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Hisham al-Kalbi, the author, of Kitab al-Asnam (The Book of Idols), writes about these three daughters of Allah:

Allat: She stood in al-Taif. She was more recent than Manah. She was a cubic rock. ‘Attab ibn Malik of the Thaqif was her keeper. They built an edifice over her. The Quraysh and all Arabs used to worship her and name their children after her. She stood on the left side of the present mosque at Taif. Verse 53:19 mentions her. Mughirah ibn Shu’bab destroyed her and burnt her temple to the ground.

Ibnâ€'Hajar, swearing by Allah said, “By Allat and ‘Uzza and those who in them believe, and by Allah verily He is greater than both” (ibn alâ€"Kalbi, 1952, p. 15).

Uzza: Uzza is more recent than Allat or Manah. The Arabs named their children after her.

Zilim ibn As’ad introduced alâ€"Uzza. She was situated in a valley in Nakhlat called Huradâ€"to the right of the road from Mecca to al-Iraq, above Dhat-Irq. Zilim built a house over her calling it Buss. People received divine messages there. Children were namedâ€"Abd-al-Uzza. She was the greatest among the Quraysh. They used to seek her favors through sacrifice. Muhammad had offered a sacrifice, a white sheep to al-Uzza. The Quraysh circumambulated Ka’ba saying: 

    By Allat and al-Uzza,
    And Manah, the third idol besides
    Verily they are the most exalted females
    Whose intercession is sought.

These verses were abrogated and replaced by verses 53:19â€"20 and 17:75â€"76.
Allat, al-Uzza and Manah were called the daughters of Allah.


Manah (alternative spelling of Manat): It was the most ancient idol. The Arabs named their children after it. She was at Qudayd, between Medina and Mecca . They used to sacrifice before herâ€"particularly Aws and Khazraj as well as the inhabitants of Medina and Mecca . At the end of pilgrimage, when about to return home, people would set out to the place of Manah, shave their heads and stay there for a while. The pilgrimage was not complete until they visited Manah.

Manah is mentioned in 53:20. She was the goddess of the Hudhayl and the Khuza’ah. Ali demolished her, took all her treasures and took them to Muhammadâ€"two swordsâ€"presented to Manah by al-Harith ibn Abi-Shamir al-Ghaassan, the king of Ghassan. These swords were called Mikhdam and Rasub. Muhammad gave these two swords to Ali. Dhu-al-Faqr was one of these swords. It was the sword of Ali. However, another version of this destruction story says that Ali found these two swords in the temple of al-Fals, the idol of Tayyi (ibn al-Kalbi, 1952, pp. 13â€"14).

We might wonder: these verses have nothing to do with Allat, Uzza or Manat. How could they be called satanic verses? The answer to this enigma is that these are the latest verses which Muhammad had implanted in the Qur’an after Allah rebuked him for being under the influence of Satan. Muhammad duly complied with Allah’s instruction. He replaced the original verses with these new verses. So what were the original verses?â€"we might be curious to know.

According to William Montgomery Watt, one of the most distinguished writers of Muhammad’s biography and Islamic history, the original verses of 15:19â€'23 ran thus (Watt, 1999, p.21; also see ibn Ishaq, 2001, pp. 165â€'166):

    Have you considered Allat and al-‘Uzza
    And Manat, the third, the other?
    Those are the swans exalted;
    Their intercession is expected;
    Their likes are not neglected.]

The daughters of Allah.




We read that the moon Allah was a male deity. Did this Allah have a wife or a female partner?

This question will infuriate many diehard believers of Islam. But historical evidences, especially epigraphical proof is too compelling to reject. From the cuneiform writings of the Sumerian (of Babylon ), it stands out that Allah did have a consort (a wife, perhaps) and her name was Lilith. The conjecture is that Allat was the product of union of Allah and Lilith. Allat resembled Lilith, her mother, who is depicted in the Sumerian epigraphs with two huge breasts and a gigantic vulva. Phillip Hitti, in his authoritative book, History of the Arabs shows the image of Allat in a bronze coin of the Nabateans (Hitti, 2002, p. 86). This image of Allat has the striking resemblance of the goddess Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning. It is also possible that the other two daughters of Allah; namely; Uzza and Manat were from Lilith, or possibly from other concubines of Allah. These goddesses are referred to in the Qur’an as the daughters (Satanic verses, 53:19â€'20) of Allah. When Muhammad was utterly disappointed with the meager success of his mission, he sought reconciliation with the Pagan Quraysh. He extolled these three daughters of Allah and wanted their exalted blessing. However, Muhammad was quick to recognize his folly and claimed that all Prophets, at times, were inspired by the Satan. Then he cancelled those verses from the Qur’an. Those verses were 15:19â€'23. Let us read the verses, as they are currently in the Qur’an:

         015.019

QuoteYUSUFALI: And the earth We have spread out (like a carpet); set thereon mountains firm and immovable; and produced therein all kinds of things in due balance.
015.020
YUSUFALI: And We have provided therein means of subsistence,- for you and for those for whose sustenance ye are not responsible.
015.021
YUSUFALI: And there is not a thing but its (sources and) treasures (inexhaustible) are with Us; but We only send down thereof in due and ascertainable measures.
015.022
YUSUFALI: And We send the fecundating winds, then cause the rain to descend from the sky, therewith providing you with water (in abundance), though ye are not the guardians of its stores.
015.023
YUSUFALI: And verily, it is We Who give life, and Who give death: it is We Who remain inheritors (after all else passes away).

