Religion of Pre-Islamic Arabia
Their religious life and beliefs ranged from the worship of One Supreme God to the worship of rough stones, sand heaps, or any other object.
The place where the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) was born was largely polytheist. Thought they believed in One God (it is not clear of they called him Allah or not), they didn’t worship Him wholly.
Even the gods or goddesses varied from tribe to tribe. In fact, some historians say that every other house had its own deity.
The most important of the gods or goddesses were al-Hubal, al-Uzza, al-Lat, al-Manat or few other lesser deities as Yagush, Wadd, Nasr, etc. Al-Hubal was particularly famous in Meccan region.
All these gods or goddesses were worshipped as idols placed in sanctuary or temple. Among the temples, Kaaba gradually assumed greater importance. It nearly contained 360 idols.
They had their own unique rites and ceremonies. Camels, goats, sheep, and sometimes human were sacrificed in the name of god.
The ancient Arabs were superstitious too. They believed in jinns as well as angels. They believed a cultivable land was an omen whereas an arid one was a bad sign.
Other religions existed too such as Christianity, Judaism or Zoroastrianism. But the native Arabs remained largely aloof to them. Judaism followers believed they were the ‘chosen’ one and Christians were busy selling alcohol.
For complete Islamic history notes click here.
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