If any Muslim claims
that all people were born Muslim, but they went astray ask him what were 360
Idols doing in the Kaaba when Muhammad was young, ask them why do they deny
their own Hadiths and Books which expose Pre Islamic Pagan Polytheistic
Practices! Ask them to explain why Muhammad did not stop these pagan practices
but instead, he combined it with his 7th century created so called religion of
Islam. Worship at the Kaaba
Let’s dive in and see what are some of the Pagan Rituals
still prevalant in Islam
Mohammed created Islam by
putting together a mishmash of Arabic Pagan beliefs, Judaism and
Christianity. Many customs and practices
were borrowed from Arabic Paganism, like Hajj, the hijab was worn by free women
(as in women who aren’t slaves, and Islam did not get rid of slavery), praying
5 times a day etc. The original symbol
of the Arabic pre-Islamic al-Lat, which was later co-opted by emerging Islamic
religion, is the moon and cresent symbol.
Allah was the Pagan Father God that Mohammed repurposed into a new god
called Allah that would be held as the god of the new religion “Islam”
The three principle Goddesses of
Arabia were al-Lāt, al-'Uzzá and Manāt.... and they may still be
today as their names are mentioned in the Quran.
Before Mohammed created islam,
he worshipped the Goddess al-Lāt. The
mother Goddess al-Lat was actually the consort of the Pagan God Allah, who was
the high God who created heaven and earth.
Mohammed changed the mythology to suit his misogyny by calling all three
chief goddessed the daughters of the Islamic Allah. He then said “Satan” told him those
verses. She is the mother of the God
Dhu’Shara and indeed she has many children. As for al-Lat, she was the chief
goddess of the Banu Thaqif. She has the power to create life and give birth,
and the Kaaba (cubic sanctuary) is sacred to her as the creator of the deities. She is the queen of heaven for the Arabs and
in ancient times was worshipped by many people, including the Thaqif, Lihyan, Quraysh,
Sulaym, Ghanim, Khuza'ah, Kinanah, Nabataeans, and Sabaeans.
The Goddess
al-'Uzzá was the Goddess of love, war, and beauty, as well as of the
morning and evening star. She is the daughter of Allah. She has two daughters
and her consort is Dhu'Shara. In ancient times, al-'Uzzá was first a Sabaean
and southern Arabian goddess, but her cult spread to the Nabataeans in the
north. Many people worshiped her, including the Quraysh, Sulaym, Ghanim,
Khuza'ah, Kinanah, Nabataeans, and Sabaeans. Her idol stood in a sanctuary
called Buss, which contained an altar called al-Ghabghab and was used for
sacrifices and prayers. Nearby to the temple stood three acacia trees in the
Valley of Nakhlat al-Sha'miyah, near Makkah. She is similar to the Roman
Goddess Venus, the Greek Goddess Aphrodite, the Canaanites Goddesses Ashtart
and Anat, the Babylonian Goddess Ishtar, and the Sumerian Goddess Inanna.
The Goddess Manāt
is the wife of the god Hubal, daughter of Ruda, and the Goddess of Fate. Manāt
was worshiped by many different tribes, including the Khazraj, the Aws, the
Nabataeans, the Hudhayl, and the Khuza'ah. She is the most ancient of the three
Goddesses discussed. She is the Goddess of time, destiny, fate, divination, and
She leads heroes to the grave. At the end of the required pilgrimage, the Arabs
would visit Manāt's shrine and shave their heads.
After reading the Quran and
Hadiths coupled with studying ancient Islamic history, I would say there’s a
lot
First and foremost, according to the hadith, the Kaaba in Mecca was a center of
idol-worship, with the Kaaba housing 360 idols:
Narrated 'Abdullah
bin Masud: The
Prophet entered Mecca and (at that time) there were three hundred-and-sixty
idols around the Kaaba. He started stabbing the idols with a stick he had in
his hand and reciting: "Truth (Islam) has come and Falsehood (disbelief)
has vanished."
Sahih Bukhari 3:43:658
Their prophet
Muhammad discarded the 360 idols but retained for Islam, the Kaaba with its
Black Stone, justifying it with the claim that Abraham and Ishmael originally
constructed it. However, there is no historical or archaeological evidence
for the existence of the Kaaba beyond a few hundred years before Muhammad's
lifetime.
In fact, Muhammad's
own words disprove any connection he was attempting to make between Abraham,
Ishmael and the Kaaba.
The Quran says Abraham
built it:
Remember We made the
House a place of assembly for men and a place of safety; and take ye the
station of Abraham as a place of prayer; and We covenanted with Abraham and
Isma'il, that they should sanctify My House for those who compass it round, or
use it as a retreat, or bow, or prostrate themselves (therein in prayer).