Thus Mecca pilgrimage-tourism was a great source of income (Ibid, p. 64). In the beginning, the Meccan Pagans did not want to disrupt severely their flourishing tourism’s attractiveness by creating anarchy with Muhammad’s followers. Despite Muhammad’s harangues and tirades they left him alone. Even the eminent historian al-Tabari admits that Muhammad had very little sufferings from the Meccan Pagans. According to Tabari, Muhammad’s followers were largely young men, some of whom were sons and younger brothers of the leading merchants. Muhammad had very little suffering in the hands of the Quraysh, apart from little annoyance. Abu Talib’s (Muhammad’s uncle) protection had saved Muhammad from personal harassment (Tabari, 1988, p. 6.43).

The main reason for the opposition of Muhammad was the requirement of generosity which would diminish the profit of the greedy Meccan merchants. These merchants also felt that Muhammad was probably threatening their political control of the Meccan affairs. The Quraysh were not particularly hostile to Muhammad until he mentioned their idols. In particular, the rejection of Allat, one of the daughters of Allah, affected the business of Taif merchants (Ibid, pp. 6.42, 43).

 Clearly, the Meccan Pagans were very familiar with their moon Allah (read more on this below). They were so used to their moon Allah that they practiced to divide their offerings of crops to Allah and other idols, like: Ammanas in the Khaulan country (6.136) (ibn Ishaq, 2001, p. 37). It was a customary religious system for the Pagan Arabs that they had practiced for generations. Then Muhammad started preaching, exhorting the Meccan Quraysh to worship Allah only (kind of only Allah’s monotheism). Muhammad had now his own version of Allah, which the Pagan Arabs found very confusing and distressing. He started admonishing them for sharing their crop with other deities besides Allah, Muhammad’s variety of Allah, to be specific. But the Meccan Quraysh were tolerant. They let Muhammad preach whatever he wished. The trouble came when Muhammad wanted to hit the Quraysh’s principal source of revenue, the pilgrimage and the tourism which were closely connected with the visit of their pantheon of many gods and goddesses. The Meccan Pagans even had the images of Abraham, Jesus and Maryâ€"just to attract Christian and Jewish tourists. During Muhammad’s time, according to Phillip Hitti, the eminent Arab historian, Mecca had a colony of Abyssinian Christians (Hitti, 2002, p. 106).

 Why Muhammad had a profound dislike for the sun Allah, Baal? The answer is quite simple. The sun is the principal source of an agricultural society. Therefore, it is natural that an agricultural society will adopt the sun Allah, Baal as its principal deity. That was why, Egypt , an agrarian society adopted Baal. Muhammad, who belonged to a pastoral society, was not interested in agriculture (more on this later)â€"so, why should he bother about Baal? Thus, Baal, the sun Allah was not that popular in Muhammad’s Arabia .

 The Bedouin Arabs’ primary concern was with the moon Allah, their supreme deity and His daughters, Allat, Uzza and Manat. As explicated before, the moon is the central religious theme in a pastoral society. The illiterate, halfâ€"starved and ill-informed Bedouin Arabs associated the moon with strength, vitality, force, power and everything to do with masculinity. As such, the moon (and Allah) was really a male God; there should be very little doubt on this (you will read more on this later). So, how about the sun? Had the sun any position as god in the Pagan society? The answer is yes. The Bedouins also worshipped a sun god. Its name was Baal. Curiously, the Syrians and the Phoenicians also worshipped Baalâ€"Lord, an idol. It is believed that Baal was worshipped in the days of Prophet Elisha (Hughes, 1004, p. 35). The Egyptians adopted Baal as their Lord (or sun Allah). Baal (see Baal here) was represented as a man with pointed beard and with horned helmet. He was a god of war, sky, storm, fertility and good harvest. In Qur’an we find the mention of Baal when Prophet Elias admonished his people for worshipping Baal (the sun Allah), instead of the moon Allah, the best of creators (37:125). A contradictory version of the sun god is that the sun was a goddess, called Shams (Rodinson, 2002, p. 23). Oddly, there is a sura in the Qur’an (sura 91, a Meccan sura) whose title is Shams or the Sun. Muhammad clearly preferred Shams to Baal, the Egyptian sun god. Not surprisingly though, there is also a sura in the Qur’an titled Qamar or the moon (sura 54, a Meccan sura).

According to Arab historians, Petra (north Arabia, close to Syria , the home of the Nabateans), had a kind of Ka’ba with Dushara (Dusares), worshipped under the form of a black rectangular stone, at the head of the pantheon (Hitti, 2002, p. 72).

This very short history of Allah is not complete without Jehovah (Yahwa), the Allah of Moses (read the description of Jehovah depicted in a German coin). Islam claims Moses worshipped the same Allah as the Muslims. If the Qur’an is true then simple logic says: Jehovah = Allah.

As per historical records, Jehovah was a desert Allah, simple and austere. His abode was a tent (Hitti, 2002, p. 40). Although the Jews admit that Jehovah is their Lord, the Hebrew Allah, they avoid every mention of it. Jehovah also means: “The great and terrible”, and that is the reason why the Jews refrain from mentioning the name Jehovah (Hughes, 1994, p. 226). Instead, Rabbâ€"Lord, stands in the relative position of the Jehovah (Ibid, p. 141). So, as far as the Qur’an goes, if Jehovah is Allah then He must be the terrible Allah of the Jews.

As for the Jewish Rabb, Muhammad had his version too: his Allah is also known as ar-Rabâ€"the Lord, the Sustainer, the Supreme: ‘Allah is my Lord and your Lord (3:51)’; ‘Our Lord (Rabb) is the Lord (Rabb) of the heavens and the earth (18:14); occupies the place of Hebrew Jehovah (Hughes, 1994, p. 531).

Besides Allah and other Gods, the Nabateans also worshipped two other gods (probably lesser to Allah), namely; ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim. Both ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim were devoutly worshipped together in conjunction with honor and prestige. The Qur’an, surprisingly, retains the names of these two Pagan deities, though claiming that these two names belong to Allah. The very first sura of the Qur’an (sura Fatiha) mentions these two names, just during the beginning. Furthermore, sura 19 (sura Maryam) is dominated by the names of these two deities.

