Page 70 - The Worst Slander: Idolatry

68 THE WORST SLANDER: IDOLATRY

Christians, Magians, and idolaters, Allah will distinguish
between them on the Day of Rising. Allah is witness of
all things. (Surat al-Hajj: 17)
When we review the time of our Prophet Muhammad
(May Allah bless him and grant him peace), we can easily
comprehend the characters and corrupted morality of these
idolaters. Arab societies in that period had adopted a sys-
tem of belief and worship that deviated from the true faith
which Allah revealed to them by means of the Prophet
Abraham (pbuh); they worshipped idols and yet did not
deny Allah's existence. Even though they knew of His exis-
tence, they unwisely regarded their various fabricated idols
as His equals (Surely Allah is beyond that) and thus
descended into idolatry. They even had a false belief that
these idols could intercede on their behalf in His Sight. Allah
reveals the perverted belief of these people in the Qur'an:
Instead of Allah, they worship that which can neither
harm them nor help them, saying: "These are our inter-
cessors with Allah." Ask: "Would you inform Allah of
something about which He does not know either in the
heavens or on earth?" May He be glorified and exalted
above what they associate with Him! (Surah Yunus: 18)
Allah tells in the Qur'an that these idolaters went on pil-
grimage, welcomed pilgrims, visited the Ka`bah, prayed,
and spent money for His sake. In other words, they intro-
duced themselves as devout, law-abiding individuals in His
Sight. However, since they did not worship Allah alone and
since they performed these actions within an idolatrous
framework, they derived no benefit from them. No matter