Pre Islamic Kaaba: What Ancient Records Tell Us About Arabian Idolatry

The Kaaba, a significant structure in Islamic tradition, has a rich history that predates Islam. Ancient records provide insights into the practices of idolatry that were prevalent in the Arabian Peninsula before the advent of Islam. These records reveal the various deities worshipped by the tribes of the region and the rituals associated with their veneration. Understanding this historical context is essential for comprehending the transformation that occurred with the rise of monotheism in the area.

The religious landscape before Islam painted a completely different picture of the Kaaba. This sacred structure served as the primary sanctuary for tribal idols, with the Syrian moon god Hubal holding the position of chief deity. The pre-Islamic Arabian pantheon included Hubal’s three daughters: Allāt, who ruled the underworld; Al-‘Uzzá, a fertility goddess who protected during warfare; and Manāt, who governed fate. These idols represented an intricate belief system that dominated Arabian spiritual life before the advent of monotheism.

This piece examines ancient records of Arabian idolatry and traces the Kaaba’s remarkable journey from a polytheistic shrine to the monotheistic center it represents today.

The Origins of Idolatry in Pre-Islamic Arabia

Arabian polytheism has deep roots in ancient times. Most Bedouin tribes practiced polytheism that took the form of animism. They believed non-human entities like animals, plants, and natural phenomena had spiritual essences ^[1]. This age-old belief system became the foundation for more complex religious practices.

Animism and nature worship

Pre-Islamic Arabian polytheism connected most gods to heavenly bodies. People believed these celestial beings had powers of fertility, protection, and revenge ^[2]. The worship of stars proved most important—ancient Arabs paid homage to the sun (shams), moon, and other celestial bodies ^[3]. Many god names reflected this celestial connection, like Shams (“Sun”) and Rubʿ (“Moon-Quarter”) ^[4].

The South Arabian pantheon shows this star-based foundation clearly. ʿAthtar, similar to the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar, was the Venus god who took the place of the ancient supreme Semitic god Il (or El) ^[4]. Each Arabian kingdom also managed to keep its own national deity—Almaqah in Sabaʾ, Wadd in Maʿīn, Syn in Ḥaḍramawt, and ʿAmm in Qatabān ^[4].

The role of Amr ibn Luhay in introducing idols

Amr bin Luhay stands out as a key figure in Arabian religious history who changed general polytheism to specific idol worship. Islamic tradition names him as the first person to bring idols to the Arabian Peninsula ^[5]. This prominent Meccan merchant traveled extensively. During one trip to Syria, he saw people gathered around a large idol. They asked it to speak to Allah for rainfall ^[6].

This practice fascinated Amr. He got an exact copy of the idol and brought it to Mecca as an intermediary for rain ^[6]. Prophet Muhammad said in a hadith that Amr “was the first to change the religion of Ishmael and set up idols” ^[6]. After Amr became Mecca’s chief and placed idols in the Kaaba, visitors took stones and idols home as sacred objects. This practice helped idol worship spread throughout Arabia ^[6].

Early signs of deviation from Abrahamic monotheism

Research shows monotheism existed in pre-Islamic Arabia before it gave way to polytheism. Islamic tradition tells us Prophets Ibrahim (Abraham) and Ismail (Ishmael) established monotheism at the Kaaba. This pure faith declined after they passed away ^[6].

Monotheism emerged as a religious trend in pre-Islamic Arabia around the fourth century CE. It started replacing the dominant polytheistic beliefs ^[7]. Inscriptions from the Arabian Peninsula prove this change. They stopped mentioning polytheistic gods and idols, becoming almost entirely monotheistic by the fifth century ^[7].

People drifted away from Abrahamic monotheism in different ways. Some stories suggest idol worship began simply—Cain’s descendants made statues to remember their ancestors ^[6]. People started praying to these statues for help, which led to full idol worship. Arabs first respected sacred stones but later embraced idol worship due to outside influences ^[8].

By Muhammad’s time, idol worship was common, yet pre-Islamic Arabs had complex religious beliefs. Many believed in one Supreme God while worshiping lesser deities as divine equals with creative powers ^[3]. This shows they didn’t completely abandon monotheism. Instead, they slowly started associating partners with the one God—what Islamic theology later called shirk.

The Rise of the Ancient Kaaba as a Religious Center

_{Image Source: Pima Open Digital Press – Pressbooks}

The Kaaba served as the religious heart of the Arabian Peninsula long before Islam’s emergence. This ancient cube-shaped structure brought warring tribes together. They would set aside their differences to worship their deities and trade ^[2].