According to Professor Hitti, the Pagan Nabateans of north Arabia first introduced ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim probably from southern Syria . Later these two names of Pagan gods found their place in the pantheons of South Arabian temples (Hitti, 2002, p. 105). Muhammad’s competitor, Maslama (or Musaylima) preached in the name of ar-Rahman, the south Arabian Allah (Rodinson, 2002, p. 67, 119). This could probably be the reason why Muhammad, later abandoned ar-Rahman and adopted the Allah of the Meccan Pagans as his only God.

Another name of Allah was Waddâ€"the moon god which stood at the head of the Minaean Pantheon. Allat, Uzza and Manat were the three daughters of Allah for this Wadd (Hitti, 2002, pp. 97â€"98).


An additional version of Allah came from Hadramawt in south Arabia . There, Allah was known as Sin, the moon god. A famous south Arabian ancient city was Saba, where the queen of Saba or queen Bilqis ruled. The Sabaeans also worshipped Allah. People there called Allah as Almaqah (Hitti, 2002, p. 60). In the Qur’an we find the reference of queen of Saba in sura 27 (sura an-Naml), where this ancient biblical city is called Sheba and the queen Bilqis is referred simply as queen Sheba . Sabaean religion was based on planetary astral system in which the cult of the moon was prevalent. Invariably, the Sabaeans worshipped Allah as a moon God. However, unlike the Pagan Arabs, they had no clear picture of their Allah and thought Him to be a shapeless, male deity of supreme power. On this deity, Benjamin walker writes:

QuoteA shadowy ineffable deity, Allah was not represented by any image, nor did he enjoy popular cult adoration, as did the lesser gods and goddesses. To distinguish him from the other gods, he was given the title of Allah Taala, ‘God Most High’ (Walker, 2004, p. 42).

In his youth Muhammad helped with the ritualistic preparations being ardently made for the ceremonial installation of Hubal in Ka’ba (Walker, 2004, p. 42). Muhammad’s biographer, Martin Lings, a Catholic convert to Islam, agrees that Hubal was from Syria (Lings, 1983, p. 5, 11). Arab Historians believe that the mighty Hubal was actually an ancient variation of Allah (Walker, 2004, p. 31). The word (Hubal) is derived from the Semitic word Hu, which means ‘He’ or ‘He is’ with the suffix El, which, of course, is another name for Allah. The deified name of Hubal was ceremoniously invoked by the Quraysh during war cry (ibid). Gradually, the concept of Allah, the God spread all around Arabia . An inscription found in south Arabia bears the name of Allah. Allah is Hallah in the Safa inscription. This was five centuries before Islam. The Arabs used to invoke Allah during times of special peril. This all-powerful Allah gradually became the supreme tribal deity of the Quraysh. Even the holy Qur’an confirms this in verses 6:109, 6:136, 10:22, 31:22,and 31:29 (Hitti, 2002, pp. 100â€"101). Other names by which Allah was known are: the Babylonian and Assyrian Ilu, the Canaanite El, the Hebrew Elohim and Ilah of central Arabia (Walker, 2004, p. 420).

Historians believe that the Arabian Allah originated in Syria . The Aramaeans inhabited Syria around 1300 BC. These Syrians used to worship passionately a few deities, the principal among them were the storm-god Hadad; the sky-god Alaha and the goddess Athargatis. The Syrians probably got Allah (in some form of image) from the Sumer in the ancient city of Babylon. According to many historians, Alaha is the Syrian name of Allah (Walker, 2004, p. 20). To them, Allah was a male God, the supreme God, who had three daughters, Allat, Uzza and Manat. The Nabateans, the first-born son of Ismail around Sinai Peninsula, were the first to bring Allah to Arabia from Syria (Walker, 2004, p. 22) The Nabateans probably worshipped Allah in other names as well, such as: Elh and Alh (ibid). Besides Allah, the Nabateans also brought from Syria Hubal, a huge male idol. This Hubal was later placed in the precinct of Ka’ba. Hubal was the greatest of all idols in and around Ka’ba. The massive statue of Hubal was made of red agnate in the form of a man with right hand broken off. The Quraysh received Hubal in this form from Khuzaymah ibn Mudrikah, a Meccan who brought it from Syria . Later, the Quraysh made for it a hand of gold. Hubal stood in front of Ka’ba. The Pagan Quraysh considered Ka’ba for Hubal only (Rodinson, 2002, p. 54). They used divination arrows to determine the legitimacy of a newly born child (ibn al-Kalbi, 1952, p. 23). Many historians believe that Hubal was the physical representation of Allah at Ka’ba.

 Even today, we find that this obsession with the Arab Bedouin moon is strongly prevalent in Islam. Islam is intimately connected with the moon. All its rituals are based on the sighting of the moon or on the moon calendar. No matter how much Islam advocates that it shuns idolatry or Paganism, it has not shed off its past connection with Paganism and idolatry. The truth is: Islam is still symbolised with the moon, especially the crescent shape. Look at the spires of any mosques; you are bound to witness a dazzling crescent moon, sometimes along with a star as well. Later, I shall provide the historical reason why the star is also a symbol of Islam. To explicate further, look at the symbol of Red Cross in Islamic Paradises. It is, of course, a crescentâ€'the symbol of Islam, which was the ubiquitous emblem of the moon god of the Arab Pagans. Even the flags of many Islamic countries show either the crescent moon and star together, or the crescent moon alone. Have a look at the national flags of a few Islamic states, such as: Algeria, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan (shows the full moon), Malaysia, Mauritania, Brunei, Turkey…etc. As for idolatry and stone-worshipping, please remember that the holiest object in Islam is the stone of Ka’ba. This stone (or stonesâ€"presumably three broken pieces of rocks, as reported by many historians) was also the stone of worship by the Pagan Arabs. Even Muhammad kissed and hugged it in his chest with deep reverence, Caliph Umar did the same and the Muslims are supposed to do this at least once in their life times.

