THE HERITAGE OF ISLAM FROM PAGAN RELIGIONS (PART ONE)

Friday, April 1, 2016
THE HERITAGE OF ISLAM FROM PAGAN RELIGIONS
(PART ONE)
Where did Allah come from?

Islam claims that Allah is the same God who dealt with the Jews since the days of Abraham in the Old Testament. But is that really true?

Islam began with Muhammad in the 600s AD. What were the beliefs of the Arabs before him? Are there any elements from those beliefs that made their way into Islam? In other words, is Islam free of paganism?

Join me in this detailed analysis exploring the origins of Islam so we can discover whether there is any connection between Islam and the paganism that prevailed among Arab communities before the rise of Muhammad.

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The Origin of Allah

Human societies across the world have long pondered where the universe came from, the meaning of life, and what happens after death. As a result, every society developed a belief in a higher power (or powers) who were to be worshipped and invoked in times of trouble. These deities were known by different names in different communities, and each society developed a special means of communicating with these powers—that is, with their gods.

One undeniable truth is this: except for the Jewish people, every other society in the world—whether African, European, Asian, etc.—began with pagan worship. These societies worshipped various gods, often represented by natural objects like mountains, trees, the sun, the moon, giant serpents, statues, and kings. For instance, the Romans had gods like Artemis, Jupiter, Minerva, Atlas. The Greeks had gods like Chronos, Dionysus, Eros, Ares, Apollo, Hermes, Poseidon. Indians had gods like Durga, Ganesha, Garusha, and Brahma.

These pagan religions became widespread. Buddhism, for example, is a pagan religion that spread across much of Asia—India, Japan, Sri Lanka, China, etc.

Thus, Arab societies, like other human communities, were no different—they too had their pagan worship systems. They worshipped what is known today as the “Star Family”—so called because they anthropomorphized their gods. The moon was considered a male god, the sun his wife, and together they had three daughters: Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Manat.

That’s why the Qur’an even says:

"Have you considered Al-Lat and Al-‘Uzza, and another, the third (goddess), Manat?" (Surah 53:19–20)

Even Muhammad used to worship these gods before founding Islam. According to Hisham al-Kalbi in Kitab al-Asnam (Book of Idols), page 17:

“We have been told that the Apostle of Allah once mentioned Al-Uzza saying, ‘I have offered a white sheep to Al-‘Uzza, while I was a follower of the religion of my people.’”

His people were the Quraysh.

The name Allah comes from al-ilah. “Al” is like the English article “the”; and “ilah” means god. So al-ilah means “the god.” Over time, through linguistic evolution, this was shortened to Allah, just like in Swahili one might say "ndo ivo" (meaning “that’s how it is”) instead of “ndiyo hivyo.”

So, who was Allah? He was the moon god, whose wife was the sun and whose daughters were Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Manat. These were the chief deities among the many gods worshipped by pre-Islamic Arabs during the Jahiliyyah (Age of Ignorance).

The name Allah is masculine—hence the daughter is called Al-Lat, a feminine version, just as in names like Francis (male) and Francisca (female). The same applies to Allah and Al-Lat—same root, different gender.

One tribe that notably worshipped Allah was the Quraysh, the tribe from which Muhammad came. Some people mistakenly believe that the name Allah only became known after Muhammad. Others argue that Allah was known since the time of Abraham in the same way He is known today. But if that were true, then how did the Allah of Abraham disappear and get replaced by a pagan moon god?

Notably, Muhammad’s father was a pagan, not a Muslim. Some Muslims claim otherwise, but Muhammad himself said the following:

Anas reported: A man asked the Messenger of Allah, "Where is my father?" He replied, "In the Fire." When the man turned away, the Prophet called him back and said, "Indeed, my father and your father are in the Fire."
(Sahih Muslim, Book 001, Number 0398)

If Muhammad’s father was a pagan, why was he named "Abdullah", meaning “servant of Allah”? That clearly indicates that even pagans in the Jahiliyyah era worshipped Allah, to the extent of naming their children after him—just as Jews named their children in honor of Yahweh:

• Joshua – Yahweh is salvation

• Jotham – Yahweh is perfect

• Jehoahaz – Yahweh has held

• Hezekiah – Yahweh strengthens

• Elisha – God is salvation

The answer is clear: Allah was a pagan moon god, also known as Hubal, who was worshipped not only by Arabs but across the Middle East. Archaeological evidence abounds showing the worship of the moon, sun, and stars was common throughout that region.

Muhammad’s grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, almost sacrificed Muhammad’s father Abdullah as an offering to Allah. Instead, he was redeemed by sacrificing 100 camels—at the Kaaba!

“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. Quraysh, his uncles from the Makhzum tribe, and his brother Abu Talib tried to dissuade him. They suggested he summon a female diviner, who ordered divination arrows to be drawn between Abdullah and 10 camels... the number of camels eventually reached one hundred.”
(Ibn Hisham 1/151–155; Rahmat-ul-lil’alameen 2/89–90)

That’s why God in the Bible consistently warned the Israelites not to worship the star family or heavenly hosts like the sun, moon, or stars:

• Deuteronomy 4:19

“And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars—all the host of heaven—and be drawn away and worship them…”

• Deuteronomy 17:2–3

“…and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the heavenly host…”

• 2 Kings 21:3, 5; 23:5

• Jeremiah 8:2; 19:13

• Zephaniah 1:5

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The Year Muhammad Was Born (570 AD)

In the same year Muhammad was born, Abrahah al-Ashram, a ruler from Aksum (Ethiopia) stationed in Yemen, sought to destroy the Kaaba. He built a cathedral in Sana’a hoping to rival Mecca’s pagan pilgrimage but failed.

So, he marched toward Mecca with a large army and elephants—hence, “The Year of the Elephant.” Quraysh tribes united to defend the Kaaba. Muhammad’s grandfather Abdul Muttalib said:

“The Owner of this House is its Defender, and I am sure He will save it from the attack of the adversaries and will not dishonor the servants of His House.”

Islamic tradition says birds dropped stones on Abrahah’s army, defeating them. The Qur’an records this in Surah Al-Fil 105:1–5:

“Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the people of the elephant? Did He not make their plot go astray? And He sent against them birds in flocks, striking them with stones of baked clay, and made them like chewed straw.”

But this happened before Islam, during a pagan era, when the Kaaba was full of pagan idols. Abdul Muttalib didn’t know the Allah of Muhammad.

So who was the “Lord” who defended the Kaaba according to Qur’an 105? It could only have been the same pagan god Allah worshipped at that time—not the God of the Bible.

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Conclusion

If you are a Muslim, ask yourself:

• Why is the moon so central to your religious calendar?

• Why must the moon be sighted before fasting begins or ends?

• Why is the crescent moon and star the main symbol atop every mosque?

What is the origin of these symbols?

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God bless you all.
By permission
I am Dr. Maxwell Shimba, a servant of Jesus Christ,
For Max Shimba Ministries Org,
©2016. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.
April 1, 2016

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