Gods
Hubal (Arabic: هبل) is regarded as the most notable and chief of the gods. The Kaaba may have been dedicated to Hubal. An idol of Hubal said to have been near the Kaaba is described as shaped like a human with the right hand severed and replaced with a golden hand.
In pre-Islamic Arabia, Allah was used by Meccans as a reference to a creator god, possibly a supreme deity. Allah was considered the creator of the world and the giver of rain, but in contrast to Islam, Allah was not considered the sole divinity. The notion of the term may have been vague in the Meccan religion. Allah was associated with companions, whom pre-Islamic Arabs considered as subordinate deities. Meccans held that a kind of kinship existed between Allah and the jinn. Allah was thought to have had sons and the local deities al-ʿUzzā, Manāt and al-Lāt were his daughters. The Meccans possibly associated angels with Allah. Allah was invoked in times of distress. Muhammad's father's name was ʿAbd-Allāh meaning "the worshiper of Allāh".
The three daughters of Allah and chief goddesses of Meccan Arabian mythology were Al-lāt, Al-‘Uzzá, and Manāt. Each is associated with certain domains and had shrines with idols located near Taif which have been destroyed. Allāt (Arabic: اللات) or Al-lāt is the goddess associated with the underworld. Al-‘Uzzá (Arabic: العزى) "The Mightiest One" or "The Strong" was an Arabian fertility goddess. She was called upon for protection and victory before war. Manāt (Arabic: مناة) was the goddess of fate, the Book of Idols describes her as the most ancient of all these idols. An idol of Manāt was erected on the seashore in the vicinity of al-Mushallal in Qudayd, between Medina and Mecca. The Aws and the Khazraj, as well as the inhabitants of Medina and Mecca and their vicinities, venerated Manāt and performed sacrifices before her idol, including offering their children. Pilgrimages of some Arabs, including the Aws, Khazraj, Yathrib and others, were not considered completed until they visited Manāt and shaved their heads.
- Other notable gods
- Manaf (Arabic: مناف) was a god related to women and menstruation.
- Wadd (Arabic: ود) was a god of love and friendship. Snakes were believed to be sacred to Wadd.
- Amm (Arabic: أم) was a moon god worshipped in ancient Qataban. He was revered as in association with the weather, especially lightning.
- Ta'lab (Arabic: طالب) was a god worshipped in southern Arabia, particularly in Sheba and also a moon god. His oracle was consulted for advice.
- Dhu'l-Halasa (Arabic: ذو الحلاس) was an oracular god of south Arabia. He was venerated in the form of a white stone.
- Al-Qaum (Arabic: القوم) was the Nabataean god of war and the night, and also guardian of caravans.
- Dushara (Arabic: ذو الشرى) was a Nabataean god, his name meaning "Lord of the Mountain"
Read more about this topic: Arabian Mythology
Famous quotes containing the word gods:
“The gods thought otherwise.”
—Virgil [Publius Vergilius Maro] (70–19 B.C.)
“Evil can be got very easily and exists in quantity: the road to her is very smooth, and she lives near by. But between us and virtue the gods have placed the sweat of our brows; the road to her is long and steep, and it is rough at first; but when a man has reached the top, then she is easy to attain, although before she was hard.”
—Hesiod (c. 8th century B.C.)
“[A man’s] moral conscience is the curse he had to accept from the gods in order to gain from them the right to dream.”
—William Faulkner (1897–1962)