大多数阿拉伯人都遵从了易卜拉欣的儿子伊斯玛仪（愿主福安之）的号召，信奉其父易卜拉欣（愿主福安之）的宗教。他们长期崇拜真主，承认真主的独一，遵循真主的宗教，直到他们忘记了所被提醒的部分内容。然而，他们仍然保持着一些根本的信仰，例如一神信仰，以及易卜拉欣宗教的其他各个方面，直到胡萨阿部落的首领、以正直、施舍、敬畏和关心宗教而闻名、并且获得族人无保留的爱戴与服从的阿慕尔·本·鲁哈伊到叙利亚旅行归来。他在叙利亚看到人们崇拜偶像，这一现象他是认同的，并认为这是正确的，因为叙利亚是众使者和经典的所在之地。他带回了一尊偶像（忽巴勒），将其安放在天房中央，并号召人们崇拜它。很快，多神崇拜便传遍了麦加，并进而蔓延到希贾兹，麦加人不仅是天房的看守者，也是整个禁地的看守者。大量名称各异的偶像被引入了这一地区。

Most of the Arabs had complied with the call of Ishmael (Peace be upon him) , and professed the religion of his father Abraham (Peace be upon him) They had worshipped Allâh, professed His Oneness and followed His religion a long time until they forgot part of what they had been reminded of. However, they still maintained such fundamental beliefs such as monotheism as well as various other aspects of Abraham’s religion, until the time when a chief of Khuza‘a, namely ‘Amr bin Luhai, who was renowned for righteousness, charity, reverence and care for religion, and was granted unreserved love and obedience by his tribesmen, came back from a trip to Syria where he saw people worship idols, a phenomenon he approved of and believed it to be righteous since Syria was the locus of Messengers and Scriptures, he brought with him an idol (Hubal) which he placed in the middle of Al-Ka‘bah and summoned people to worship it. Readily enough, paganism spread all over Makkah and, thence, to Hijaz, people of Makkah being custodians of not only the Sacred House but the whole Haram as well. A great many idols, bearing different names, were introduced into the area.

例如，名为“Manat”的偶像在靠近红海Qadid的一个名叫Al-Mushallal的地方受到崇拜。另一个名为“Al-Lat”的偶像在Ta’if，第三个名为“Al-‘Uzza”的偶像在Nakhlah山谷，诸如此类，不一而足。多神崇拜盛行，希贾兹各地的偶像数量不断增加。据说，‘Amr bin Luhai借助一个告诉他努哈族的偶像——Wadd、Suwa‘、Yaguth、Ya‘uk和Nasr——埋在吉达的精灵伙伴，把它们挖了出来，带到了提哈马。朝觐时，偶像被分发给各个部落带回家。每个部落、每户人家都有自己的偶像，圣殿里也摆满了偶像。先知征服麦加时，在天房周围发现了360尊偶像。他将它们打碎、移走并焚毁。

An idol called ‘Manat’, for instance, was worshipped in a place known as Al-Mushallal near Qadid on the Red Sea. Another, ‘Al-Lat’ in Ta’if, a third, ‘Al-‘Uzza’ in the valley of Nakhlah, and so on and so forth. Polytheism prevailed and the number of idols increased everywhere in Hijaz. It was even mentioned that ‘Amr bin Luhai, with the help of a jinn companion who told him that the idols of Noah’s folk – Wadd, Suwa‘, Yaguth, Ya‘uk and Nasr – were buried in Jeddah, dug them out and took them to Tihama. Upon pilgrimage time, the idols were distributed among the tribes to take back home. Every tribe, and house, had their own idols, and the Sacred House was also overcrowded with them. On the Prophet’s conquest of Makkah, 360 idols were found around Al-Ka‘bah. He broke them down and had them removed and burned up.

