M a t was the idol of the tribe of Thakif who dwelt at Tayef and
had a temple confecrated to her in a place called Nakhlahf This idol
al Mogheirah deftroyed by Mohammed’s order, who fent him and Abu
Sofidn on that commiffion in the ninth year of the Hejra \ The inhabitants
of 'Tayef, efpecially the women, bitterly lamented the lofs
of this their deity, which they were fo fond of, that they begged
o f Mohammed as a condition of peace, that it might not be deftroyed
for three years, and not obtaining that, allied only a month s relpite ;
but he abfolutely denied it There are feveral derivations of this
word which the curious may learn from Dr. Pocock♦ : it feems moll;
probably to be derived from the fame root with Allah, to which it
may be a feminine, and will then lignify the goddefs.
A l Uzza, as fome affirm, was the idol of the tribes of Koreiß and
Kenanah?, and part of the tribe of Salim6-, others7 tell us it was a
tree called the Egyptian thorn, or Acacia, worlhipped by the tribe of
Ghatfdn, firft confecrated by one Dhalem, who built a chappel over
it, called Bofs, fo contrived as to give a found when any perfon entred.
Khaled Ebn Walid being fent by Mohammed in the eighth year of the'
Hejra to deftroy this idol, demoliffied the chappel, and cutting down this
tree or image, burnt it: he alio flew the prieftels, who ran out with her
hair dilhevelled, and her hands on her head as a fuppliant.Tet the author
who relates this, in another place fays, -the chappel was pulled
down, and Dhalem himfelf killed by one Zöhair, • becaufe he conle-
crated this chappel with defign to draw the pilgrims thither from
Mecca, and leffen the reputation of the Caaba. The name of this deity
is derived from the root azza, and fignifies the mofl mighty.
Manah was the objeft of worffiip of the tribes of Hodhail and
Khozdah8, who dwelt between Mecca and Medina, and, as fome fays,
of the tribes of Aws, Khazraj, and Thakif alfo. This idol was a
large ftone ,0, demoliffied by one Saad in the eighth year of the Hejra,
a year fo fatal to the idols of Arabia. The name feems derived
from mana to flow, from the flowing of the blood of the vidtims
facrificed to the deity; whence the valley of Mina " near Mecca had
1 The word Nakklah fignifying alfo a palm-tree, Dr. Pocock tranflates a paffage of Abulfaragius,
which mentions this temple, thus; Thaluf worjbipped a chappel on .the top of a palm- tree, called Allst.
And he may pollibly be in the right. V. Abulfaragv p. 160. 2 Dr, Ptideaux mentions
this expedition, but names only Abu Sofidn, and miftaking the name of the idol for an appellative,
fuppofes he went only to difarm the Payefians of their weapons and inftruments of war. See his life
of Mahomet, p. 98. 3 Abulfeda, Vit. Moham. p. 127. 4 Spec. p. 90. ’ Al Jauhan, apud
eund.pl 91. 6 ' Al Shahreftani. ib, 7 "AI Firauzabädi. ib, s Al Jauhari. 9 Al Shahreitarii,
Abulfeda. &c. 10 AI Beidäwi. al Zamakhfhari. , !I Poc. Spec. 91. &c.
alfo
alfo its name, where the pilgrims at this day flay their facrifices '.
Before we proceed to the other idols, let us take notice of five more,
which with the former three are all iheKordn mentions by name, and they
are Wadd, Sawd, Taghûth, Tdûk, and Nafr. Thefe are faid to have been
antediluvian idols, which Noah preached againff, and were afterwards
taken by the Arabs for gods, having been men of great merit and piety in
their time, whofe ftatues they reverenced at firft with a civil honour only,
which in procefs of time became heightened to a divine worffiipl *.
Wadd was fuppofed to be the heaven, and was worffiipped under the
form o f a man by the tribe of Calb in Daumat al JandaD.
Sawd was adored under the ffiape of a woman by the tribe of Ha-
madan, or, as others4 write, of Hodhail in Rohat. This idol lying
under water for fome time after the deluge, was at length, it is faid,
difcovered by the devil, and was worffiipped by thofe of Hodhail, who
inftituted pilgrimages to i t r.
Taghûth was an idol in the ffiape of a lion, and was the deity of
the tribe of Madhaj and others who dwelt in Taman6. Its name
feems to be derived from ghatha, which fignifies to help.
Tdûk was worffiipped by the tribe of Mordd, or according to
others, by that of Hamadan 7 under the figure of a horfe. It
is faid he was a man of great piety, and his death much regretted ;
whereupon the devil appeared to his friends in a human form, and
undertaking to reprefent him to the life, perfuaded them, by way of
comfort, to place his effigies in their temples, that they might have
it in view when at their devotions. This was done, and feven others
o f extraordinary merit had the fame honours ffiewn them, till at
length their pofterity made idols of them in earneds. The name
Tdûk probably comes from the verb dka to prevent or avert9.
Nafr was a Deity adored by the tribe of Ilamyar, or at Dhû’lKhalaah
in their territories, under the image of an eagle, which the name fignifies.
There are, or were, two ftatues at Bamiydn, a city of Cabul in the
Indies, 50 cubits high, which fome writers fuppofe to be the fame
with Taghûth and Tdûk, or elfe with Manah and Allât ; and they alfo
fpeak of a third ftanding near the others, but fomething lefs, in the
ffiape of an old woman, called Nefrem or Nefr. Thefe ftatues were
hollow within for the fecret giving of oracles -10 ; but they feem to have
been different from the Arabian idols. There was alfo an idol at SÛ-
menat in the Indies, called Lât or al Ldt, whofe ftatue was 50 fathoms
1 Poc. Spec. 91. See. 2 Koran, c.71. Comment. Perfic. V.Hydc de rel. vet. Perf. p. 133. 3 Al
Jauhari. al Shahreftani. 4 Idem, al Firauzabadi, & Safio’ddin. 3 Al Firauzab. 6 Shahre-
Üani. 7 A l Jauhari. 8 Al Firauzabad. 9 Poc. Spec. 93. 40 Sec Hyde de rel. vet. Perf. p. 132.
d 2 high,