Quran Surah
Al-Baqarah 2:125
Muhammed says it was
built 40 years prior to the Temple at Jerusalem:
Narrated Abu Dhaar: I said, "O
Allah's Apostle! Which mosque was built first?" He replied,
"Al-Masjid-ul-Haram." I asked, "Which (was built)
next?" He replied, "Al-Masjid-ul-Aqs-a (i.e. Jerusalem). " I asked, "What was the period in between
them? He replied, forty years.
Sahih Bukhari 4:55:636
The Temple at Jerusalem was built by Solomon around
958-951 BC. This implies that if Muhammad were to be believed, the Kaaba
must have been built approximately 998-991 BC. But Abraham lived
around 2000 BC and both Abraham and Ishmael would have been dead by then.
If Muhammad is correct, then the Quran [and therefore
Allah] is wrong. But if the Quran is correct in stating that Abraham and
Ishmael built the Kaaba, then Muhammad and the sahih hadith is wrong.
The Kaaba has
nothing to do with Abraham or Ishmael. It has a wholly pagan heritage. Egyptian
Professor and foremost authority on Arabic literature, Dr. Taha Husayn, said
the following:
The case for this episode is
very obvious because it is of recent date and came into vogue just before the
rise of Islam. Islam exploited it for religious reasons.
Also, according to sahih hadith, Muhammad even considered
dismantling it:
Narrated Aswad: Ibn Az-Zubair said
to me, "Aisha used to tell you secretly a number of things. What did she
tell you about the Ka'ba?" I replied, "She told me that once the
Prophet said, 'O 'Aisha! Had not your people been still close to the
pre-Islamic period of ignorance (infidelity)! I would have dismantled the Ka'ba
and would have made two doors in it; one for entrance and the other for
exit." Later on Ibn Az-Zubair did the same.
Sahih Bukhari 1:3:128
Worship at the Kaaba
and the kissing of the Black Stone are just the first of many practices adopted
from 7th century paganism and repackaged within so called monotheistic Islam.
Veneration of the Black-stone
The pagan gods of
pre-Islamic Arabia were worshipped in the form of rectangular stones or rocks.
For example, the pagan deity 'Al-Lat', mentioned in Quran Surah An-Najm 53:19,
and believed by pre-Islamic pagans to be one of the daughters of Allah, was
once venerated as a cubic rock at Ta'if in Saudi Arabia. An edifice was built
over the rock to mark it apart as a house of worship.
Al-Lat stood in
al-Ta'if, and was more recent than Manah. She was a cubic rock beside which a
certain Jew used to prepare his barley porridge (sawiq). Her custody was in the
hands of the banu-'Attab ibn-Malik of the Thayif, who had built an edifice over
her. [...]She is the idol which God mentioned when He said, "Have you seen al-lat and al-'Uzza (Surah An-Najm 53:19)?
 |
Pre-Islamic Arabic Goddess Al-Lāt
|
 |
The original symbol of the Goddess al-Lāt, which was later
co-opted by the emerging Islamic religion |
Kitab Al-Asnam (The Book of Idols), p 14
"A principal sacred object in
Arabian religion was the stone, either a rock outcropping or a large boulder,
often a rectangular or irregular black basaltic stone… of numerous baetyls, the
best known is the Black-stone of the Kaaba at Mecca which became the central
shrine object in Islam".
There is no denying
that the Black Stone was one among many stones and idols venerated at the Kaaba
by the pre-Islamic pagans. The Black Stone was kissed during pre-Islamic pagan
worship. Though Muhammad threw out 360 other objects at the Kaaba, he retained
this Black Stone and continued the practice of kissing it. It is this same
stone that the pre-Islamic pagans once kissed, that Muslims kiss today when
visiting Mecca.
Praying 5 Times Towards Mecca
Pagans prior to Islam would pray five times per day towards
Mecca. Muhammad retained for Islam, this
pre-Islamic practice, sanctioning it with a story of a night trip to heaven on
a mythical beast called al-Buraq. In heaven, the Hadith tells us that Allah
demanded 50 prayers per day per Muslim. Upon advice from Moses, Muhammed
bargains with Allah and successfully reduces it to five prayers per day.
Zoroastrians are
also expected to recite their (kusti) prayers at least five times a day having
first cleansed themselves by washing (ablution). So even today, this is not a
practice unique to Islam. But, contrary to the Muslims, they pray in the
direction of the Sun (at each time of the day) and/or of the Holy Fire (if they
are in a Fire Temple).
Fasting on the 10th of Muharram
Muhammad's pagan tribe,
the Quraish, fasted on the 10th of Muharram. Though optional, Muhammad retained
this pagan practice too.