尽管声称信奉易卜拉欣的宗教，多神崇拜和偶像崇拜却成为伊斯兰教以前阿拉伯人宗教中最突出的特征。他们崇拜偶像的传统和仪式大多由阿慕尔·本·鲁哈伊创立，并被视为良好的革新，而非对易卜拉欣宗教的背离。他们崇拜偶像的一些特点如下：

Polytheism and worship of idols became the most prominent feature of the religion of pre-Islam Arabs despite alleged profession of Abraham’s religion. Traditions and ceremonies of the worship of their idols had been mostly created by ‘Amr bin Luhai, and were deemed as good innovations rather than deviations from Abraham’s religion. Some features of their worship of idols were:

• 对偶像的自我奉献、向它们寻求庇护、高声呼唤它们的名字、在困厄中求它们相助，以及向它们祈求实现愿望，希望这些偶像（即异教之神）能在安拉面前为人们实现愿望而代为转求。

• Self-devotion to the idols, seeking refuge with them, acclamation of their names, calling for their help in hardship, and supplication to them for fulfillment of wishes, hopefully that the idols (i.e., heathen gods) would mediate with Allâh for the fulfillment of people’s wishes.

• 朝拜偶像、绕着它们转圈、自卑屈从，甚至在它们面前俯身叩拜。

• Performing pilgrimage to the idols, circumrotation round them, self-abasement and even prostrating themselves before them.

• 通过各种献祭和宰杀来寻求偶像的喜悦，这在古兰经经文中有所提及：

• Seeking favour of idols through various kinds of sacrifices and immolations, which is mentioned in the Qur’ânic verses:

“以及为偶像石祭坛（An-Nusub）所宰杀的牲畜”[5:3]。

• “And that which is sacrificed (slaughtered) on An-Nusub (stone-altars)” [5:3].

安拉还说:

Allâh also says:

“你们不要吃未诵安拉之名（宰杀时未念安拉之名）的食物。”[6:121]

• “Eat not (O believers) of that (meat) on which Allâh’s Name has not been pronounced (at the time of the slaughtering of the animal).” [6:121].

• 将某些食物、饮料、牲畜和农作物的一部分奉献给偶像。令人惊讶的是，也有一部分是奉献给安拉自己的，但人们常常找出各种理由，把安拉的那部分转给偶像，却从未做过相反的事。对此，《古兰经》的经文说道：

• Consecration of certain portions of food, drink, cattle, and crops to idols. Surprisingly enough, portions were also consecrated to Allâh Himself, but people often found reasons to transfer parts of Allâh’s portion to idols, but never did the opposite. To this effect, the Qur’ânic verses go:

“他们把真主所创造的庄稼和牲畜，划出一份归真主，并说：‘这是按他们所臆造的，归真主；这是归我们的“同伴”。’但归他们“同伴”的那份，到不了真主那里；归真主的那份，却到他们“同伴”那里。他们的判断何等恶劣。”[6:136]

• “And they assign to Allâh a share of the tilth and cattle which He has created, and they say: ‘This is for Allâh according to their pretending, and this is for our (Allâh’s so-called) partners.’ But the share of their (Allâh’s so-called) ‘partners’, reaches not Allâh, while the share of Allâh reaches their (Allâh’s so-called) ‘partners’. Evil is the way they judge.” [6:136].

通过供奉庄稼和牲畜来讨好这些偶像，对此，《古兰经》中有言：

• Currying favours with these idols through votive offerings of crops and cattle, to which effect, the Qur’ân goes:

• “他们凭着自己的捏造说：‘这些牲畜和庄稼是禁忌的，除了我们允许的人，谁也不得食用。’还有一些牲畜被禁止用于负重或任何其他劳作，还有一些牲畜在宰杀时不诵念安拉的名字；他们是在假借安拉之名捏造谎言。”［6:138］

• “And according to their pretending, they say that such and such cattle and crops are forbidden, and none should eat of them except those whom we allow. And (they say) there are cattle forbidden to be used for burden or any other work, and cattle on which (at slaughtering) the Name of Allâh is not pronounced; lying against Him (Allâh).” [6:138].

• 献给偶像的某些动物（如巴希拉、萨伊巴、瓦西拉和哈米）的供奉制度，即让这些动物免于劳役，以供奉这些异教神灵。著名历史学家伊本·易沙（Ibn Ish）记载，巴希拉是萨伊巴的女儿。萨伊巴是一头母驼，连续生下十头雌性后代，却没有雄性后代，于是它被放生，禁止套轭、负重、剪毛或挤奶（除了供客人饮用）；它的所有雌性后代也同样如此待遇，在其耳朵被割开后，被称为“巴希拉”。瓦西拉是一只母羊，经过五次怀孕，连续生下十只雌性羊羔。此后这只瓦西拉所生的新生儿，只归男性所有。哈米是一头公驼，它连续生下十头雌性后代，因此同样被禁止使用。关于此事，《古兰经》的经文说：

