Arabian mythology
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Arabian Mythology
Muslims consider the pre-Islamic age as the Jahiliyah, or “Age of Ignorance”—that is, the time before the revelations of Allah (al-Lah, “the god”) to his prophet Muhammad. The Arabs were Semitic peoples of the Arabian Peninsula who spoke a language closely related to the languages of the Palestinian and Mesopotamian Semites, including, of course, the Hebrews. Arab culture, like that of the early Hebrews, would have been centered in kinship, clans, and tribes. Their presence as organized groups in the peninsula has been dated as early as 1200b.c.e. The Queen of Saba's visit to King Solomon in Jerusalem would have been early in the first millennium b.c.e. Sabaeans are listed in Assyrian documents by the eighth century b.c.e. Inscriptions describe an outpost in Ethiopia in the fifth century b.c.e., and Sabaeans are mentioned by classical writers beginning in the fourth century b.c.e. The fertile land of the southern peninsula, known in ancient times as Arabia Felix, in what is now Yemen, gave rise to several centers of commerce, trade, and culture in addition to Saba, which gradually gained ascendancy over the other centers. These were city-states ruled by priest-kings (mukarribs) or kings (maliks). Among the more important states were Ma'in, Qataban, and Hadhramat.
Intertribal warfare and religions with many idols would have been characteristic of the earliest history of the Arabs. The Bedouin tribes of the mid-peninsula—around the regions of Hijaz (containing Mecca and Medina) and Najd (containing Riyhad)—were constantly at war. But even early on there appears to have been a sense of pan-Arabism, as indicated by a tradition of annual gatherings of tribes for poetry competitions—a kind of poetic Olympic Games—and the development of a common way of life based on the concept of muruwah. Muruwah obligated a man to obey his overlord, or sayyid, and to accept the communal ideal of the blood feud, in which revenge for murder could be taken on any member of the murderer's tribe as a substitute for the murderer himself. In general, muruwah also provided a sense of the importance of community as opposed to the individual, of generosity as opposed to material need. All of these concepts would be important to the later emergence of Islam.
By the time of Muhammad, Arabia had long been taken advantage of by various powers. Persians from an early date had controlled the area around Saba. Although there had been Arab kingdoms as far north as Syria and Iraq—one was led by Queen Zenobia—they were annexed by the Romans in the second and third centuries c.e. Later Byzantine Christians would establish Christian Arab kingdoms in Syria and Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East. Not long before Muhammad's birth, Christian Abyssinians had come up from Yemen and invaded Mecca.
Pre-Islamic Arabia—before it was influenced through various conquests by Judaism, Christianity, and perhaps Zoroastrianism— was polytheistic in its religion. Jinn (spirits) were worshipped, and various tribal groups worshipped their own, often astral, deities. Cult centers were marked by temples and by holy stones (baetyls) representing these and other tribal deities. Also, sacred trees could serve as cult centers. Muhammad's tribe, the Quraysh, for instance, worshipped a great tree called the Dhat Anwat on the road between Mecca and Medina.
Given the nomadic nature of many of the tribes, objects—especially stones—in any given place could be invested temporarily with the sacred and used as a focus of worship. An ancient, permanent sacred stone cult center for the tribes of the Hijaz (western Arabia), the land of Muhammad's tribe, as well as of other Arabs, was the Ka'bah in Mecca, with its mysterious Black Stone. Even in pre-Islamic times the Ka'bah was a pilgrimage center and sanctuary surrounded by some 360 idols, but there are indications that some Meccans even before the time of Muhammad were moving toward a concept of a single divine power, al-ilah or al-lah (“the god”), a supreme divinity behind the tribal gods of Arabia, such as Wadd, Suwa, Yaghuth, Ya'uq, and Nasr in southern Arabia—several of whom, according to the Qur'an (71:23), were worshipped in the days of Nuh (Noah). Some Meccans had perhaps even worshipped Allah as their high god. Scholars have pointed out that when Muhammad began his preaching, the Quraysh already believed in al-Lah and that many “believed him to be the God worshipped by the Jews and Christians,” with whom they had frequent contacts. These Meccans apparently believed that the Ka'bah had, in the beginning, been dedicated to this deity, in spite of the supreme presence there of the Nabatean warrior rain god Hubal, the tutelary deity of Mecca.