 To them, the moon was their life-sustainer. They based their primitive calendar on the movement of the moon; their religious and communal ceremonies were all arranged according to the moon’s position and phases. No wonder, that those desert Arabs considered moon as their highest deityâ€"Allah Taalaaâ€"the supreme God. Professor of Arab History, the late, Phillip K. Hitti, writes that the moon-worshipping is principally a pastoral society and the sun-worshiping is chiefly an agricultural society (Hitti, 2002, p. 97). To the Arab Bedouin folks, moon was an absolute holy entity to be worshipped and revered with utmost zeal. After Muhammad forced, at the point of sword, Islam on these desert Arab indigents, these neo-Muslim Bedouins still continued with the practice of their ageâ€"old belief that their life was regulated by the moon.

When we study Allah seriously, the important feature to learn is that Allah has quite a fascinating history. In ancient Arabia , during biblical time, many millenniums before Muhammad was born, Allah was worshipped by the desert Bedouins of Arabia. The ancient Arabs associated Allah with the moon which shone clearly in the night sky of the vast and wild desert for most of the year. The reason why Allah was treated as a moon god is not difficult to understand. The Bedouin Arabs had a nomadic life. Living in a harsh, barren, desertâ€"land, devoid of any perennial river for irrigation and incapable of sustaining an agricultural society, the Bedouin Arabs belonged to a pastoral society. They were half-starved anarchic tribes (Rodinson, 2002, p. 17). Their meagre livelihood grossly depended on grazing and tending cattle, conducting frequent raids and plunder on other tribes or on the passing caravans. Rodinson writes that the unruly Arabs vendetta is the pillar of Bedouin society (Rodinson, 2002, p. 14). The Bedouins during those days also had a life of unceasing cycles of plunder and revenge. Day-time travel was nearly impossible due to the unbearable heat of the sun. Most journeys were undertaken at night, on moonlight and beneath a sky bedecked with glittering stars. They marvelled at the exquisitely beautiful night sky with the moon at its centre of beauty. To them the emergence of the graceful moon was the appearance of the king of the night sky. That is why those indigent Bedouin Arabs were so intimately connected with the moon and its phases. Their lives were literally governed by the moon.

Do you know about the true history of ALLAH?

Quote from: Lorenzo on September 21, 2013, 03:59:35 PM

Kissing the remnant of the representation of UBAL, the chief god of pre-islamic arabia.

The black stone was an altar piece to UBAL.

Its funny how some of my muslim colleagues say to me, "Lorenzo, you should consider converting to islam. Your religion is idolatry. You worship Christ who is not god."

Foolish comments, truly. I responded, "And you pray towards a black stone, which was the basis of pre-islamic pagan arabia. Even when you die, the Quran orders that you face the black stone , the Kaaba."

Pre-islamic pagans also buried themselves facing the black stone.

THEOLOGICAL PROBLEMS


Every man living in Mecca before and during Muhammad's life had some relationship with the Kaba.  If the Kaba was the house of God, why did Muhammad order his followers to face Jerusalem?  Muhammad's 'revelation' in the Quran says that when Allah had Muhammad change prayer directions, it was a test of the Muslims.  This sounds like a lame excuse on Muhammad's part.  What's the test?  Face another direction?  That does not appear to be such an incredible challenge!


Probably the real answer is that through his early contacts with Christians and Jews, Muhammad knew that their faiths, centered in Jerusalem, where monotheistic.  Muhammad abhorred polytheistic worship, consequently he aligned himself with faiths that he believed were from the true God.  He selected Jerusalem as the direction of prayer.  He hoped that the Jews would receive him as a prophet.


About a year and a half after the migration to Medina, after the Jews had thoroughly rejected him, he turned the direction of prayer to Mecca - the center of pagan worship in the Arabian peninsula (Q. 2:144).  Just as he had compromised with the pagan idol worshippers in Mecca, by sanctioning and worshipping the pagan goddesses Lat, Uzza, and Manat, so now he hoped to gain favor with the pagan Arab tribes that worshipped at the Kaba in Mecca.  He authenticated the pagan focus of attention.

After Muhammad took Mecca, he cleansed the Kaba.  Inside the Kaba were many representations of the prophets.  When his men began to cleanse the Kaba, and wash out the representations, Muhammad placed his hands on the pictures of Jesus and Mary, and said "Wash out all except what is below my hands".  Again, Muhammad went against his own principles, and sanctioned his definition of idolatry.


Muhammad then sanctioned the pagan rituals concerning the Kaba, i.e. kissing the black stone, touching the Kaba, circling the structure, running between the two hills, etc.  Later, Umar said to the black stone "I know that you are a stone, that neither helps nor hurts, and if the messenger of god had not kissed you, I would not kiss you". (Sahih al-Bukhari, volume 2, #667).   But then he kissed the stone.  Like Umar, many other Muslims follow the prophet in their practice of veneration of a pagan idol.


Before Muhammad, there was a group of people in Arabia who also abhorred idolatry.  They were known as the Hanifites.  Even the Hanifites saw that kissing the black stone was pagan idolatry.  During one of the pre-Islamic Eids, the Qurayshi were worshipping their idols, slaying sacrifices, praying, and making circuits around the Kaba.  Just as they did each year for this festival.  Some Hanifites saw them, and stood apart from them, and said:

            "By the Lord!, our people have nothing left of the faith of Abraham.  What is this stone that we should encircle it?  It can neither hear nor speak, neither hurt nor help.  O our people, look out for your souls, for by the Lord are you altogether wanting."

One of the Hanifites was Obeidallah... later he embraced Islam.  He immigrated to Abyssinia with other Muslims.  Later he became a Christian.  After his conversion, he said to his Muslim friends 'We (Christians) see, but you are only blinking' - that is, cannot see plainly.


