In the arid, desolate sands of Mecca, surrounded by the bare mountains of the Arabian desert, stands a small cubic structure that the ancient and modern Arabs refer to as the Kaaba: the Cube.
The Kaaba
The Kaaba is a square, roofless structure made of unmortared stones in a valley of sand. Its four walls were so low it is said a young goat could leap over them and birds would shit on it due to the open top. The structure is now decorated with coverings of cloth. At its base, two small doors are chiseled into the gray stone, allowing entry into the inner sanctum.
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| Hajj Pilgrimmage at Kaaba |
Inside the Kaaba, the gods of pre-Islamic Arabia used to reside. In all, there are said to be 360 idols housed in and around the Kaaba, representing every god recognized in the Arabian Peninsula. Near the Kaaba was a well called Zamzam, fed by an underground spring. The spring situated in the middle of the arid desert became a sacred place for the thisty Bedouin nomads of Arabia.
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| Ancient Structures at Mecca |
During the holy months, the desert fairs and the markets enveloped the city and the pilgrims from all over the Arabia made their way to visit their tribal deities.
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| Pire-Islamic Arabs |
They sang songs of worship and dance in front of the gods; they make sacrifices and pray for health. Then, in a remarkable ritual, the pilgrims parade as a group and rotate around the Kaaba seven times, pausing to kiss each corner of the Kaaba.
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| Pagan Pilgrim Assembly at Mecca |
Cosmologic Reference Point
The cubic structure held cosmological significance for the ancient Arabs. The idols in the Kaaba were associated with the planets and stars. The seven ritual circumambulations of the Kaaba-called Tawaf in Arabic is still the primary ritual of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
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| Ritual Circumambulations of Kaaba |
The Kaaba had been constructed as an axis mundi, called a "navel spot": a sacred space around which the universe revolves, the link between the earth and the heaven. There was once a nail driven into the floor of the Kaaba that the ancient Arabs referred to as "the navel of the world."
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| Comsmologic Navel |
The ancient pilgrims would enter the sanctuary, take off their clothes, and place their own navels over the nail, thereby merging with the cosmos.
The Jahiliyyah
Alas, the origin of Kaaba is mere speculation but one thing that scholars can say with any certainty is that this small structure was the center of religious life in pre-Islamic Arabia: that intriguing yet ill-defined era of paganism that Muslims refer to as the Jahiliyyah or "the Time of Ignorance."
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| Gods at Temple of Petra |
I am intrigued by this unknown and hidden part of human history.
The Custodians of Kaaba
Access to the idol was controlled by the Quraysh tribe who were the priests and protectors of the ancient holy place. Prophet 's grandfather Abdul Mutallib was the head priest who once vowed to sacrifice one of his ten children. The divine arrows pointed to his young son Abd-allah, meaning the slave of God. The future father of Muhammad was saved when 100 camels were sacrificed in his place.Abdul Mutallib later brought the infant Muhammad himself before the Gods of Kaaba.
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| Quraysh Elders |
The Quraysh clan led the god's devotees against followers of the Islamic prophet Muhammad during the Battle of Badr in 624 AD. After defeat by Muhammad's forces, his uncle Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, leader of the Quraysh merchants, is said to have called on God Hubal for support to gain victory in their next battle, saying "Show your superiority, Hubal". When Muhammad conquered Mecca in 630, he removed and had destroyed the statue of Hubal, along with the 360 idols of all the other pagan gods. So who were these Arabic Gods?
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| Destruction of Idols at Mecca |
The Gods of Arabia
Hubal
Hubal (Arabic: هُبَل) was a main god worshipped by the Quraysh tribe at the Kaaba in Mecca. The Book of Idols (Kitāb al-Aṣnām) by the Iraqi Islamic savant, Hišām ibn Muhammad notes, “From what I have heard, the idol of Hubal was made of red carnelian, having human form, but with a broken right Hand. The Quraish had received him in this condition, but had since made him a [replacement] hand of gold. He was inside the Kaaba.”
Seven arrows were placed before the idol, which were cast for divine guidance, in cases of death, virginity, and marriage.
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| Hindu God Shiva |
This imagary reminds me of Hindu God Shiva who is depicted with a moon on the side of his head, carrying a trident, and symbolizing phallic fertility.
The Three Goddesses
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| Al Gharaniq - Three Daughters of God |
Al-Llāt (Arabic: اللات) was the goddess of war, peace, ad comba. Al-llat was the Meccan mother goddess and the chief deity of the tribe of Banu Thaqif. She is one of the three daughters of Allah.
