In addition to these ancient idols that were brought back to...

In addition to these ancient idols that were brought back to life after Noah’s flood, there were many other idols that were worshipped throughout the Arabian Peninsula: `Umyanis, a branch of the Khawlan tribe, was the name of an idol which was worshipped in the land of Khawlan. Khawlan was Amr ibn Ilhaf ibn Quza`ah. Some descendants of Quza`h embraced Judaism and migrated from the land of Khawlan in Yemen to Yathrib, Medina.

Khawlan remains to be a populated area of Yemen that has its own tribal chiefs who now are all Muslims. Tribesmen belonging to Banu Milkan ibn Kinanah ibn Khuzaymah ibn Mudrikah ibn Ilyas ibn Mudar used to have an idol called “Sa`d”, a tall stone in a plain in their land. A man from Banu Milkan brought his camels to this idol seeking its “blessing”. The idol was stained with the blood of the animal offerings.

Seeing it thus covered with blood, the camels were frightened, and they aimlessly ran away in all directions. Their poor Milkani owner became very angry, took a stone and threw it at “Sa`d” then sought to get his camel’s back.

Once he had them gathered in his possession, he composed these two lines of poetry: أتينا الى سَعدٍ ليجمعَ شملَنا فشتتنا سَعدً، فلا نحنُ من سَعدِ و هَلْ سَعدً الا صَخرة بتنوفةٍ من الأرض لا تدعو لغيٍ و لا رَشدِ؟ We came to Sa`d so he may unite us together, But Sa`d disunited us, so we have nothing to do with Sa`d. Is Sa`d anything but a stone in a plain of land th at calls for neither misguidance nor guidance?

There were two other idols near the location of the Zamzam well: “Isaf” and “Na’ila” in the name of a man and a woman respectively. Both Isaf and Na’ila had belonged to the Jurham tribe (in which Prophet Ishmael had married), and the full name of the first was Isaf ibn Baghi and that of the woman was Na’ila daughter of Deek. Isaf had sexual intercourse with Na’ila inside the holy precincts of the Kaaba, so both were turned into stones, they said, and surely Allah knows best.

How did the Arabs worship those stone idols? Each house had an idol which the residents worshipped. When a man was going out on a trip, he would rub his hands on it which was the last thing he did before starting his trip. He would do the same as soon as he returned home to his family. In addition to the Ka`ba, the Arabs had other places of worship which they called tawagheet طواغيت , and they held them in esteem as they did to the Ka`ba.

These places of worship had their own clergy and caretakers, and offerings to them were made.