So, why then does Muhammad kiss the black stone?  Why did he incorporate paganism into his faith.  There is even the Quranic story of Abraham - how he chided those who worshipped idols sura 6, 21, etc., and said it was sinful in God's sight.  Yet here we have Muhammad walking around the Kaba, just like the pagans, kissing the stone, just like the pagans.  Even Umar knew it was empty and false, yet he followed Muhammad in kissing the stone.


It cannot be denied that an entire pagan theology and ritual, was adopted by Islam, after Muhammad had one of his convenient 'revelations' and made it 'religiously' correct.


Another Muslim myth, concerning the Kaba, is that 'anyone who prays under the Kaba's water-pipe becomes as pure as on the day when his mother bore him'.  Muslims have a hard time accepting Christ's atonement, but will allow for total forgiveness of sins by uttering a prayer under a spout!


http://www.answering-islam.org/Silas/pagansources.htm

QURANIC MYTHS


Muhammad made up historical references for the Kaba.  Muhammad claimed that Abraham and Ishmael laid the foundations of the Kaba (Q. 2:127). Muhammad claimed that God ordained the Kaba as a sacred house (Q. 5:97). Muhammad also claimed that it was the first temple ever built for mankind (Q. 3:97).

Only Muhammad claimed that it was a place built by Abraham.  In looking in the O.T., we find no mention of Abraham traveling to Mecca to build a house of worship.

Further, the late Taha Hussein, one of the most famous Egyptian professors of Arabic literature said that the Islamic myth of Abraham building the Kaba came into vogue just before the rise of Islam.  He comments:

"The case of this episode is very obvious because it is of recent date, and came into vogue just before the rise of Islam.  Islam exploited it for religious reasons".  Quoted in 'Mizar al-Islam' by Anwar al-Jundi.

THE BLACK STONE

The black stone played a prominent role in pagan worship.  The pagans offered animal sacrifices there.  But the idol of the black stone replaced the alter; on the black stone they smeared the blood of the sacrificed animals.

Pagan History of the Kaaba



Apart from Muslim myths, little is really known about the history of the Kaba.  About 60 years before Christ, the Roman historian Diodorus Siculus commented that there was in Arabia a temple greatly revered by the Arabs.  It is probable that he had the Kaba in mind.  It was later mentioned to have existed in the 2nd century; Ptolemy, the geographer mentions it in his work, calling it the 'macoraba'.  The Kaba was a sanctuary dedicated to one or more pagan deities.  The accounts of the campaigns of Abraha note that it was a place of pagan worship in the 6th century.  Information on the distribution of the offices among the sons of Kusayy show that the worship of the sanctuary had developed into a regulated cult several generations before Muhammad.

One historian (Hurgronjes) said that sacred worship may have developed around the area because the Zamzam spring was found in this waterless place.



Pre-Islamic history tells us that many Arabian tribes were stone worshippers.  This is also mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol 5, #661.  The Old Testament even talks about Mideast pagan groups that worshipped stones.  Muhammad incorporated the Kaba's paganistic roots into Islam to give the Muslims a sense of identity, legitimacy, and uniqueness. He also wanted to ease the Arab's strain of moving from paganism to Islam, by continuing the practices of their fathers.


There were 360 idols around the Kaba.  The pilgrimages to the Kaba were all pagan pilgrimages, the ritual processions around the Kaba were part of pagan beliefs and custom, the white robes worn by the pilgrims were from pagan faiths, the veneration of the Kaba and black stone are derived from pagan rituals and beliefs.  Pagans called out the names of their pagan gods as they circled the Kaba, today, Muslims call out Allah's name.  Pagans ran between the nearby hills, Muhammad authorized Muslims to do that in the Quran, and probably ran between the hills himself.

The chief pagan god worshipped there was Hubal, who could be called the god of Mecca and of the Kaba.  Hubal is not mentioned in the Quran. The goddesses al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat were also worshipped there and are mentioned in the Quran.



It is thought that the Kaba was originally set up for astral worship.  Golden suns and moons are repeatedly mentioned as the votive gifts.  Some pagans regarded the Kaba as a temple devoted to the sun, moon, and 5 planets.

What is less commonly known is the presence of a holy relic - literally a cornerstone - that is part of the worship. The origins of the dark stone remains a mystery to not only Muslims but geologists, scientists and historians alike.

Does the black stone reveal pagan goddess-worshiping roots of Islam?

The Black Stone of Ka’aba - al-Hajr al-Aswad



The Black Stone is a Muslim relic, which according to Islamic tradition dates back to the time of Adam and Eve. Historical research claims that the Black Stone marked the Kaaba as a place of worship during pre-Islamic pagan times.
It is the eastern cornerstone of the Kaaba, the ancient stone building towards which Muslims pray, in the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
The Stone is a dark rock, polished smooth by the hands of millions of pilgrims, that has been broken into a number of fragments cemented into a silver frame in the side of the Kaaba.

Although it has often been described as a meteorite, this hypothesis is still under consideration.

Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba as part of the Tawaf ritual of the Hajj.

Many of them try, if possible, to stop and kiss the Black Stone, emulating the kiss that Islamic tradition records that it received from the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. If they cannot reach it, they point to it on each of their seven circuits around the Kaaba.

http://redicecreations.com/article.php?id=17158

Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, is one of the greatest religious observances in Islam. This year, Hajj is expected to fall between November 4-9.

People often associate Hajj with the familiar image of devout Muslims making the journey to the Kabaa, and seven-times circling the ancient stone building towards which they pray. The gathering in the plain of Arafat symbolises the climax of the hajj pilgrimage, and in 2010 two million Muslims were at the site together on a single day.

What is so special about the Kaaba?