Narrated 'Aisha: 'Ashura' (i.e. the
tenth of Muharram) was a day on which the tribe of Quraish used to fast in the
pre-lslamic period of ignorance. The Prophet also used to fast on this day. So
when he migrated to Medina, he fasted on it and ordered (the Muslims) to fast
on it. When the fasting of Ramadan was enjoined, it became optional for the
people to fast or not to fast on the day of Ashura.
Sahih Bukhari 5:58:172
Tawaf between Safa
and Marwa
Doing Tawaf between
Safa and Marwa is an Islamic ritual associated with the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Safa and Marwa are two mounts, located at Mecca. This ritual entails Muslims walking frantically between
the two mounts, seven times. This was originally a pagan pre-Islamic practice. Muhammad retained it for Islam,
sanctioning it with yet another Quranic revelation.
Narrated 'Asim: I asked Anas bin
Malik: "Did you use to dislike to perform Tawaf between Safa and
Marwa?" He said, "Yes, as it was of the ceremonies of the days of the
Pre-lslamic period of ignorance, till Allah revealed: 'Verily! (The two
mountains) As-Safa and Al-Marwa are among the symbols of Allah. It is therefore no sin for him who performs
the pilgrimage to the Ka'ba, or performs 'Umra, to perform Tawaf between them.'
" (2.158)
Sahih Bukhari 2:26:710
Clearly, the Hadith testifies that Muhammad merely adopted
this pagan ceremony from the pre-Islamic "period of ignorance" and
justified it with yet another convenient Quranic revelation.
A myth was also created about Hagar running between these
two mounts in search of water until she found the Zamzam Well. Even if this
story were true, why is this reason for people to run up and down between two
mounts to please a god? This myth was not created to further justify the
ritual, but for another reason; Muhammad was trying to market Zamzam,
owned by his family, as a money-making venture.
Requirement of Ihram
Ihram is a state a Muslim enters into for his pilgrimage to
Mecca. It involves a series of procedures like ritual washing, wearing 'Ihram
garments', etc. Ihram was
originally a pagan requirement for worshipping idols during pre-Islamic times.
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 before they embraced Islam, and
whoever assumed Ihram (for the idol), would consider it not right to perform
Tawaf between Safa and Marwa.
Sahih Bukhari 2:26:706
Circumambulation 7 Times
In the Islamic ritual of Tawaf, Muslims go around the
Kaaba 7 times. In the Hindu marriage rite of Satphere, the married couple goes
around a fire also 7 times. In both of these rituals, religious phrases are
repeated during the circumambulation.
Circumambulation is
to go in circles around a particular object. In Islam, worshippers and pilgrims
do this around the Kaaba at Mecca. Pre-Islamic pagans used do it to please the
moon god Hubal, the 360 deities and Allah (who was merely one among the many
deities worshipped there). Muhammad himself used to do it, even before the 360
idols inside the Kaaba were removed.
Judaism and Christianity (the religions of those who are
considered People of the Book) do not practice ritual circumambulation to
please God. Two other faiths which do are Hinduism and Buddhism, religions
older than Islam and accused by Islam of “paganism” and practicing idolatry.
Crescent Moon Symbol
Hubal was the moon god worshiped at the Kaaba. The
crescent moon was Hubal’s symbol. Muhammad's
pagan grandfather Abd al-Muttalib almost slaughtered Muhammad's father Abdallah
at the Kaaba, to Hubal.
From Ibn Hisham:
An arrow showed that
it was 'Abdullah to be sacrificed. 'Abdul-Muttalib then took the boy to
Al-Ka'bah with a razor to slaughter the boy. Quraish, his uncles from Makhzum
tribe and his brother Abu Talib, however, tried to dissuade him. They suggested
that he summon a she-diviner. She ordered that the divination arrows should be
drawn with respect to 'Abdullah as well as ten camels. … the number of the
camels (finally) amounted to one hundred. … They were all slaughtered to the
satisfaction of Hubal.
The Kaaba, Islam's
holiest shrine, has been a place where such pagan human sacrifices and
slaughters have taken place for Hubal. When Muhammad founded Islam, he discarded Hubal. At the Battle of Badr,
his enemy Abu Sufyan praised the high position of moon god Hubal, saying "O Hubal, be
high". Muhammad asked his followers to yell back, "Allah is
higher".
Is moon-god Hubal no longer "higher"? Is Islam
completely free of the 'moon' influence? Take a closer look at
mosques all over the world, and you are likely to find Hubal’s symbol, the
crescent moon, positioned at a high point of the mosque.
As with the Cross for Christianity and the Star of David
for Judaism, the Crescent moon is today a universal symbol for Islam.
It may not be a deliberate effort to worship Hubal. And yet,
interestingly, through Islam, the pagan prayer of Muhammad's enemy Abu
Sufyan at Badr has been answered, "O Hubal be high". Why do Muslims call
others liars when they deny what their own books are saying? Their own books
make them embarrassed and angry they are a mass of contradictions!