Kaaba before Islam: a sanctuary for tribal idols

Mecca’s dominant tribe, the Quraysh, maintained custody of the pre-Islamic Kaaba as a national shrine ^[2]. The structure started as a simple rectangular building without a roof ^[9] and grew into northern Arabia’s most important religious site. Bedouin tribes viewed its surroundings as sacred (haram) and made yearly pilgrimages whatever their tribal disputes ^[10].

The Kaaba’s religious significance proved complex. Many pre-Islamic Arabs saw it as “Allah’s house” ^[11] while worshiping multiple deities there. This showed how monotheistic ideas existed naturally with polytheistic practices. Devotees from all corners of Arabia came to walk around the sacred building, much like today’s pilgrims ^[12].

Hubal and the centralization of idol worship

Hubal stood supreme among the pre-Islamic pantheon ^[2]. This human-shaped idol of red agate (or cornelian, according to some sources) held a special place inside the Kaaba ^[13].

Historical texts tell us the Quraysh received Hubal with a broken right hand, which they replaced with one made of gold ^[2]. Different accounts trace Hubal’s origins:

• Amr ibn Luhayy might have brought it from Hit in Mesopotamia ^[4]

• Some say it came from al-Balqa’ in Bilād al-Shām ^[4]

• Ibn Hisham and Ibn Kathir point to Moab in Transjordan ^[4]

Hubal played an active role in worship. Seven divination arrows lay before the cornelian statue ^[13]. A dedicated custodian watched over the idol, gathered offerings, and led divination ceremonies. Pilgrims sought guidance about marriage, death, lineage, and other life-changing decisions ^[4].

Muhammad’s grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib, used these arrows in a famous divination. He needed to choose which of his ten sons to sacrifice to fulfill a vow ^[4]. The arrow selected Abdullah, who later became Muhammad’s father.

360 idols and their symbolic roles

The Kaaba contained about 360 idols or sacred objects ^[14]. Scholars link this number to the days in a solar year ^[14]. Each idol represented deities worshiped by different Arabian tribes.

Hubal reigned as chief deity, alongside three particularly important goddesses: Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Manat ^[15]. Al-Lat ruled the underworld, while Al-Uzza (“The Mightiest One”) blessed fertility and protected warriors. Manat controlled fate ^[15].

These deities took various forms. Wadd appeared as a man, Naila as a woman. Yaghuth took a lion’s shape, Yauq resembled a horse, and Nasr looked like a vulture ^[16]. The Kaaba’s walls displayed paintings of sacred figures, including angels, Ibrahim with divination arrows, and even Isa (Jesus) and his mother Maryam (Mary) ^[10].

Prophet Muhammad destroyed Hubal’s statue and all other polytheistic gods from the Kaaba after conquering Mecca in 630 CE ^[13]. Islamic tradition says he preserved Maryam’s paintings ^[10].

Major Pre-Islamic Arabian Gods and Idols

_{Image Source: Al-Shia}

Many idols filled the ancient Kaaba, but some deities played a special role in pre-Islamic Arabian spiritual life. These gods and goddesses, each with unique roles and attributes, were the life-blood of religious practices before monotheism emerged.

Hubal: the moon god of Mecca

Hubal reigned as the chief deity in the pre-Islamic Kaaba. This human-shaped idol made from red agate (or cornelian) had a distinctive gold right hand that replaced its broken original ^[13]. The sanctuary’s prominent idol served as a god of divination ^[17].

People worshiped him using seven divination arrows placed before the statue. These arrows helped predict significant matters like virginity, death, marriage, and lineage ^[13]. Muhammad’s grandfather once used these arrows to choose which son to sacrifice for a vow. The arrow pointed to Abdullah, who later became Muhammad’s father ^[13].

Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Manat: the three goddesses

These three goddesses wielded immense power throughout Arabia. Al-Lat ruled over fertility and war, with followers from the peninsula reaching as far as Palmyra ^[18]. The Banu Thaqif tribe of Ta’if worshiped her at a shrine with a cubic granite rock ^[18].

Al-‘Uzza, a goddess of might, protection and love, shared similarities with the Greek Aphrodite ^[17]. The Quraysh tribe’s chief goddess had her shrine with three sacred trees in Nakhla ^[17].

Manat, the eldest of the three, ruled fate, destiny and death ^[17]. The Banu Aws and Banu Khazraj tribes called her their main deity. They worshiped her black stone form near al-Qudayd’s shore ^[17].

Wadd, Suwa, Yaghuth, Ya’uq, and Nasr

The Quran (71:23) mentions these five deities from Noah’s time ^[19]. Different Arabian tribes adopted each deity:

• Wadd: The Kalb tribe at Dumat al-Jandal ^[5]

• Suwa: The Hudhayl people ^[6]

• Yaghuth (“He Helps”): The Murad and later the Bani Ghutayf ^[6]

• Ya’uq: The Hamdan tribe ^[6]

• Nasr: The Himyar people ^[6]

Historical records show these idols represented virtuous people from Noah’s era who became objects of worship after death ^[6].