Goddesses played an important role in pre- Islamic Arabian religion and mythology. Manat, Allat (al-Lat, the “Goddess”), and al-Uzza are all mentioned in the Qur'an (53:19–22). Manat was worshipped in Qudayd, near Mecca, and in northern Arabia. She was a goddess of rain, health, victory, and destiny and was particularly honored during the pre-Islamic pilgrimages to the Ka'bah. Allat was popular in Taif, also close to Mecca. There she was represented by a large, flat stone and smaller precious stones kept in a wooden box. Called the Mother of the Gods and Mother of the Sun, she protected travelers. Al-Uzza was the primary goddess of the Quraysh. She seems to have been a love goddess whose worship took place in a sanctuary made up of three trees, a fact that associates her with the Canaanite-Hebrew Asherah. Together these Arabic goddesses were the banat al-Lah (the “Daughters of God”) and were much revered by the Meccans at various stone shrines.
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Arabian mythology
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Arabian mythology comprises the ancient, pre-Islamic beliefs of the Arabs. Prior to Islam the Kaaba of Mecca was covered in symbols representing the myriad demons, djinn, demigods, or simply tribal gods and other assorted deities which represented the polytheistic culture of pre-Islamic Arabia. It has been inferred from this plurality an exceptionally broad context in which mythology could flourish.[1]
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Gods in Arabian mythology
- The Father
Hubal (Arabic: هبل) Regarded as the chief god of gods and the most notable one, the idol of Hubal was near the Kaaba in Mecca and was made of red agate, and shaped like a human, but with the right hand broken off and replaced with a golden hand.[2]
- Allah
In pre-Islamic Arabia, Allah was used by Meccans as a reference to a creator-god, possibly a supreme deity.[3][4] Allah was not considered the sole divinity; however, Allah was considered the creator of the world and the giver of rain. The notion of the term may have been vague in the Meccan religion.[3] 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.[5] Allah was thought to have had sons[6] and that the local deities of al-ʿUzzā, Manāt and al-Lāt were his daughters.[7] The Meccans possibly associated angels with Allah.[8][9] Allah was invoked in times of distress.[9][10] Muhammad's father's name was ʿAbd-Allāh meaning "the worshiper of Allāh"[9]
- The Three Goddesses
- Allāt (Arabic: اللات) or Al-Lāt was a Pre-Islamic Arabian goddess who was one of the three chief goddesses of Mecca. Pre-Islamic Arabs considered her as one of the daughters of Allāh along with Manāt and al-‘Uzzá. She was placed in Taif.[11][clarification needed]
- Al-‘Uzzá (Arabic: العزى) "The Mightiest One" or "The strong" was an Arabian fertility goddess who was one of the three chief goddesses of Mecca, Arabs only called upon her or Hubal for protection and victory before war to show how important she was.[12]
- Manāt (Arabic: مناة) Was one of the three chief goddesses of Mecca, Arabs believed Manāt to be the goddess of fate, The Book of Idols describes her as the most ancient of all these idols. Some Arabs used to name [their children] 'Abd-Manāt and Zayd-Manāt. Manāt was erected on the seashore in the vicinity of al-Mushallal in Qudayd, between Medina and Mecca. Pagan Arabs used to venerate her and sacrifice before her. The Aws and the Khazraj, as well as the inhabitants of Medina and Mecca and their vicinities, used to venerate Manāt, sacrifice before her, and bring unto her their offerings... The Aws and the Khazraj, as well as those Arabs among the people of Yathrib and other places who took to their way of life, were wont to go on pilgrimage and observe the vigil at all the appointed places, but not shave their heads. At the end of the pilgrimage, however, 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. They did not consider their pilgrimage completed until they visited Manāt.[13]
- Other notable gods
- Manaf (Arabic: مناف) The statue of Manaf was caressed by women, but when they had their periods they were not allowed near it.[11]
- Wadd (Arabic: ود) God of love and friendship. Snakes were believed to be sacred to Wadd.[11]
- Amm (Arabic: أم) Was a moon god worshipped in ancient Qataban. He was revered as a weather god, as his attributes included lightning bolts.