• Dedication of certain animals (such as Bahira, Sa’iba, Wasila and Hami) to idols, which meant sparing such animals from useful work for the sake of these heathen gods. Bahira, as reported by the well-known historian, Ibn Ish, was daughter of Sa’iba which was a female camel that gave birth to ten successive female animals, but no male ones, was set free and forbidden to yoke, burden or being sheared off its wool, or milked (but for guests to drink from); and so was done to all her female offspring which were given the name ‘Bahira’, after having their ears slit. The Wasila was a female sheep which had ten successive female daughters in five pregnancies. Any new births from this Wasila were assigned only for male people. The Hami was a male camel which produced ten progressive females, and was thus similarly forbidden. In mention of this, the Qur’ânic verses go:

“他们说：这些牲畜腹中所怀的，专为我们的男子所有，禁止我们的女子食用；但如果是死胎，则男女都有份。”（6:139）

• “And they say: What is in the bellies of such and such cattle (milk or foetus) is for our males alone, and forbidden to our females (girls and women), but if it is born dead, then all have shares therein.” [6:139].

据可靠的记载，此类迷信最早是由阿慕尔·本·鲁海伊所创立的。阿拉伯人相信，这些偶像，或者说异教的神明，能使他们更接近安拉，引导他们走向安拉，并为他们向安拉代为求情。关于此事，《古兰经》中有云：

It has been authentically reported that such superstitions were first invented by ‘Amr bin Luhai. The Arabs believed that such idols, or heathen gods, would bring them nearer to Allâh, lead them to Him, and mediate with Him for their sake, to which effect, the Qur’ân goes:

"我们崇拜他们，只是为了让他们使我们亲近真主。"[39:3]，以及。

• “We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allâh.” [39:3], and.

“他们舍真主而崇拜那些既不能伤害他们，也不能利益他们的东西，并且说：‘这些是我们在真主面前的说情者。’”{10:18}

“And they worship besides Allâh things that hurt them not, nor profit them, and they say: These are our intercessors with Allâh.” [10:18].

阿拉伯人中另一种占卜习俗是掷“azlam”（即无羽箭）。这些箭有三种：一种表示“是”，一种表示“否”，第三种是空白的。他们在旅行、婚姻等重大事务上使用这种方法。如果签显示“是”，他们就去做；如果显示“否”，就推迟到次年再说。掷“azlam”还用于取水、血金（赔偿金）等事务，所得签文分别为“出自你”“不出自你”，或“Mulsaq”（相附）。遇到血统存疑的情况，他们会前往胡百勒神像处，为掷箭者奉上一百头骆驼作为供奉，然后完全由箭来决定两者之间的关系。若箭显示“出自你”，则裁定该孩子属于本部落；若显示“出自他人”，则视其为盟友；若出现“相附”，则此人保留原有地位，但不享有血统或盟约的关系。

Another divinatory tradition among the Arabs was casting of Azlam (i.e. featherless arrows which were of three kinds: one showing ‘yes’, another ‘no’ and a third was blank) which they used to do in case of serious matters like travel, marriage and the like. If the lot showed ‘yes’, they would do, if ‘no’, they would delay for the next year. Other kinds of Azlam were cast for water, blood-money or showed ‘from you’, ‘not from you’, or ‘Mulsaq’ (consociated). In cases of doubt in filiation they would resort to the idol of Hubal, with a hundred-camel gift, for the arrow caster. Only the arrows would then decide the sort of relationship.If the arrow showed (from you), then it was decided that the child belonged to the tribe; if it showed (from others), he would then be regarded as an ally, but if (consociated) appeared, the person would retain his position but with no lineage or alliance contract.

这与赌博和掷签十分相似，他们过去便依照这一习俗来分配所宰杀骆驼的肉。

This was very much like gambling and arrow-shafting whereby they used to divide the meat of the camels they slaughtered according to this tradition.

