The Book Of Idols

Term Paper Title	The Book Of Idols
# of Words	1837
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	7.35

The Book of Idols

The account of one ancient historian named Abu-al-Mundhir Hish�m ibn-Muhammad ibn-al-S�'ib ibn-Bishr al-Kalbi, better known as ibn-al-Kalbi, gives report of around twenty idols that existed in the Middle-East in a book called, The Book of Idols.  This book of idols shows the work of a Moslem historian who attempted to create a listing of all the idols worshiped by the Arab people before the coming of the Prophet Muhammad.  The research of this historian, who lived in the eighth and ninth centuries A.D., compiled a list that even included idols that were supposedly worshiped before the time of Noah and the great flood.
Ibn-al-Kalbi was an Arab historian who focused much of his studies on researching the practice of idol worshiping in Arabia, before the �m al-Fil .  While ibn-al-Kalbi was a member of a distinguished family, he suffered much persecution because of his interest in the pre-Islamic religions of Arabia.  It is said that "No historian was attacked more virulently than ibn-al-Kalbi, probably because he addressed himself to the study of those things which Islam was determined to abliterate, namely the pagan religions and practices of Arabia."
In the times following the Prophet Muhammad there was a major attempt by the Moslem community to erase everything pertaining to the pagan days of Arabia.  Hence, learned men were discouraged from pursuing studies that related to the so-called J�hil�yah days.  Consequently, any historians (akhb�r�y�n) who worked to record the past were without honor in the Muslim community, especially during the early days of Islam.
Although ibn-al-Kalbi was under continuous ridicule, and a constant attempt was made to discredit him, he continued his inquiry into such a taboo subject, and was actually one of the most prolific historical writers of early Islam, having written between one hundred and twenty-one to one hundred and fifty titles.  Unfortunately none have survived, except the Jamharat al-Nasab .
The first idol mentioned was of Is�f and N�'ilah.  These two were lovers, and Is�f was courting N�'ilah in the land of Yemen.  They set out to preform their pilgrimage to Mecca, and upon arriving they entered the Ka'bah.  In the privacy of the Sacred House, the two committed adultery in the sanctuary.  They were then turned into stone.  They were later taken out and placed in their respective places.  Later on, the Khuz�'ah and the Quraysh, as well as everyone who came on the pilgrimage to the Sacred House worshiped them.  Following this type of model, "the first among the Children of Ishmael" as well as others, adopted their own idols in accordance to their traditions, when they left the religion of Ishmael.
Suw�' was the god adopted by the Hudhaylites.  The idol was placed in Hah�t, in the vicinity of Yanbu', one of the villages in Medina.  The custodians of its temple were the banu-Lihy�n.  While there is no mention of Suw�' in and of the poems of the Hudhalites, it is mentioned in a poem of a man from Yemen.
The Kalib people adopted Wadd as their god.  This being in the area near D�mat al-Jandal.  Yagh�th was the god adopted by the Madhhij as well as the people of Jurash.  Said by one  poet in Yemen:
"May Wadd keep thee and bless thee!
For to us it is unlawful
For women to dally and wanton;
Thus our faith hath resolved."
And said by another;
"Yagh�th led ut unto the Mur�d,
And we vanquished them before the morning."
The Khayw�n adopted Ya'�q as their god.  This idol was placed in their village called Khayw�n.  Which was a distance of two nights journey from Mecca.  Nasr was the god adopted by the Himyar people and they worshiped it in a place called Balkha' The Himyar also had another temple (bayt) in San'�, and it was called Ri'�m.  There is no mention of these gods in poetry nor are there any record of any people being named after them, because the people of Yemen had converted over to Judaism and destroyed their temples.
These previous five idols were the ones worshiped by the people during the time of Noah.
Man�h is thought to be the most ...

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