- Ta'lab (Arabic: طالب) A god worshipped in southern Arabia, particularly in Sheba. Ta'lab was the 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 means "Lord of the Mountain"
Supernatural beings
- Spirits
- Jinn (Arabic: جن) is a supernatural creature which possesses free will, and can be either good or evil. In some cases, evil genies are said to lead humans astray.[14]
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- Marid (Arabic: مارد) Marids are often described as the most powerful type of djinn, having especially great powers. They are the most arrogant and proud as well. Like every djinn, they have free will yet could be compelled to perform chores. They also have the ability to grant wishes to mortals, but that usually requires battle, and according to some sources imprisonment, rituals, or just a great deal of flattery.
- Ifrit (Arabic: عفريت) is a class of infernal jinn, spirits below the level of angels and devils, noted for their strength and cunning. An ifrit is an enormous winged creature of fire, either male or female, who lives underground and frequents ruins. Ifrits live in a society structured along ancient Arab tribal lines, complete with kings, tribes, and clans. They generally marry one another, but they can also marry humans. While ordinary weapons and forces have no power over them, they are susceptible to magic, which humans can use to kill them or to capture and enslave them. As with the jinn, an ifrit may be either a believer or an unbeliever, good or evil, but he is most often depicted as a wicked and ruthless being.
- Monsters
- Nasnas (Arabic: نسناس) is "half a human being; having half a head, half a body, one arm, one leg, with which it hops with much agility". It was believed to be the offspring of a demon called a Shikk and a human being.[15]
- Ghoul (Arabic: غول) is a desert-dwelling, shapeshifting demon that can assume the guise of an animal, especially a hyena. It lures unwary travellers into the desert wastes to slay and devour them. The creature also preys on young children, robs graves, drinks blood, and eats the dead taking on the form of the one they previously ate. Because of the latter habit, the word ghoul is sometimes used to refer to an ordinary human such as a grave robber, or to anyone who delights in the macabre.[16]
- Bahamut (Arabic: بهموت Bahamūt) is a vast fish that supports the earth sometimes described as having a head resembling a hippopotamus or elephant.[17]
See also
Notes
- ^ Karen Armstrong (2000,2002). Islam: A Short History. pp. 11. ISBN 0-8129-6618-X.
- ^ The Book of Idols (Kitāb al-Asnām) by Hishām Ibn al-Kalbī
- ^ a b L. Gardet, Allah, Encyclopaedia of Islam
- ^ See Qur'an 13:16 ; 29:61-63; 31:25; 39:38)
- ^ See Qur'an 37:158)
- ^ See Qur'an (6:100)
- ^ See Qur'an (53:19-22 ; 16:57 ; 37:149)
- ^ See Qur'an (53:26-27)
- ^ a b c Gerhard Böwering, God and his Attributes, Encyclopedia of the Qur'an
- ^ See Qur'an 6:109; 10:22; 16:38; 29:65)
- ^ a b c Book of Idols
- ^ Tawil 1993
- ^ Hommel, First Encyclopaedia of Islam, Vol. 1. p. 380
- ^ Quran 7:11–12
- ^ Robert Irwin The Arabian Nights: a Companion (Penguin, 1994)
- ^ "ghoul". Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. http://webster.com/dictionary/ghoul. Retrieved January 22, 2006.
- ^ Borges, Jorge Luis; Margarita Guerrero, Norman Thomas di Giovanni (trans.) (2002). The Book of Imaginary Beings. London: Vintage. pp. 25–26. ISBN 0-09-944263-9.
References
- The Book of Idols (Kitāb al-Asnām) by Hishām Ibn al-Kalbī
Sources
- Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia by Jeremy Black and Anthony Green (ISBN 0-292-70794-0)
- Karen Armstrong (2000,2002). Islam: A Short History. ISBN 0-8129-6618-X.
- Borges, Jorge Luis; Margarita Guerrero, Norman Thomas di Giovanni (trans.) (2002). The Book of Imaginary Beings. London: Vintage. pp. 25–26. ISBN 0-09-944263-9.
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