Kingdom of Morocco

Republic of Lebanon

Republic of Egypt

Oman

Yemen

Syria

Palestine

Kingdom of Jordan

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Interesting. There are different forms of the Keffiyeh from region to region, colors change as well.

Answer:

The keffiyeh/kufiya (Arabic: كوفية‎,kÅ«fiyyah, originally from the city of Kufa (اÙ,,كوفه), plural كوفيات,kÅ«fiyyāt), also known as a ghutrah (غُترَة) or shemagh (Ø´Ù...اغ), and also known by some as ḥaá¹­á¹­ah (Ø­ÙŽØ·Ù'Ø©), mashadah (Ù...َشَدة), or in Persian chafiye (چَفیِه), and in Kurdish cemedanî ( جه Ù...Ù‡ داني), is a traditional Middle Eastern headdress fashioned from a square, usually cotton, scarf. It is typically worn by Arab men, as well as some Kurds.

It is commonly found in arid regions to provide protection from direct sun exposure, as well to protect the mouth and eyes from blown dust and sand. Its distinctive woven check pattern may have originated in an ancient Mesopotamian representation of either fishing nets or ears of grain.

The keffiyeh has been worn by Arabs residing in regions in Arabia, Jordan, and Iraq.

Reference:
Wikipedia

What is a Keffiyeh ?

Have you ever worked / lived in the Middle East ?

Quote from: Lorenzo on September 21, 2013, 02:18:10 PM
1. When Kiram gave his blessing to attack Sabah, the MNLF opposed Kiram's actions.

2. MNLF attacks Zamboanga and the Philippine Government in September 2013

What is your conclusion ?

Kiram remains quiet in recent events, but posed with Misuari in pictures weeks prior to the September attack.

What a duplicitous old man. In his old dotage, he should ready himself to meet the Almighty and atone for his sins, rather than on further causing more death and pain for the thousands of his fellow Muslims and Christian brothers.

Isn't it haraam to kill fellow people of faith? Afterall, we Christians are regarded as ' Al Qitab ' or "People of the Book" ?

These so called muslim leaders should do well to preach peace and cooperation with the Christian majority.

Image of Duplicity. Both cannot be trusted. Both are terrorists.

MNLF protesters showing disapproval of Kiram during the Sabah Incident

1. When Kiram gave his blessing to attack Sabah, the MNLF opposed Kiram's actions.

2. MNLF attacks Zamboanga and the Philippine Government in September 2013

What is your conclusion ?

MNLF soldier teaching a young muslima to wield an armalite.

Founding Philosophy:

The Moro National Liberation Front's primary goal was the creation of an autonomous Muslim state in the southern Philippines. The contested area was the two islands of Mindanao and Sulu Archipelago, which comprises approximately 13 Philippine provinces. While the Philippines has a history of conflict between Christian and Muslim elements, the immediate backdrop to this terrorist rebellion formed in the 1950s. The Philippine government encouraged Christian citizens to move to the island of Mindanao, one of the Philippines more abundant areas in terms of natural resources. By the late 1960s, Christians had become the majority in Mindanao. Tensions between the newly-arrived Christians and the comparatively poorer Muslim inhabitants emerged.

Responding to these developments, Nur Misuari formed a Muslim advocacy group in the late 1960s called the Mindanao Independence Movement. In 1972, Misuari recreated his advocacy group as an armed terrorist rebel organization and changed its name to the Moro National Liberation Front. The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) emerged as a powerful terrorist group. The group's membership numbered into the tens of thousands. In the early to mid 1970s, the Moro National Liberation Front took control of large areas of Mindanao and Sulu. Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos responded with military force, committing 80 percent of the country's military troops to the southern area.

In 1976, the Moro National Liberation Front agreed to a 16-point accord with the Philippine government. Concurrent with this accord, there was a referendum on autonomy for the southern islands in 1977. By this time, the islands had a Christian majority and the goal of an autonomous Muslim state predictably failed to gain a majority vote. The Moro National Liberation Front was shaken by the accord's failed results. The MNLF's membership suffered and splinter rebel groups began to break away from the group.



Current Goals:

In 1986 the MNLF and the Philippine government signed a truce. Then in 1996, Philippine president Fidel Ramos agreed to a peace accord with MNLF leader Nur Misuari. The agreement created a four-province Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao and Nur Misuari joined the political leadership of the new autonomous region. Those Muslim nationalists who were not appeased by this agreement defected to other terrorist organizations, namely the Abu Sayyaf Group and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Some terrorists continued to claim attacks in the name of the "Moro National Liberation Front" even after the peace accord was signed in 1996. Five years after he signed the peace accord, Nur Misuari returned to his terrorist roots with his November 2001 attack on an army base that led to 100 deaths.

Financial Sources:

Libya's Muammar Qaddafi; Tun Mustapha, Chief Minister of the Malaysian state of Sabah; Islamic Republic of Iran





Reference:
http://www.start.umd.edu/start/data_collections/tops/terrorist_organization_profile.asp?id=202

This MNLF and MILF are both terrorist organizations. The Government shouldn't even negotiate with these. Do not give them autonomy, but rather, allow the entire southern Mindanao to be governed directly by the government. The ARMM has been an epic failure with Misuari and his cronies hogging developmental aid funds rather than helping the common folk. Misuari, who blames the Government of the Philippines in overlooking the muslim communities, is nothing but a hypocritical war mongerer. What does he do with the millions of dollars he is given ? He concocts a rebellion against the government and harm thousands upon thousands of innocents.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines must eradicate the entire MNLF and MILF. Force all fighters to either give up their weapons, or face the full force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The Philippines can do well to observe how other neighboring nations deal with rebellion. When islamofascist terrorist group Islamiyah Jeremiyah threatened the integrity of the Republic of Indonesia, what did Jakarta do? Did Jakarta give autonomy to the terrorists? When separists in Irian Jaya and Aceh denounced the government of Jakarta , do you think Indonesia gave these rebellious terrorists 'autonomy' and negotiated a deal with them?

