Life of Prophet Muhammad PBUH : The Beginning (Idol worship in Kaaba)

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

In the name of Allah the most beneficent, the most merciful.

Dear Brothers & Sisters, 

"السلام عليكم ورحمتہ اللہ وبرکاتہ"Assalamu Alaikum 

(May the blessings of Almighty and peace be upon you) 

The Beginning (Urdu)

مکّے والوں میں بَیتُ اللہ شَریف کے اِنتِظامَات کی بَہت زِیادَہ اَہمِیّت تِھی۔ بیتُ اللہ کے انتِظامات کو ’’تَولیتِ کَعبہ‘‘ کہتے ہیں۔ جو خاندان کَعبے کا مُتوَلّی ہوتا تھا اُسی کے پَاس کَعبے کی چابِیاں رَہتی تِھیں۔ حَضرَت اِسماعِیل علَیہ السّلام کی اَولاد میں اَکثر لوگ ایک خُدا کو مَانتے تھے اور اُسی آسمانی دِین پَر چَلتے تھے جِسے حَضرَت اسماعِیل عَلیہ السّلام لےکر آئے تھے۔ لَیکِن پِھر وُقت گزرنے کے سَاتھ اُس دین میں نئی نئی بَاتیں بڑھنے لَگیں۔ بیتُ اللہ شَریف کے قَریب جو پتّھر لَگے ہوئے تھے لوگ کعبہ کی وَجہ سے اُن کی بِھی عِزّت کرتے تھے۔ آہِستہ آہِستَہ یہ عزّت اِتنی بَڑھی کہ وہ اُن میں سے ایک دو پتّھر اپنے ساتھ رَکھنے لَگے اور بَنی اِسماعِیل جو حَضرَت اسماعِیل علَیہ السّلام کی نَسل کے جو لوگ دوسرے شَہروں میں رَہتے تھے وہ سب اُن میں سے ایک ایک پتّھر اپنے ساتھ لے گئے اور اُن کی بِھی انتی ہی عزّت کرنے لَگے جِتنی بیتُ اللہ اور حجرِ اَسود کی کرتے تھے (حَجرِ اسوَد وہ کالا پَتّھر ہے جِسے حَضرَت اِبراہِیم عَلَیہ السّلام نے کَعبہ کی دِیوَار میں لَگایا تَھا) پِھر اُن کی اَولاد نے اُن پتّھروں کی عِزّت اَپنے باپ دادا سے بِھی زِیادَہ کرنی شُروع کردی۔ یَہاں تَک کہ وہ مکّے آکر کَعبہ کا طَوَاف کرنے کے بجَائے اُن ہی پتّھروں کے گِرد گھومنے لَگے۔ ہوتے ہوتے یہ عزّت اِتنی بَڑھی کہ عَرَب والوں نے اُن ہی پتّھروں کو پوجْنا اور اُن سے دُعائیں مَانگنَا شُروع کَردِیا۔ اُنہوں نے اُن پتّھروں کو گھڑ کر طَرح طَرح کی تَصوِیریں بَنالیں۔ اِس طَرح عَرَب میں پِھر بُت پَرَستی شُروع ہوگَئی اَور لوگ حَضرت اِبراہیم عَلَیہ السّلام اور حَضرَت اسماعِیل عَلیہ السّلام کے دِین کو بُھلا بَیٹھے۔

مَگر مکّے میں اَبھی تَک کوئی بُت نَہیں آیا تھا یَہاں جِس شَخص نے بُت پَرَستی پھیلائی وہ عَمَرو ابن لُحئی تَھا۔ عَمَرو اپنے زمَانے میں مکّے کا سَردار تھا۔ یہ ایک دَفعہ اَپنا عِلاج کَروانے شَام گَیا جَہاں اُس نے دیکھا کہ لوگ پَتّھروں کی تَصوِیروں کو پُوجتے ہیں۔ عَمَرو کو یہ طَریقہ بہت پَسَند آیا اور یہ وَہاں سے ایک بُت مانگ کر مکّے لے آیا اور اُسے بَیتُ اللہ میں رَکھ دِیا اُس بُت کا نام ’’ہُبُل‘‘ تھا۔ پِھر عَمَرو جِدّہ جَاکر وَہاں سے بِھی کُچھ بُت اُٹھا لایا اور لوگوں سے کہنے لَگا کہ وہ اُن کی پُوجا کِیا کریں۔ مکّے میں ہَر سَال عَرب کے لوگ حَج کرنے آیَا کرتے تھے اِس لیے جَلد ہی اُن بُتوں کی شُہرت ہوگئی اور لوگ اُن سے مَنّتیں ماننے لَگے۔

عَرَب میں سیکڑوں قَبیلے تھے۔ چُنانچہ اَب ہَر قَبیلے نے اَپنا اَلَگ اَلَگ بُت بَنا لِیا تَھا جو قَبیلے مَشہُور اور بَڑے تھے اُن کے بُت بھی مَشہور اور بَڑے تھے۔ مکّہ کا سب سے بَڑا قَبیلہ ’’قُریش‘‘ تَھا اُن کے بُت ہُبُل اور عُزیٰ تھے۔ دوسرا طائف کا قَبیلہ ’’ثَقِیف‘‘ تھا اُس کے بُت کا نَام ’’لَات‘‘ تَھا اُن کے عَلاوہ دوسرے مَشہور بُت ’’اِساف‘‘ اور ’’نائلہ‘‘ اور ’’منات‘‘ تھے۔ اِس طرح اَب خُدا تَعالیٰ کا وہ پَاک گَھر بُتوں کا اَڈّا بَن چُکا تَھا۔

