Arab Paganism

Arabian polytheism, the dominant form of religion in pre-Islamic Arabia, was based on veneration of deities and spirits. Worship was directed to various gods and goddesses, including Hubal and the goddesses al-Lāt, al-‘Uzzā, and Manāt at local shrines and temples includding the Kaaba in Mecca. Deities were venerated and invoked through a variety of rituals that included pilgrimages, divination, and ritual sacrifice. Mecca plays a predominate role in both the histories of pre-Islamic and post-Islamic Arabia. The Kaaba, whose environs were regarded as sacred (haram), became a national shrine under the custodianship of the Quraysh, the chief tribe of Mecca, which made the Hejaz the most important religious area in north Arabia. According to tradition, the Kaaba was a cube-like, originally roofless structure housing a black stone revered as a relic. The sanctuary was dedicated to Hubal, who, according to some sources, was worshiped as the greatest of 360 idols. The conquest of Mecca around 629–630 CE led to the destruction of the idols around the Kaaba. Shrines and temples dedicated to polytheistic deities were destroyed. There is disagreement as to whether or not Allah served in a major role in the Meccan religious cult. No iconic representation or idol of Allah is known to exist.