Hell NO!

Indonesia sent force and UNLEASHED Tentara Nasional Indonesia (The Armed Forces of the Indonesia). Indonesia hammered these rebellions into submission and FORCED the rebels to submit to the WILL of the Government.

Philippines should learn to do the same.

he he he, kuyawa pod ang mask ba.

This man, Misuari, has been a pain on the side of the Philippines and plans for true peace in Mindanao. I don't understand why he was released in 2008. It is clear that the man cannot be trusted. He is a rebel and he should be executed by a firing squad. His war mongering has led to the displacement of over 100,000 fellow kababayans, and deaths of many innocent Filipinos.

Please, Government of the Republic of the Philippines, do not show mercy to Misuari or allow him to escape. This man should be dealt the same way the United States dealt with Osama Bin Laden. Silence him once and for all.

Strike the shepherd and the sheep will disperse.

Just recently purchased 'The Cholera Years', written by Charles E. Rosenberg.

I'll be updating this page regularly on the chapter development , information and my point of view.

I finally got my hands on a medical history piece. I hope it'll be interesting.

Quote from: insurectus on September 21, 2013, 10:44:56 AM
If naa kay airsoft nga pusil basta ma igo lang, one shot one kill.

he he he, mag praktis praktis diay eh. one shot to the head. patay gajud ka ilaga.

Quote from: chicogon on September 21, 2013, 05:31:17 AM
Tot datwas hell-T? LoL

bwahahaha! hell-T lageh ! 

absolutely beautiful.

Ms. Alla Kushnir. beautiful.

I was fascinated with this particular dancer, her name is Alla Kushnir. A native Ukrainian who is a specialist belly dancer.

Amazing moves, and tantalizing looks, i must admit. nice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6YZl_Wu254#

He he he he, angay ta mo tan aw sa porma ba. Kuyaw lageh.

Boy o boy this OBAMACARE is a headache. I hope the GOP can have it defunded. I hope and pray the Senate will follow with the House' example.

God's will be done !

Its time for me to get a hair cut after work today. My beard is getting too big, me thinks. One patient said to me, " you look like a mujihadeen..."

   

ayal falah.. inshallah i am not one of them.

it was 6 years ago diay. kuyawa ! pas pas ra gajod ang panahon.

wow ! cheese and grapes. moi favorite...

What are some immature defense mechanisms ?

1. Not acknowledging a piece of bad news , as though it was never said --> Denial
2. Involuntary witholding a feeling from conscience awareness --> Repression
3. A veteran that can describe horrific war details without any emotion --> Isolation of affect
4. A child abuser who was also abused as a child --> Identificaion
5. A man yells at his family after a bad day at work --> Displacement
6. Belief that people are all good or all bad --> Splitting (borderline personality trait)
7. Expressing aggression through passivity, masochism, and turning against self --> Passive aggressive
8. Changing ones character or personal identity to avoid emotional distress --> Dissociation
9. Returning to an earlier level of maturation to avoid the conflict at the current maturational level --> Regression

10. A thought that is avoided is replaced by an unconscious emphasis on the opposite -- Reaction formation
11. Converting mental conflicts into bodily symptoms --> Somatization
12. Chronically giving into an impulse to avoid tension from an unexpressed unconscious wish --> Acting out

Let's talk about the mature defense mechanisms!


1. Voluntarily choosing not to think of bad news -- > suppression
2. Indian Jones using comedy to express feelings of discomfort --> Humor
3. Arsonist donates money to the fire department --> Altruism
4. Using ones aggression to succeed in business ventures --> Sublimation
5. Realistically planning for future conflict --> Anticipation
6. Consciously postponing an inner conflict after a big project is completed --> Suppression
7. Redirecting impulses to a socially favorable subject --> Sublimation

Quote from: Mike Ortega Ligalig on September 18, 2007, 06:33:17 AM
Tubag Bohol's Prolifics as of September 17, 2007

The Magic 9

1. Happy         3561
2. Hajji       2198
3. Ginger       1701
4.  ..yadz..       1626
5.  ms da binsi         1471
6.  buenavista           1152
7.  lumine       1132
8.  Bambi       1100
9.  Lorenzo       1096

wow, i still had 1,096 posts ani? how long ago !

Quote from: chicogon on September 21, 2013, 02:04:30 AM


Kiss ug baile pod beh

bwahahaha!! i like this one. Mag hypercalcemia og hyper-retinoic acidemia ta ani !

Quote from: islander on September 21, 2013, 01:29:32 AM
hahaha!  typical bol-anon mommy imong mommy.  ako sa una, gipalayas ko.  i took the bluff.  nagdala na kog suitcase.  aguy.  giitsahan kog 10 pesos kay bawon kuno.  imagine.  how cheap naman, hahaha!  back to this mocha... grrrrrr!

wowzerz! ka isuga imong mommy, tita. ug ako pa to, mo hilak na ko if giitsahan ko'g 10 pesos. huhuhu!

 

himomdom ko sa ahoang lola nating og lolo ciano. disiplinaryo man si lolo ciano sa una. when we were children, our lolo ciano and lola nating would drive from valencia to pick up all their apos. ako, ahoang igsoon si angel, and our cousins: joseph, forlyn, and christian. they'd drive us to valencia and we'd all stay there for the weekend.

i can't help but smile in remembering the sight of my grandfather and grandmother. my lolo , wearing a cap, and his big thick eyeglasses, and my lola nating, wearing her red dress, would drive up to gabilaran with lolo's "Salvo Lines" Truck. haha!

