MCQ Detailed View

In pre-Islamic Arabia, the term “Saabi”  was used for those who worshiped the stars and heavenly bodies. Star-worship was a known practice in certain regions of Arabia and neighboring lands, where people believed that celestial bodies influenced their lives, fortune, and destiny.

The Arabs considered the Sabeans (As-Saabi’oon) as a distinct religious group who followed this form of worship. Their practices included rituals connected to the movement of the stars, planets, and other celestial bodies. Because of this, the Arabs of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic ignorance) often labeled anyone who rejected idol-worship or inclined towards a belief outside of their traditional system as a “Saabi.”

When the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) began preaching Tawheed (Oneness of Allah), the Quraysh accused him and his followers of being “Saabi” because they abandoned idol-worship and did not conform to the religion of their forefathers. This shows how the term was used both as a religious identity and sometimes as a derogatory label for anyone who rejected polytheism.

Key Facts:

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  “Saabi” in pre-Islamic Arabia referred to star worshippers.

  
  


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  The Sabeans believed celestial bodies had divine influence.

  
  


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  Arabs sometimes used “Saabi” as a general term for people who left idol-worship.

  
  


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  Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) and early Muslims were also mocked as “Saabi” by the Quraysh.

  
  


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  Mention of As-Saabi’oon also occurs in the Holy Quran (e.g., Surah Al-Baqarah 2:62).