It may be because of these things that in the story of Noah...

It may be because of these things that in the story of Noah and his deliverance by the Ark, the Qur’an says: “…we made it a sign for all peoples.” [^2] (In the singular form), and here it says: “Signs” (in the plural form.) Surah Al-‘Ankabut - Verse 25 وَقَالَ إِنَّمَا اتَّخَذْتُم مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْثَاناً مَّوَدَّةَ بَيْنِكُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا ثُمَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكْفُرُ بَعْضُكُم بِبَعْضٍ وَيَلْعَنُ بَعْضُكُم بَعْضاً وَمَأْوَاكُمُ النَّارُ وَمَا لَكُم مِن نَّاصِرِينَ 25.

“And said (Abraham): ‘You have chosen only idols instead of Allah; the love between you is only the life of the world.

Then on the Day of Resurrection some of you shall deny the others, and some of you shall curse the others and your abode shall be the (Hell) Fire, and for you shall not be any helpers.” Among the idolater tribes the idols were the axis and every tribe had a particular idol; for example, Quraysh had an idol called ‘Uzza, Thaqif had an idol called Lat, the idol of tribes ’Aus and Khazraj was called Manat, and these idols were the means of the link of idolaters with their ancestors.

However, by the grace of Allah, Abraham (as) delivered extraordinarily from that great fire, but he only did not desist from stating his aims but also strengthened it with more speed and enthusiasm. The verse says: “And said (Abraham): ‘You have chosen only idols instead of Allah; the love between you is only the life of the world.

Then on the Day of Resurrection some of you shall deny the others, and some of you shall curse the others and your abode shall be the (Hell) Fire, and for you shall not be any helpers.” How was the choice of idols as the cause of love between the idolaters? This question can be answered in different ways: The first is that worshipping an idol in every tribe was the secret of unity between them and for every tribe there was a chosen idol.

It has been cited about the famous idols of the Age of Ignorance that the people of every city or tribe had an idol, (including the idol of (‘Uzza belonged to Quraysh, Lat belonged to Thaqif tribe and Manat was particular to ’Aus and Khazraj).[^3] Another matter was that worshipping idols had created a relation between them and their ancestors and they often pretended by the same pretext that those things were the traces of their ancestors which they followed.

Besides, the chiefs of the pagans invited their followers to worship idols and this was a ring of join between ‘the chiefs’ and their ‘followers’.

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