此外,他们深信占卜者、算命者和星象家的预言。占卜者以预测未来之事为业,自称知晓隐秘,并有听从他差遣的精灵,由精灵将消息传告于他。有些占卜者声称自己凭借所获赋予的能力揭示未知;另一些算命者则自夸能通过因果推断的方法揭露秘密,从而查出失窃之物、盗窃的地点、走失的牲畜等类似之事。星象家则属于第三类,他们观察星辰,推算其运行与轨道,借以预言未来。相信这些消息,正说明他们坚信:某些星辰的运行与降雨有着特殊的关联。

Moreover, they used to have a deep conviction in the tidings of soothsayers, diviners and astrologers. A soothsayer used to traffic in the business of foretelling future events and claim knowledge of private secrets and having jinn subordinates who would communicate the news to him. Some soothsayers claimed that they could uncover the unknown by means of a granted power, while other diviners boasted they could divulge the secrets through a cause-and-effect-inductive process that would lead to detecting a stolen commodity, location of a theft, a stray animal, and the like. The astrologer belonged to a third category who used to observe the stars and calculate their movements and orbits whereby he would foretell the future. Lending credence to this news constituted a clue to their conviction that attached special significance to the movements of particular stars with regard to rainfall.

相信预兆能预示未来之事，在阿拉伯人中自然十分普遍。某些日子、某些月份和某些特定的动物被视为不吉利。他们还相信，被杀者的灵魂会在荒野中飞翔，在复仇之前永不安息。迷信盛行一时。若放出去的鹿或鸟向右转，他们便认为所要做的事会吉利；否则就会心生悲观，放弃追求。蒙昧时代的人们在信奉迷信的同时，仍保留了一些源自易卜拉欣的传统，例如对圣地的敬奉、绕行天房、朝觐、阿拉法特的守夜以及献牲。这些仪式都被完整地遵守着，尽管有一些革新玷污了这些神圣的礼仪。例如古莱什人出于傲慢，自认优越于其他部落，并以看守天房为荣，便不与众人一同前往阿拉法特，而是止步于穆兹达利法。《古兰经》斥责了他们，并告诉他们：

犹太人从巴勒斯坦迁往阿拉伯半岛的过程经历了两个阶段。第一阶段，由于他们所承受的压迫，他们的圣殿被毁，大多数人被巴比伦国王布赫特纳萨尔（Bukhtanassar）掳往巴比伦。公元前587年，一些犹太人离开巴勒斯坦前往汉志，并定居在该地区的北部。第二阶段始于公元70年罗马人在罗马将领提图斯（Titus）的指挥下占领巴勒斯坦。这导致大批犹太人如潮水般涌入汉志，尤其是雅斯里卜、海拜尔和泰马厄。他们在那里使若干部落皈依犹太教，修建堡垒和城堡，并在村落中生活。犹太教在伊斯兰前的政治生活中发挥了重要作用。当伊斯兰降临这片土地时，已经有几个著名的犹太部落，即海比尔（Khabeer）、穆斯塔利格（Al-Mustaliq）、奈迪尔（An-Nadeer）、古赖扎（Quraizah）和盖努嘎（Qainuqa‘）。据某些记载，犹太部落的数量多达二十个。

The migration of the Jews from Palestine to Arabia passed through two phases: first, as a result of the pressure to which they were exposed, the destruction of the their temple, and taking most of them as captives to Babylon, at the hand of the King Bukhtanassar. In the year B.C. 587 some Jews left Palestine for Hijaz and settled in the northern areas whereof. The second phase started with the Roman occupation of Palestine under the leadership of Roman Buts in 70 A.D. This resulted in a tidal wave of Jewish migration into Hijaz, and Yathrib, Khaibar and Taima’, in particular. Here, they made proselytes of several tribes, built forts and castles, and lived in villages. Judaism managed to play an important role in the pre-Islam political life. When Islam dawned on that land, there had already been several famous Jewish tribes — Khabeer, Al-Mustaliq, An-Nadeer, Quraizah and Qainuqa‘. In some versions, the Jewish tribes counted as many as twenty.