اسی طرح۔۔۔ (مضمون جاری ہے)

The Beginning (Idol worship in Kaaba)

Hazrat Ismail (A.S) for a hundred years spread the word of Allah (swt), his family members who were settled in Makkah and other places elsewhere at Palestine, Iraq, Syria also spread the word of Allah (swt). The charisma of Kaaba spread all over the places. As many tribes started to settle down in Makkah, and every year large number of people visited Kaaba to perform Haj, the Makkan people after due discussion and agreement, appointed a chieftain to look after the affairs of Kaaba, the Chief was called as “Tawaliyat e Kaaba”, initially children of Hazrat Ismail (A.S) were the chief of Kabaa, later on the leadership changed to people of other tribes also. The chief of Kaaba was responsible for the welfare of the people visiting Kaaba, to look after their requirements such as food, water and shelter, the chief was also responsible for the maintenance of Kaaba. It is the chieftain who use to have the Keys of Kaaba.

Centuries passed on, people started to introduce new ideas and the word of Allah (swt) spread by Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) and Hazrat Ismail (A.S) started to diminish. From generations to generations, the high esteem people held towards Kaaba changed to worshipping Kaaba itself. People regarded every stone of Kabaa auspicious, this new thought and practise gained momentum, eventually, people started to take few stones of Kabaa and kept with them and regarded them as if the Kabaa is with them. This practice slowly led the people to start worshipping the stones of Kaaba. Until now there were no idols in Kaaba, the man who spread idol worship in Makkah was “Amru Ibn e Luhai”. Amr Ibn e Luhai was the then chief of Kabaa, when he was sick, he journeyed to Syria for treatment, there he found people are worshipping idols and pictures. 

Amr Ibn e Luhai was fascinated by this method of worship that he brought one of the idols  from there and kept at Makkah, he named the idol as ‘Hubul’ he proclaimed to the  people of Makkah, that this idol is the small god and from him we will seek whatever we want, he in turn, (this idol, small god) will ask the eternal God to help us as one cannot directly ask the God. Later he journeyed Jeddah and brought some more idols from there and kept at Kaaba. As every year the people of Arab used to visit Kaaba to perform Haj, the fame of idol worship started to grew in multitude, now every tribe had one idol kept in Kaaba in their name, the largest of the tribe was ‘Quraish Tribe” they had their idol named “Hubul and Uzza”, then the second largest tribe was from Taaif the "Saqeef Tribe", they had their idol named “Laat”. There were many idols, kept inside Kaaba one for each tribe, of these idols, the most famous of them were “Isaaf, Nayila and Manaat”. The holy house of Allah (swt) had now become the hub of idols, where people started worshipping idols.

Continued…...

What we learnt / Guidance:

(1) The plot of distracting humans from the path of righteousness has always been the only mission of Iblis (Satan), there are innumerable accounts of Iblis as such. If we take into  account the people of Hazrat Sheesh (A.S), (son of Hazrat Aadam (A.S)) Iblis introduced to them, music and adultery, for which Hazrat Sheesh (A.S) waged war with these people so as to bring them to the path of righteousness. After Hazrat Sheesh (A.S) the righteous people who lived in those times were regarded with high esteem and people always remembered them after their demise by telling their stories to their children. Iblis (Satan) suggested the people of later generations to have pictures of their ancestors so they can be happy by seeing their ancestors, the people of Hazrat Sheesh (A.S) didn’t knew the art of drawing or carving a sculpture, Iblis (Satan) was the first one who drew the picture of their ancestors, they kept the pictures in their houses and regraded them with high esteem as they were the true followers of Islam. As generations passed on, people started to think that the pictures are the real ones whom our ancestors worshipped, hence the worshipping of pictures and idols started. Likewise, innumerable accounts of Hazrat Nooh (A.S) (Hazrat Noah PBUH), Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) (Hazrat Abraham PBUH), Hazrat Musa (A.S) (Hazrat Moses PBUH), have been recorded, wherein all the prophets of Allah (swt) mentioned above, have rejected idol worship. This, bring us to the conclusion that one has to have insight and seek knowledge by reading the scriptures and understanding the word of Allah (swt) before getting astray. For Allah (swt) has verily said “we have shown them signs (of existence of Allah) everywhere, those who follow the path of righteousness are the ones who are rewarded in the hereafter”. 

(2) It is also learnt from above, that the practise of seeking guidance from a pious person “the Auliya Allah” (friend of Allah) after his death, considering the fact that we seek from them and in turn they seek from Allah (swt) as we cannot directly ask Allah (swt) would serve no purpose. This concept of seeking guidance is again a plot form Iblis to lead the people into the path of astray. One has to seek only from Allah (swt) for any requirements and always seek refuge in Allah (swt).