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| Al-Lat Godess of Arabia |
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| Laata Wali Mata |
Al-‘Uzzá (Arabic: العزى) was goddess of might, protection, love, and the planet Venus. One of the three daughters of Allah and wife of Hubal, god of war".
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| Al-Uza |
The description reminds me of Parvati, the consort of Hindu God Shiva. In Hindu mythology they represent fertility with Shiva Linga and Yoni of Shakti. Note the similarity of symbolism with the black stone Shiva Linga.
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| Shiva with Parvati |
Manāt (Arabic: مناة) was the goddess of prosperity, fate, and destiny for the Arabs. The Arabs used to name their children 'Abd-Manāt and Zayd-Manāt. At the end of the pilgrimage, when they were about to return home, they would set out to the place where Manāt stood, shave their heads, and stay there a while.
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| Manat, Goddess of Properity |
She is wife of Quzah, the god of thunder. This iconography is similar to the depiction of Lakshmi, the Hindu Godess of prosperity wh is consort of Hindu God Vishnu.
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| Hindu God of Prosperity - Lakshmi |
Other Gods
Quzah - god of storms, thunder, and clouds; husband of Manat. Thunder, said to be the battle-cry of Quzah, was believed to scare away spirits of disease and misfortune. The rainbow that appeared after rain was considered by the people of Mecca to be a ladder to the heavens. This depiction is similar to Indra, the Hindu God of Rain and Thunder.
Bajar - god of the ocean and underworld. This has similarity with Varun, the Hindu God of ocean and underworld.
Rudā - mentioned in Hisham ibn al-Kalbi's Book of Idols as Abd-Ruda was a the God of storm. The name sounds similar to Rudra, the Hindu God associated with wind or storm, and the hunt.
Nasr - the God of the deep desert whose idol was a sculpture of a large vulture (in some places an eagle) worshipped in Yemen. The sacred animal of Nasr, the vulture, was venerated by his worshipers as a totem of insight and sharp character; as well as this, the god represented the hostile and unforgiving aspects of nature, in particular, the desert. There is similarity with Garuda, the hindu God with appearance of a vulture.
Al-Kutbay - goddess of intellect, writing, who was the scribe of the gods and recorder of all deeds and events. This depiction is similar to Saraswati, the Hindi Goddess of knowldge and music
Battle of Badr
The Battle of Badr (Arabic: غَزْوَةُ بَدِرْ), was fought on Tuesday, 13 March 624, near the present-day city of Badr, Madinah Province in Saudi Arabia. Muhammad, commanding an army of his converts, defeated an army of the Quraysh led by Amr ibn Hishām, better known as Abu Jahl, or Abu the Ignorant.
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| Quraysh Caravan captured by Muslim Converts |
orophet Muhammad with his 300 men had intercepted caravans of merchants. The leader of merchants, Abu Sufyan sent a messenger to the Quraish in Mecca. At Kaaba, the messenger tore off his shirt and cried:
"O Quraish! Your merchandise! The caravan od Ab Sufyan is being intercepted by Muhammad and his converts. I cannot say what happened to them. Help! Help!"
The clans of Quraish moved swiftly towards Badr with an army of around 1300 men, 100 horses and a large number of camels. Prophet Mohammad gave the order to ounterattack, throwing a handful of pebbles at the Makkans which was a traditional Arabian gesture while yelling "Defaced be those faces!"T
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| Battle of Badr |
The Muslims countered their charge and broke the Meccan lines, killing several important Quraishi leaders including Abu Jahl. Some 70 prisoners were taken captive and most of the prisoners were released upon payment of ransom.
The Battle of Badr was the turning point in history that transformed Muhammad, from a Meccan outcast into the leader of a new community and city-state at Medina. It also marked the beginning ig the end of pagan Arab traditions led by the Quraish tribe at Mecca.
The Continued Traditions
The Name
Allah is the One and Only God in Islam. The Holy Qurʾān stresses above all in Allah’s singularity and sole sovereignty, a doctrinal tenet indicated by the Arabic term Tawḥīd (“oneness”). Muslim scholars have collected, in the Holy Qurʾān and in the Hadith (the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad), the 99 “most beautiful names” (al-asmāʾ al-ḥusnā) of Allah, which describe his attributes. He never sleeps or tires, and, while transcendent, he perceives and reacts to everything in every place through the omnipresence of his divine knowledge. He creates and is in no need of a consort, nor does he have son.
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| Allah in Arabic |
Allah is a contraction of the Arabic term al-Ilāh, “the God.” The name’s origin can be traced to the earliest pre-Islamic traditions. Polytheistic Arabs used the name "Al-Lah" as a reference to a creator god or a supreme deity of all other gods worshipped by varios tribes. Pre-Islamic Meccans worshiped Allah alongside a host of lesser gods and those whom they called the “daughters of Allah.”