也门的犹太教是由一个名叫阿斯阿德·阿比·卡尔卜的人传入的。他曾前往亚斯里布作战，并在那里皈依了犹太教，随后带着两名来自古赖自部族的拉比返回，向也门人传授这一新宗教。犹太教在那里找到了肥沃的土壤，得以传播并赢得信众。 他死后，其子优素福·祖·努瓦斯掌权，攻打了奈季兰的基督教社群，并命令他们皈依犹太教。当他们拒绝时，他下令挖掘一个火坑，将基督徒不分老幼全部投入其中焚烧。据估计，在这场大屠杀中，有两万至四万名基督徒被杀害。《古兰经》在《众星宫》章中叙述了这段故事的一部分。

Judaism was introduced into Yemen by someone called As‘ad Abi Karb. He had gone to fight in Yathrib and there he embraced Judaism and then went back taking with him two rabbis from Bani Quraizah to instruct thpeople of Yemen in this new religion. Judaism found a fertile soil there to propagate and gain adherents. After his death, his son Yusuf Dhu Nawas rose to power, attacked the Christian community in Najran and ordered them to embrace Judaism. When they refused, he ordered that a pit of fire be dug and all the Christians indiscriminately be dropped to burn therein. Estimates say that between 20- 40 thousand Christians were killed in that human massacre. The Qur’ân related part of that story in Al-Buruj (zodiacal signs) Chapter.

基督教最初在阿拉伯半岛出现,是在阿比西尼亚(埃塞俄比亚)和罗马殖民者进入该地区之后。阿比西尼亚(埃塞俄比亚)的殖民军队与基督教传教团勾结,以报复祖·努瓦斯的暴行为由进入也门,并开始热切地大力传播其信仰。他们甚至修建了一座教堂,称之为也门的"天房",意图将阿拉伯朝觐的商队引向也门,随后还企图拆毁禁寺中的圣殿。然而,全能的安拉惩罚了他们,使他们今世后世都成为鉴戒。

Christianity had first made its appearance in Arabia following the entry of the Abyssinian (Ethiopian) and Roman colonists into that country. The Abyssinian (Ethiopian) colonization forces in league with Christian missions entered Yemen as a retaliatory reaction for the iniquities of Dhu Nawas, and started vehemently to propagate their faith ardently. They even built a church and called it Yemeni Al-Ka‘bah with the aim of directing the Arab pilgrimage caravans towards Yemen, and then made an attempt to demolish the Sacred House in Makkah. Allâh, the Almighty, however did punish them and made an example of them – here and hereafter.

伊斯兰教降临之前，阿拉伯人的宗教生活便是如此。当时流行的宗教所起的作用微乎其微，事实上几乎等于零。那些假托易卜拉欣宗教的多神教徒，远离其教义，对其内在的良好礼仪全然无知。他们沉溺于违抗与悖逆，并发展出某些独特的宗教迷信，这些迷信却在整个阿拉伯半岛的宗教生活与社会政治生活中留下了严重的影响。

Such was the religious life of the Arabians before the advent of Islam. The role that the religions prevalent played was so marginal, in fact it was next to nothing. The polytheists, who faked Abrahamism, were so far detached from its precepts, and totally oblivious of its immanent good manners. They plunged into disobedience and ungodliness, and developed certain peculiar religious superstitions that managed to leave a serious impact on the religious and socio-political life in the whole of Arabia.

犹太教堕落为可憎的伪善，并与霸权勾结。拉比们变成了凌驾于主之上的主人。他们参与专横地奴役民众，并因下属的一言一语、一个念头而加以追究。他们唯一的目标变成了聚敛财富与权力，即便这要以丧失信仰为代价，或导致无神论和不信之风的兴起。

Judaism turned into abominable hypocrisy in league with hegemony. Rabbis turned into lords to the exclusion of the Lord. They got involved in the practice of dictatorial subjection of people and calling their subordinates to account for the least word or idea. Their sole target turned into acquisition of wealth and power even if it were at the risk of losing their religion, or the emergence of atheism and disbelief.

基督教同样向多神信仰敞开大门，变得过于晦涩难懂，已不再像一个天启的宗教。作为一种宗教实践，它发展出一种奇特的人神混杂之物。阿拉伯人中信奉它的人，其灵魂丝毫未受其影响，原因仅在于它与他们的生活方式格格不入，与他们的实际生活毫无关联。其他宗教的信徒在倾向、教义、习俗和传统方面，与多神教徒并无二致。

Christianity likewise opened its doors wide to polytheism, and got too difficult to comprehend as a heavenly religion. As a religious practice, it developed a sort of peculiar medley of man and God. It exercised no bearing whatsoever on the souls of the Arabs who professed it simply because it was alien to their style of life and did not have the least relationship with their practical life. People of other religions were similar to the polytheists with respect to their inclinations, dogmas, customs and traditions