A Critical Examination of the Moon-God Theory, Pre-Islamic Arabia, and Qur’anic Theology

 

A Critical Examination of the Moon-God Theory, Pre-Islamic Arabia, and Qur’anic Theology

By Shimba Theological Institute

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Introduction

Among critics of Islam, a recurring claim asserts that Allah was originally a female deity, a moon goddess who later underwent a theological “gender reassignment” into a masculine monotheistic god. This claim is often linked to pre-Islamic Arabian religion, the so-called “moon-god theory,” and the Qur’anic mention of three female figures—al-Lāt, al-ʿUzzā, and Manāt.

This article does not merely repeat popular polemics. Instead, it critically examines the historical, linguistic, archaeological, and theological claims behind the assertion and evaluates whether they withstand academic scrutiny.

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1. Pre-Islamic Arabia: Polytheism and the Kaaba

Pre-Islamic Arabia was unquestionably polytheistic. According to Islamic and non-Islamic sources alike, the Kaaba housed numerous idols representing tribal deities. Among them were:

• al-Lāt

• al-ʿUzzā

• Manāt

The Qur’an itself acknowledges their worship:

“Have you considered al-Lāt and al-ʿUzzā? And Manāt, the third, the other?”
— Qur’an 53:19–20

Importantly, the Qur’an explicitly rejects the belief that these goddesses were daughters of Allah:

“Is the male for you and for Him the female?”
— Qur’an 53:21

This polemic indicates that Muhammad confronted existing pagan theology, not that Allah emerged from it.

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2. The Moon-God Theory: Origins and Problems

The “Allah as a moon god” theory gained popularity through 19th–20th century Orientalist speculation and later Christian apologetics.

Key Problems with the Theory:

1. No inscriptional evidence proves that Allah was ever a moon deity.

2. Arabian moon gods (e.g., Sin, Wadd) are named and distinct from Allah.

3. The Qur’an condemns celestial worship, including the moon:

“Do not prostrate to the sun or to the moon…”
— Qur’an 41:37

If Allah were originally a moon god, this condemnation would be theologically incoherent.

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3. Linguistic Claim: Is “Allah” Feminine?

A common argument claims that Allah is linguistically feminine because the name ends with ه (hāʾ). This argument is linguistically incorrect.

Arabic Grammar Facts:

• Feminine nouns in Arabic are typically marked by tāʾ marbūṭa (ة), not hāʾ (ه).

• The word Allah (الله) does not contain a feminine ending.

• Classical Arabic grammar treats Allah as grammatically masculine, though semantically transcendent of gender.

The Qur’an itself denies biological gender to God:

“He neither begets nor is born.”
— Qur’an 112:3

Thus, the linguistic argument for Allah’s femininity fails.

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4. Crescent Moon Symbol: Theology or Politics?

The crescent moon commonly seen on flags of Muslim-majority nations is often cited as evidence of moon worship.

Historical Reality:

• The crescent became associated with Islam centuries after Muhammad, particularly under the Ottoman Empire.

• The Qur’an never endorses the crescent as a religious symbol.

• Early Islam used no universal religious iconography.

Therefore, the crescent moon is political and cultural, not theological.

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5. Were Allah’s “Daughters” Evidence of a Goddess Origin?

The Qur’an records pagan Arabs calling angels or deities “daughters of Allah,” but this is portrayed as blasphemy, not doctrine.

“They have attributed to Him daughters—exalted is He.”
— Qur’an 16:57

Rather than proving Allah was once female, the text demonstrates Islam’s rejection of goddess theology.

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6. Biblical and Theological Contrast

From a Judeo-Christian perspective, God is:

• Personal

• Relational

• Consistently revealed across history

The Bible never presents God as evolving from a goddess, nor as absorbing pagan deities.

“Before Me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after Me.”
— Isaiah 43:10

This sharply contrasts with Islam’s historical emergence within a polytheistic environment, a tension the Qur’an itself reflects.

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Conclusion

The claim that “Allah was originally a woman” collapses under historical, linguistic, and theological analysis.

What the evidence actually shows is:

• Pre-Islamic Arabia was polytheistic

• Islam emerged by rejecting goddess worship

• Allah was not a moon deity

• The linguistic argument for femininity is incorrect

• Crescent symbolism is post-Qur’anic

For serious theological critique, accuracy is more powerful than sensationalism. Effective apologetics must confront Islam at its strongest points, not its weakest caricatures.

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References

• القرآن الكريم (The Qur’an)

• Ibn Hisham, Sirat Rasul Allah

• W. Montgomery Watt, Muhammad at Mecca

• G.R. Hawting, The Idea of Idolatry and the Emergence of Islam

• Arthur Jeffery, The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qur’an

• F.E. Peters, The Children of Abraham

• Encyclopaedia of Islam, entries on Allah, al-Lāt, al-ʿUzzā, Manāt

• Gesenius’ Hebrew and Arabic Grammar (comparative linguistics)

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Bibliography

• Hawting, G.R. The Idea of Idolatry and the Emergence of Islam. Cambridge University Press.

• Peters, F.E. Muhammad and the Origins of Islam. SUNY Press.

• Jeffery, Arthur. The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qur’an. Baroda.

• Watt, W. Montgomery. Islamic Revelation in Its Historical Context. Edinburgh University Press.

• The Holy Bible, ESV/NIV

• The Qur’an (Sahih International Translation)

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