Isaf and Na’ila: idols with a cautionary tale

The sort of thing I love is the story of Isaf and Na’ila, two lovers from the Jurhum tribe ^[20]. Legend says they found an empty Kaaba during their pilgrimage and committed adultery inside the sacred house ^[20]. Divine punishment turned them to stone ^[7].

The petrified lovers stood near the Kaaba—Isaf at Al-Safa and Na’ila at Al-Marwa, according to some accounts ^[7]. They became objects of worship ^[20]. Pre-Islamic Arabs walked between these idols seven times during fertility rituals, a practice that Islamic tradition later adapted ^[8].

Tribal Worship Practices and Sacred Rituals

_{Image Source: Muslim Heritage}

Religious rituals spread through daily life in pre-Islamic Arabia. People practiced their faith through grand public ceremonies and private household observances. These diverse customs became the foundations of spiritual expression throughout the peninsula.

Household idols and personal devotion

Arabian homes had their own idols that made worship a personal matter. Family members touched their household deity before leaving home and right after returning. This ritual showed how idols protected travelers ^[3]. People who couldn’t afford proper idols used a simple stone slab placed before the Kaaba (called Ansâb) ^[21]. Nomadic Bedouins sometimes created a sand mound, milked a goat over it, and worshiped this simple shrine ^[21].

Animal sacrifices and blood rituals

Blood rituals emerged as one of the most important religious practices in pre-Islamic Arabia. People sacrificed domesticated animals like camels, sheep, and cattle, but rarely used game animals and poultry ^[2]. They poured the victim’s blood over altar stones to create a symbolic connection between humans and deities ^[2].

The meat from sacrifices split into three parts: one for the poor, one for the deity, and one for the family performing the sacrifice ^[22]. Sometimes specific livestock died to ensure earth’s fertility and protect remaining cattle ^[1].

Pilgrimage and circumambulation of idols

Pilgrimage traditions thrived throughout Arabia as various sacred sites attracted devoted followers. The Kaaba pilgrimage included several ritual stations: Mount Arafat, Muzdalifa, Mina, and central Mecca ^[2]. Pilgrims performed wuquf (standing in adoration) at the first two locations and carried out animal sacrifices at Mina ^[2].

People typically walked seven times around sacred objects during pre-Islamic circumambulation, possibly matching the movement of celestial bodies ^[23]. Some pilgrims did these rituals without clothes, a practice that Islam later banned ^[24].

Sacred trees, stones, and tawagheet

Arabs worshiped sacred places called tawagheet (sing. taghut) beyond the Kaaba. Each place had its own clergy, caretakers, and required offerings ^[3]. Trees received special worship because of their lack in the desert landscape ^[24]. People also deeply revered stones—often unworked stone blocks called nsb (“to be stood upright”) ^[2].

These objects became sacred for various reasons. Religious leaders’ meetings beneath certain trees made them holy ^[25]. People believed stones contained magical powers or housed invisible spirits ^[26]. Nature worship represented one of the oldest forms of religious expression in the Arabian Peninsula.

Foreign Influences and the Decline of Idolatry

_{Image Source: Wikiwand}

Foreign cultural forces altered the religious map of pre-Islamic Arabia. The dominance of idol worship started fading long before Islam emerged. This transformation took place over centuries as people got more exposure to monotheism and foreign religious beliefs.

Impact of Babylonian, Roman, and Persian beliefs

Arabia sat at the crossroads of major civilizations, which exposed it to religious ideas of all types. The Sasanian Empire’s influence spread throughout eastern and southern Arabia by a lot, bringing Iranian religious traditions to the region. Zoroastrianism gained followers along the Persian Gulf coast and southern areas. Some evidence points to either Manichaeism or Mazdakism being practiced in Mecca.

Persian influence went beyond religious teachings. Ardashir I, who founded the Sasanian dynasty, marched down the Persian Gulf around 240 CE and defeated local rulers. He started taking more direct control of Eastern Arabia. Persian rulers like Khosrow I later appointed regional governors directly, which made Persian cultural influence even stronger.

Spread of Judaism and Christianity in Arabia

Judaism came to Arabia through waves of migration that started in Roman times. It grew into a large diaspora community as local people converted. The Jewish population in the Hejaz region, especially around Medina, had grown quite large by the 6th-7th centuries.

