be upon him) was shining like a star.  Then two hundred men entered Makkah with Hisham ibn As (ra) from the side of Yalamlam.  Two hundred men with Sa'id ibn 'Asr (may Allah be pleased with him) entered Makkah from the side of "Urna".  When they broke it, they approached the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and asked him: "Did you destroy 'Uzza? Yes, he replied."  Go back .Delete it.  So he returned to Uzza and demolished it to its base.  Then a black woman with black hair came out of it.  She is laughing.  Then Khalid ibn Waleed (may Allah be pleased with him) came to her and split her in two with his shining sword .He returned to the Prophet and narrated the events.  The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "That is Uzza."(Tarikh Mecca / 151)

The Prophet's stand against polytheism

Abdullah ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated the situation when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) returned to the Holy Land on the occasion of Makkah Fath.  When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) arrived near the Akbalaya in Fatah, Makkah, there were about three hundred and sixty idols standing on the walls.  The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said at that time:"Truth prevailed, untruth was driven away, and untruth was certainly tiring."

Upon learning of the Prophet's conquest of Makkah, many Quraish sold their favorite idols to non-Arabs and hid many in their homes.  Knowing this in advance, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded to confiscate all the idols.  Abdul Hameed ibn Suhail (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When Hind, the daughter of Utuba, became a Muslim, she began to destroy the idols in her house.  She says: We have been deceived by you.

Conclusion

The Kaaba and the idols are among the most important elements in the cultural history of Arabia.  The socio-political life of the Arabs in particular revolved around the Kaaba.  They took special care to find new idols and place them inside the Kaaba, depending on the occasion.  It was the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who conquered Makkah and destroyed innumerable idols.  With that, a great culture became extinct and the greatest culture began.