As soon as they'd arrive to our house in tagbilaran, lolo would get off the truck and assist lola and together they'd knock on the door of my lola luz's (the mother of my father) house. after a brief lunch, they'd then take angel and i.

lola would pack our clothes. i remember her pecularity in making sure i had enough briefs and t'shirts. haha! always, always gajod sija mo insist i bring my school books. she enrolled me to bohol wisdom school. and she always made it priority i practiced my chinese. hehehe!

i miss them so much.

this thread made me remember my lola nating.

she was the opposite to my lolo in regards to discipline. she was always soft spoken. very gentle sija. chinese kaayo.

Quote from: Lorenzo on September 15, 2013, 12:36:05 PM
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.



From the desire of being loved
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being extolled
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being honored
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being praised
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being preferred to others
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being consulted
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being approved
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being humiliated
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being despised
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of suffering rebukes
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being calumniated
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being forgotten
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being ridiculed
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being wronged
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being suspected
Deliver me, Jesus.

Deliver me, Jesus.

Quote from: Lorenzo on September 15, 2013, 12:37:23 PM
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I ...

That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease ...

That others may be chosen and I set aside ...

That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...

That others may be preferred to me in everything...

That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…

Amen.

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it !

Amen.

my mom is like my lolo ciano. in regards to anger. og ma suko gajod na si lolo , latoson gajod ta.

luckily for us kids our mommy never did the "latusing", 'twas always our father who did that. and our father never spared the rod. huhuhu! bakoson gajud.

one time when i was a kid, nag gara gara ko, na suko si lolo nako. gi latos jod. pero afterwards, my lolo comforted me and said, "doy, ajaw na pag hilak. kai og mo hilak gehapon ka, hapakon ka."

undang gajod ko.

Quote from: islander on September 21, 2013, 01:29:32 AM
hahaha!  typical bol-anon mommy imong mommy.  ako sa una, gipalayas ko.  i took the bluff.  nagdala na kog suitcase.  aguy.  giitsahan kog 10 pesos kay bawon kuno.  imagine.  how cheap naman, hahaha!  back to this mocha... grrrrrr!

bwahahaha! isug gajod ang bol-anon mommy. especially ug valenciana... haha! akong papa galing, taga tagbilaran. pero mo hilom na og ma suko na si mommy.

og ma suko si mommy, suku gajud. pero, og mo hilak ko or when i ask for forgiveness, dali ra si mommy mo gakus namo.

mao na, i love my mom. she disciplines when she has to, but she loves her kids unconditionally.



ps. are you like that to your own kids, tita?

Quote from: chicogon on September 20, 2013, 02:18:43 PM

Arang ka kyut ! Rambotan kyut !

Quote from: chicogon on September 20, 2013, 02:14:05 PM

ingon si baby: mommy, pwede ko mo dula sa toy?

ingon si mommy: ikaw gajod, doy', kalingaw ra ka mo dula dula. pag study na diha!

Praise be to God ! His Glory and Mercy is unfathomable...

ma hadlok pod ta sa judgment og punishment sa Ginoo because we don't know when it will come. but i can say that when God sends out a punishment, it really does hurt. When he punishes, it is to correct a wrong, and hopefully, the one being punished realizes the error of one's way.

He forgives our sins. But He intends us to understand the reasons why things happen to us...the realization of sin, and the necessary redemption of said sin. Repentance, which is observed by the sinner, is the realization of a sin, and the humble request of forgiveness, is pleasing to the sight of God our Father. Who wishes all to be saved, and all to have a relationship with God.

When God punishes, it pours. But when He blesses, he pours forth blessings from Heaven.

Quote from: diablo on September 20, 2013, 10:33:44 PM
bahala na ug mag hobo sija, bikangkang ipagawas ang bee song, wa unta i apil ang mga madre.

das right. but she's doing it for the 'shock' effect. what can we do, we know its wrong. but let's pray for her na lang. leave the judgment and punishment to the Lord our God.

Quote from: islander on September 20, 2013, 10:17:45 PM
Earlier in the pictorial, Uson is also seen blowing a condom to inflate it, which she said symbolizes her advocacy for safe sex and sex education.

Asked what her purpose is in carrying out the pictorial, Uson said, "Also 'yung awareness din sa breast cancer kasi babae parin ang madre, at isa 'yon sa mga advocacy ko, to examine the breast."

"Basically, sex education, safe sex, breast cancer awareness, freedom of expression all in one," she said.

more at http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/09/19/13/look-mocha-strips-nun-naked-men

advocacy?  hahaha!  i doubt if she even knows the meaning of the word.  it's for money, mocha.  money for you, you idiot.

oh shiettt ! darn, tita, i never knew you could get so angry !

na, sounds like my mom when she gets furious when we don't clean up the house....bwahaha!

mo ingon dajon, "na .. layas mo og di mo limpyo sa balay. gi ahak ! "

don't mess with the anger of a woman. especially a bol-anon woman !

  ma hadlok pod ta ni mommy og ma suko na...

Quote from: diablo on September 20, 2013, 10:30:02 PM
ug wa tay ma k doc, pwede ba ol ol na lang

kay wa koy uyab, yogyogon ko na lang

pwede na , normal ra man og mo loh loh.

i recommend you exercise daily in that regard.

if you're active, pwede nang 3 times a day. but normally, at least 1-3 times a week. mao na'y healthy. 1-2 hour each session.

all just to get a reaction from the public. pay her no attention. may god forgive them.

Bwahaha! hmmm !

best scene in inglorious basterds...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ut7QnyKZSdo

" BINGO!! "

bwahaha! you follow the bond genre , tita ?

Who's your favorite movie villain ?

3 times a day.

Quote from: islander on September 20, 2013, 08:50:39 AM
one of my cats is named ewoks.  he gave me the most scratches.  i still have my battle scars to show for his attacks.

bwahaha ! ewok probably mistook you for a storm trooper. and a friend of vader's.  

   

no! the force is strong in this little brown one...