Christianity spread after Constantine took over Byzantium in 324 CE. The Himyar, Ghassan, Rabi’a, Tagh’ab, Bahra, and Tunukh tribes embraced Christianity. Three main areas of Christian influence took shape:

• Northwest Arabia (Roman missionaries’ influence)

• Northeast Arabia (mostly Nestorian)

• Southern Arabia (the Christian kingdom of Aksum’s influence)

Arabian Christians mostly followed Monophysitism (believing Christ had only one nature). The northeast was different – Nestorianism was more common there. Christianity became so well-established in places like Beth Qatraye (modern Qatar, Bahrain, and nearby regions) that it turned into a major center for Nestorian Christianity by the 5th century.

Hanifs and the search for monotheism

Scholars used to think polytheism ruled pre-Islamic Arabia. New research shows that monotheism or henotheism actually became common from the fourth century onwards. The last South Arabian polytheistic inscription dates to the 380s CE. After that, people started writing monotheistic invocations to Rahmanan (“The Merciful One”).

The hanifs played a special role in this religious world. These pre-Islamic Arabian monotheists didn’t join established Judaism or Christianity. They practiced what they saw as Abraham’s pure faith. Historical sources like Sozomen’s Ecclesiastical History (5th century CE) talk about Arabs who followed a monotheistic religion “bequeathed by Abraham.” This suggests hanifs weren’t just made up by later Islamic writers.

People’s search for monotheism created perfect conditions for religious change. This paved the way for Islam to spread quickly across the peninsula.

Conclusion

The Kaaba’s trip through history shows a remarkable change from a polytheistic shrine into Islam’s holiest site. This sacred structure once held about 360 idols, including Hubal, Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Manat. Each idol served unique spiritual purposes for pre-Islamic Arabs. Notwithstanding that, many Arabs called the Kaaba “Allah’s house” despite its multiple deities, which suggests monotheistic ideas existed among other polytheistic practices.

Religious influences from outside Arabia sped up idol worship’s decline. Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and other religious traditions began to pervade Arabian society. These traditions challenged the region’s long-standing polytheistic beliefs. By the fourth century CE, monotheism started replacing polytheism across the peninsula. Epigraphic evidence clearly shows this move toward monotheistic inscriptions.

Pre-Islamic hanifs sought Abraham’s pure monotheism beyond established religious systems. Their presence shows religious change was happening before Islam emerged. Prophet Muhammad’s removal of idols from the Kaaba in 630 CE completed a religious development that took centuries rather than creating an entirely new spiritual system.

The Kaaba’s complex religious past helps explain how it keeps its place as Arabia’s spiritual heart. Modern Islamic practices like circumambulation, pilgrimage stations, and reverence for the structure come from ancient traditions. These practices now follow monotheistic principles. This cubic structure stands as evidence of humanity’s lasting spiritual search, now dedicated to one God instead of hundreds.

References

[1] – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_sacrifice
[2] – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_pre-Islamic_Arabia
[3] – https://al-islam.org/gu/articles/idols-pre-islamic-arabia-yasin-t-al-jibouri
[4] – https://www.islamic-awareness.org/quran/sources/allah/hubal
[5] – https://www.quora.com/Who-are-Wadd-Suwa-Yaghuth-Ya-uq-and-Nasr
[6] – https://quranx.com/tafsirs/71.23
[7] – https://bibliotecanatalie.com/home/f/two-arabian-lovers-who-became-gods
[8] – https://www.tumblr.com/divinum-pacis/620909493995356160/arabian-paganism-isaf-and-naila
[9] – https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/introduction-cultures-religions-apah/islam-apah/a/the-kaaba
[10] – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaaba
[11] – https://www.reddit.com/r/islamichistory/comments/125ojtr/was_there_ever_an_idol_in_makkah_before_islam_of/
[12] – https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/mecca-kaaba-grand-mosque-depictions-history
[13] – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubal
[14] – https://acsforum.org/kaaba-an-axis-mundi-in-the-arabian-peninsula/
[15] – https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-herkimer-worldcivilization/chapter/culture-and-religion-in-pre-islamic-arabia/
[16] – https://www.bible.ca/islam/islam-moon-god-hubal.htm
[17] – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pre-Islamic_Arabian_deities
[18] – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Lat
[19] – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaghūth
[20] – https://answering-islam.org/Books/Al-Kalbi/isaf.htm
[21] – https://www.themuslimreaders.com/a-glimpse-into-pre-islamic-arabia/
[22] – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qurban_(Islamic_ritual_sacrifice)
[23] – https://www.answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/preislamic_allah1.html
[24] – https://www.ajhssr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/S2046145151.pdf
[25] – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1500805/
[26] – https://www.bible.ca/islam/islam-meteorite-worship.htm