Doodlebug02
Active Member
What was the primary pre-Islamic Arabian religion of Muhammad's (PBUH) time?
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Pre-Islamic Arabian Religions?
- Thread starter Doodlebug02
- Start date
Humanistheart
Well-Known Member
An intersting question, I hope someone knowledgable on this topic offers something. As far as I knew the area was extreamly polythiestic, with many many gods, I don't know if any of them took precident over the other's in any large way.
Baydwin
Well-Known Member
Indeed, very polytheistic. But Eastern Christianity and Judaism were both known well in Arabia due to trade-links.
Muhammed's people, the Quraysh tribe, were Arabian polytheists whose principle deity was Allah. Each city and tribe would have had a different principle deity, or set of deities in their pantheon though, I think amongst the people whom the Quraysh lived with Hubal was another popular deity.
Humanistheart
Well-Known Member
Do you recall what the largest stable city was called? The one that had the massive area for putting a symbol of a god in. It had thousands... grrr, I hate when it's on the tip of your tongue and you just can't get it.
xkatz
Well-Known Member
Mecca
Doodlebug02
Active Member
ruhnafsoul
ruhnafsoul
hmm.. I believe that.. pre-Islamic Arabic religion of Muhammad's (PBUH) time.. were the same as what we have at this time now.. I mean.. a lot of religion.. a lot of GODs.. different deity.. kinds of believes.. as what we have had now..
However, it's only of my guessing (of course).. but a guessing with a strong believes.
However, it's only of my guessing (of course).. but a guessing with a strong believes.
talal hail
Member
Muhammad peace be upon him is the seal of the prophets and the last
Mission from God for the people to worship God alone, and one in the worship and leave the worship of the creature
Islamic religion is the religion of truth and the religion of peace and comfort in the religion of the world and the Hereafter
Mission from God for the people to worship God alone, and one in the worship and leave the worship of the creature
Islamic religion is the religion of truth and the religion of peace and comfort in the religion of the world and the Hereafter
crimsonlung
Active Member
That is what google is for
Sita Ram Goel wrote about them in his book Hindu Temples: What Happened to Them? Here's a link to chapter 10.
Marble
Rolling Marble
Found something interesting: Nabataean Religion: Pantheon
Would be insteresting to know if Nabatean religion influenced Islam...
Would be insteresting to know if Nabatean religion influenced Islam...
In the pre-Islamic era al-Llah was the principle Godhead of the polytheist pagan pantheon while the daughters of Al-Llah were the three part sub-dieties. In the walled city of Taif was the shrine of al-Lat, "The Goddess" tended by the tribe of Thaquif. She was also known as al-Rabba, "The Sovereign". At Nakhlah was the shrine of al-Uzzah who was the most popular or the three and whose name meant, "The Mighty One". And at the seaside shrine in Qudayd was Manat, the goddess of fate. however these daughters of Al-Lllah were not like the Graeco-Roman pantheon. They had no special sphere of influence per-se with their own story, mythology and personality. Though considered 'The Daughters of God' they were not part of a fully developed pantheon. They were represented in their respective shrines not by a personalized statue or image but as large standing stones. When the Arabs venerated these stones it was primarily as a focus upon divinity itself. This is likely difficult to understand and seems contradictory to western cultures. While it also true that remote Judiac offshoots existed in the region that reportedly were quite removed from traditional Judiaism, and to a lesser degree Christian sects also were scattered on the hostile and tribal Arabian steppes.
Source: Muhammad, A Biography of The Prophet by Karen Armstrong Harper Collins/Harper San Francisco pg. 64
Source: Muhammad, A Biography of The Prophet by Karen Armstrong Harper Collins/Harper San Francisco pg. 64
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It's interesting to me that Muhammad in fact saw Islam as a continuance in more evolved and refined form of the original polytheist or pagan religion of al-Llah. Based in the legendary story of Abraham and Ishmael as being the one's who established the most important and ancient shrine in Mecca, the Black Stone of the Ka'aba. However it is true that during the pre-Islamic era the Ka'aba was officially dedicated to the God Hubal, a diety imported into Arabia from the Nabateans in what would now be Jordan. But this seems to be a later development as other evidence suggests originally it was pre-emintently dedicated to al-Llah as the 'High God of The Arabs'. Even around the ancient Ka'aba was a circular area where the, "tawwaf" ceremony was performed with seven circumambulations around the Ka'aba in accordance to the direction of the sun. And it is also true that the surrounding this area 360 effigies of the gods stood. But also evidence suggests these were more likely totems representing the many tribes who came to worship there on the appointed month. But it appears there was a Semitic Sumerian influence as the area surrounding the Ka'aba also represents the old Sumerian religion. There were 360 days to the Sumerian calendar, with 5 extra holy days that were to be spent 'outside time', as it were and represented by the, "hajj" pilgimage to perform the ritual rites linking heaven and earth.
Anyone wanting a more thorough and historically accurate, specificially an unbiased view of the pre and post Islamic period, including a more complete portrait of Muhammad should look into the book:
Muhammad, A Biography of The Prophet
Karen Armstrong
Harper Collins/Harper San Francisco 1992
Muhammad, A Biography of The Prophet
Karen Armstrong
Harper Collins/Harper San Francisco 1992
Pegg
Jehovah our God is One
Muhammad himself claimed to be an Ishmaelite...a descendant of Abraham through his son Ishmael who was the originator of the Arabian people.
The book Mans Religions by John Noss states: [Muḥammad] was disturbed by incessant quarreling in the avowed interests of religion and honor among the Quraysh chiefs [Muḥammad belonged to that tribe]. Stronger still was his dissatisfaction with the primitive survivals in Arabian religion, the idolatrous polytheism and animism, the immorality at religious convocations and fairs, the drinking, gambling, and dancing that were fashionable, and the burial alive of unwanted infant daughters practiced not only in Mecca but throughout Arabia.
There is reference to some of these sorts of practices in Surah 6:137.
So it was similar to the religions practiced in Isreals day with human sacrifice and idol worship of multiple gods. Mohammad did not like that about his people and he fought hard to bring the people more into harmony with the God of Isreal.
bigbadgirl
Active Member
Israel