Al-Asnam al-Khamsah
Definition
Al-asnam al-khamsah — the five idols — refers to Wadd, Suwa', Yaghuth, Ya'uq, and Nasr, the deities worshipped by Nuh's people. Ibn Kathir records the origin story narrated in classical tafsir: these were originally the names of righteous men from earlier generations whose deaths led their communities to grief. On Shaytan's suggestion, images were made to honor their memory. Gradually, the meaning of the images was forgotten, and the images themselves became objects of worship. The process took generations and moved through stages: commemoration, veneration, representation, and finally worship. Ibn Kathir uses this account to explain the mechanism by which idol worship enters human societies — always through something initially innocent.
As understood in the classical tradition of Ibn Kathir and the scholars of his school.
Appears in
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