The Divine Education Model in the Family of the Prophets (Part 146)
Educational Lessons from the Life of the Messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (PBUH)
The Conditions of the World Before the Birth and Prophethood of the Leader of Both Worlds, the Noble Messenger (PBUH)
The Conditions of the Countries and Nations of the World Before Islam
4. The Arabs
Idol Worship During the Age of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah)
However, the Arabs, who had embraced the religion of Ibrahim (AS) in earlier times and whose land was home to the Sacred House of Allah, had also fallen victim to a degraded form of idol worship. This was due to their distance from the era of prophethood and the prophets (peace and blessings be upon them), as well as their confinement within the Arabian Peninsula. A similar form of idolatry was found elsewhere only among the polytheists of India.
Besides the One God, they had adopted numerous other deities. They believed that these self-made gods shared with Allah (SWT) in governing and managing the universe and possessed independent power over benefit and harm, life and death.
The Arabs had become deeply immersed in the worship of idols in the worst possible manner. Not only did every tribe and region have its own particular idol, but every household also had an idol of its own.
Inside the Ka‘bah and its surrounding courtyard, which Sayyiduna Ibrahim (AS) had built solely for the worship of the One Lord, there were 360 idols.
Gradually, they moved beyond worshipping idols to worshipping various kinds of stones. They also had deities among the angels, jinn, and stars. They believed that angels were the daughters of Allah and that the jinn were His partners. Consequently, they came to believe in the power and influence of the jinn and angels and began worshipping them. [1]
Al-Kalbi says, “Each family in Makkah had an idol in its home that it worshipped. Whenever someone intended to travel, the last thing he did before departing was to touch the idol. Likewise, upon returning from a journey, the first thing he did was to touch the idol.”
The Arabs were extremely uninhibited in their worship of idols. Some chose a house, while others selected an idol. Anyone who lacked the means to build a house or make an idol would set up a stone in front of a sanctuary or somewhere else and circumambulate it. Such objects of worship were called ansab.
Imam al-Bukhari (RA) narrates from Abu Raja’ al-Utaridi (RH): “We used to worship stones. When we found a better stone, we would discard the first one and take the second. If we could not find any stones, we would gather some soil, bring a sheep, milk it over that soil, and then circumambulate it.”
Al-Kalbi says, “When a man travelled and stopped somewhere, he would take four stones. He would select the best of them as his lord and use the other three as supports for his cooking pot. When he departed from that place, he would leave his lord behind.”
Like polytheists in every age, the Arabs had numerous deities among the angels, jinn, and stars. They believed that angels were the daughters of Allah. Therefore, they regarded them as intercessors and intermediaries with Allah, worshipped them, and sought their intercession before Him.
Similarly, they associated the jinn with Allah (SWT), believed in their power and influence, and worshipped them.
Al-Kalbi says, “The Banu Mulayh, a branch of the Khuza‘ah tribe, used to worship the jinn.”
Sa‘id says, “The Himyar tribe worshipped the Sun; Kinana worshipped the Moon; Tamim worshipped Aldebaran (one of the lunar mansions); Lakhm and Judham worshipped Jupiter; Banu Tayy worshipped Canopus; Banu Qays worshipped Sirius; and Banu Asad worshipped Mercury.” [2]