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| Pre-Islamic Allah and Gods |
Alakh Niranjan (अलख निरञ्जन) is a term used by Nath Yogis or Creator, and describes the characteristics of God. Alakh means formless one which cannot be seen (perceived) and Niranjan means without any blemish. It is unclear if this terminology existed before Islam or it was adoption of monosthtic god by Nath yogis after being in contact with Islamicists.
The Crescent
The crescent moon symbol is associated with Islam and regarded as its symbol. The crescent and star symbol became strongly associated with the with Islam, as well as representative of Islamic empires such as, Mughals and Ottoman. By the mid-20th century, the symbol came to be re-interpreted as the symbol of Islam, It replaced the cross in the ambulance services in Islamic contries. It is also used in the flags of many contires such as Pakistan, Malaysia, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey.
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| Red Crescent Ambulance |
Crescents first appeared with a star in Sumerian iconography, associated with the moon god Sin (Nanna) and the star with godess Ishtar.
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| Sumerian Crescent and Star |
The pre-Islamic Meccans used it as symbol of lunar god Hubal.
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| Islamic and Pre-Islamic Lunar Crescents |
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| Crescent of Shiva |
The Dress Code
Ihram clothing includes men's and women's garments worn by Muslims while in a state of Iḥrām, during either of the Islamic pilgrimages, Ḥajj and/or Umrah. White Ihram clothing is intended to make everyone appear the same, to signify that in front of God there is no difference between a prince and a pauper.
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| Ihram Clothing durim Hajj |
Men's garments often consist of two white unhemmed sheets (usually towelling material; plus a pair of sandals. Women's clothing are similar with a hijab
Before entering Ihram, the pilgrims bathe, trim their nails and hair, make wudu (cleansing ritual), and pronounce a formal intention to perform Hajj. While they are in this state, pilgrims are not allowed to hunt or kill any living thing, participate in sexual intercourse, cut hair or nails, or wear make-up or perfume.
Ihram was according to Sahih Bukhari originally a pagan requirement for worshiping idols during pre-Islamic times. Prophet Muhammad retained this practice for Islam. Muslims assume Ihram to perform the Hajj or Umrah.
Narrated 'Urwa: I asked Aisha: "...But in fact, this divine inspiration was revealed concerning the Ansar who used to assume “Ihram” for worshipping an idol called “Manat” which they used to worship at a place called Al-Mushallal."
The Chant
The processional chant that the pilgrims sang as they approached the Kaaba:
"Here I am, O Allah, here I am.
You have no partner,
Except such a partner as you have.
You possess him and all that is his."
This remarkable proclamation, with its obvious resemblance to the Muslim profession of faith-"There is no god but God" reveals the earliest traces in pre-Islamic Arabia.
The Black Stone
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| al-Hazaru al-Aswad at Kaaba |
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| Kissing of al Aswad during Hajj |
The apparent similarity of the Black Stone and its frame to the external female genitalia. indicates its asssociation with fertility. It is likely that the stone is a meteorite and links Kaaba to pre-Islamic history of stone and meteorite worship in India.
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| Phallic Worship in India |
A lingam (Sanskrit: लिङ्ग), is a phallic representation of the Hindu god Shiva paced within a disc-shaped platform called yoni – the female recreation counterpart.
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| Lingam of Shiva and Yoni of Shakti |
Conclusion
The worship of Allah as proclaimed by Prophet Muhammad was not a replication of Abrahamic monotheism, but an redefinition of the worship of pre-Islamic pagan gods, including a supirior god Al-Lah. The depiction of God a humanform Hubal gave way to a formless Allah. The Crescent moon still plays a significent role in Islamic tradition, so does other pre-Islamic rituals such as "Ihram", blackstone worshiping, throwing stones as the "Satan", and the chant, but now all in the name of one and only one - Allah.
In my humble opinion, it is also "Jahiliyya" or ignorance to be oblivious of your history and not learn from it. Not only it is disrespectful to your ancestors, its also putting a cloak of darkness over centuries of your heritage and culture. The pre-Islamic Arab society was a community of successful global merchants who connected the trade from East to the West. They were also pioneers in many ways and would stand united and celebrate together during the festivities, unlike the current Arab nations who cannot agree on anything. They were also tolerant of other religious thoughts and tried to be inclusive in a polytheistic society.
Unlike their global travelling ancestors, the Arab of today is isolated, intolerant of other spiritual thoughts, and unable to communicate with people outside the Arab penninsula. So who is living in "True Jahiliyya"? The Arabs of today or their ancestors?
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