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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books A Study of Polytheism and Idolatry in the Qur’an Chapter 2: Polytheistic Beliefs with respect to Idols A very important discussion that needs to be treated is whether idolaters believed that their idols were longitudinal to God, that is, dependent on God or whether they conceived them as latitudinal to God, that is to say, they were rivals of God.

In order to explain this issue, it ought to be said that two kinds of polytheistic beliefs are conceivable: The first kind is that idolaters believed that the One God ruled over the whole cosmos and there was no other god save the One God, and idols were only intermediaries of grace and holy creatures through whom Allah delivered His graces to other creatures.

The second kind is that idolaters believed that idols were latitudinal to Allah and were equal to Him, and that their dominion and power was independent of Allah. They conceived that idols had the power to harm and reward, and they possessed lordship and governorship over the cosmos, equal to the power and governorship of Allah. In other words, Allah was one of the many gods; for instance, the first god was Allah, the second one was Hubal, the third one was Lāt, the fourth one was ‘Uzzā, etc.

Of course, it is clear that a true monotheist would never hold such beliefs. A true monotheist believes that Allah is essentially One; none is the creator and governor of the world save Allah, who is infinite and rules over the whole cosmos. After positive clarification of the discussion that two kinds of polytheistic beliefs are conceivable, we have to examine which one of the two conceivable beliefs is supported by proof, the belief that idols are latitudinal or longitudinal to Allah?

Equating idols with Allah Our assertion is that rational proofs and Qur’anic verses bespeak that idolaters used to conceive idols as being latitudinal to Allah. We will present a number of proofs in this regard: The first proof: polytheists’ avowal of equality on the Day of Resurrection First verse: “And they shall be told: ‘Where is that which you used to worship besides Allah?

Do they help you, or do they help each other?’ Then they will be cast into it on their faces—they and the perverse, and the hosts of Iblīs, all together. They will say, as they wrangle in it [together], ‘By Allah, we had indeed been in manifest error, when we equated you with the Lord of all worlds! And no one led us astray except the guilty.