The correct answer is 5. The nation of Prophet Noah (A.S) is historically recognized as the first civilization to deviate from the monotheistic teachings of their ancestors and turn toward the worship of carved images. According to Islamic tradition and... Read More
The correct answer is 5. The nation of Prophet Noah (A.S) is historically recognized as the first civilization to deviate from the monotheistic teachings of their ancestors and turn toward the worship of carved images. According to Islamic tradition and the text of the Holy Quran, specifically in Surah Nuh (Chapter 71, Verse 23), the people of that era were deeply devoted to five specific idols. The Quran preserves their names as Wadd, Suwa', Yaghuth, Ya'uq, and Nasr.
To understand the religious landscape of Noah’s time, it is essential to look at how these five idols came into existence. According to the explanations provided by early Islamic scholars such as Ibn Abbas, these names originally belonged to righteous and pious men who lived during the generations between Prophet Adam (A.S) and Prophet Noah (A.S). When these men passed away, their followers were deeply grieved.
Satan (Iblis) exploited this grief by whispering to the people that they should create statues or monuments in the likeness of these righteous men. The initial intent was not worship, but rather to serve as a visual reminder of their piety to inspire others to perform good deeds. However, as generations passed and the original knowledge of their purpose was forgotten, the statues were gradually transformed from commemorative figures into objects of divinity. This is often cited in Islamic history as the very beginning of "Shirk" (polytheism) on Earth.
By the time Prophet Noah (A.S) was commissioned by Allah to guide his people, the worship of Wadd, Suwa', Yaghuth, Ya'uq, and Nasr had become deeply rooted in the social fabric of the community. Each idol represented different attributes or was associated with different tribes. For example, Wadd was often associated with the sky or manhood, while others were thought to provide protection or strength.
Prophet Noah (A.S) spent approximately 950 years calling his people back to the worship of one God (Tawheed). He argued that these idols had no power to benefit or harm them, yet the leaders of the community were so stubborn that they commanded their followers, as recorded in the Quran: "And they said, 'Never leave your gods and never leave Wadd or Suwa' or Yaghuth and Ya'uq and Nasr.'" This verse highlights that the devotion to these five specific idols was the primary obstacle to the acceptance of Noah’s message.
The insistence on worshiping these five idols eventually led to the Great Flood. Despite Noah’s continuous warnings and his clear explanations of the origins of these statues, only a small number of people joined him on the Ark. The rest of the population, clinging to their belief in these five deities, perished in the waters.
Interestingly, historical accounts suggest that the names and influence of these five idols did not disappear entirely with the flood. Many centuries later, during the Pre-Islamic era (Jahiliyyah) in the Arabian Peninsula, several tribes revived the worship of these same five figures. For instance, the tribe of Kalb worshiped Wadd, while the tribe of Hamdan took Yaghuth as their deity. This historical continuity makes the study of Noah’s nation and their five idols a critical subject for understanding the evolution of religious beliefs across the Middle East.
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