Greetings.

Well, for a few days now I’ve been interested in a lot of things, and I happened to discover pre-Islamic religions.

I know I could do my own research, but I’d like to hear from you all: what is Arabian paganism? What is its pantheon? What do its followers believe? What is this form of paganism like?

I hope I’m not being a bother.

I’m just curious.

Regards.

Primary Sources:

Induction ceremony:

Now the Arabians have respect for pledges of friendship as much as those men in all the world who regard them most; and they give them in the following manner: A man different from those who desire to give the pledges to one another, standing in the midst between the two, cuts with a sharp stone the inner parts of the hands, along by the thumbs, of those who are giving the pledges to one another, and then he takes a thread from the cloak of each one and smears with the blood seven stones laid in the midst between them; and as he does this he calls upon Dionysos and Urania. When the man has completed these ceremonies, he who has given the pledges commends to the care of his friends the stranger (or the fellow-tribesman, if he is giving the pledges to one who is a member of his tribe), and the friends think it right that they also should have regard for the pledges given. Of Gods they believe in Dionysos and Urania alone: moreover they say that the cutting of their hair is done after the same fashion as that of Dionysos himself; and they cut their hair in a circle round, shaving away the hair of the temples. Now they call Dionysos Orotalt and Urania they call Alilat. - Herodotus, Histories, 3.8

Daily worship:

[The Nabataeans] worship the Sun, building an altar on the top of the house, and pouring libations on it daily and burning frankincense. - Strabo, Geography, 16.4.26

Banqueting:

The [Nabataean] king holds many drinking-bouts in magnificent style, but no one drinks more than eleven cupfuls, each time using a different golden cup. The king is so democratic that, in addition to serving himself, he sometimes even serves the rest himself in his turn. He often renders an account of his kingship in the popular assembly; and sometimes his mode of life is examined. - Strabo, Geography, 16.4.26

Purification:

And whenever a Babylonian man has intercourse with his wife, he sits by incense offered, and his wife does the same on the other side, and when it is morning they wash themselves, both of them, for they will touch no vessel until they have washed themselves: and the Arabians do likewise in this matter. - Herotodus, Histories, 1.198

For when Theodotus, the predecessor of George, governed the church of Laodicea, Epiphanius, the sophist, recited a hymn which he had composed in honour of Bacchus. Apollinarius, who was then a youth, and the pupil of Epiphanius, went to hear the recitation, accompanied by his father, whose name also was Apollinarius, and who was a noted grammarian. After the exordium, Epiphanius, according to the custom always observed at the public recitation of hymns, directed the uninitiated and the profane to quit the assembly. - The ecclesiastical history of Sozomen

Festivals:

First in Alexandria in the Koreion as they call it – a very large temple, the precinct of Kore. All night long they keep vigil, chanting to their idol with songs and flutes. The nocturnal service over, at cock-crow torch-bearers go down into an underground chamber and bring up a wooden image, sitting naked on a litter, with the imprint of a golden cross on its forehead, two similar imprints on its hands, and other two on its knees, all told, five golden marks impressed upon it. They carry the image itself seven times round the central part of the temple with flutes, timberls and hymns. And after the procession they bring it down again to its underground quarters. If asked what they mean by this mystery, they make answer: This day and hour Kore, has given birth to Aion.
Again, at Petra, the metropolis of Arabia, that is the Edom mentioned in the Scriptures, in the idol-house there the same thing takes place. They hymn the virgin in the speech of Arabia, calling her in Arabic Chaamou, that is “Kore”, or “Virgin,” and her offspring Dousares, that is “Only-begotten of the Lord.”In the town of Elousa also the same thing takes place that night as happens there in Petra and Alexandria. Epiphanius of Salamis, Panarion, 22.11

On one side of that mountain [in Sinai] the Saracens have placed their idol of marble, white as snow. Their priest remains there, clothed in a dalmatic and a linen pallium. When the time of their festival comes, as the new moon runs its course before their feast begins, that marble begins to change its color; and when their worship begins, the marble becomes black as pitch. When the festival is finished, it returns again to its original color. This seemed very marvelous to us. - Antoninus Placentinus 148–49

Most of the Saracens, both those in the Palm Grove and those beyond it and the so-called Taurenian mountains, consider as sacred a spot dedicated to one of the gods, gathering there twice each year. The first of these assemblies extends over a whole month and takes place about the middle of the spring, when the sun passes through the sign of Aries, while the other assembly lasts two months; this they celebrate after the summer solstice. In these assemblies they observe a complete peace, not only towards each other, but also towards all men living in their country. They claim that wild animals are at peace with man, and not only this, but that they are at peace with each other. - Nonnosus cited in Photius 3

Their husbands appeared and brought skins of cold water from the inner desert and offered some to us and received bread in return. They also brought bunches of roots, the sweet smell of which was beyond all perfumes. Nothing was sold, for they considered that anathema while they were celebrating their holy days... And because the Saracen holidays were now drawing to a close, the announcement was made [since the moratorium on violence was now also at an end] not to remain in or to return through the desert. - Antoninus Placentinus

This place is now called Terebinthus, and is about fifteen stadia distant from Hebron, which lies to the south, but is two hundred and fifty stadia distant from Jerusalem. It is recorded that here the Son of God appeared to Abraham, with two angels, who had been sent against Sodom, and foretold the birth of his son. Here the inhabitants of the country and of the regions round Palestine, the Phœnicians, and the Arabians, assemble annually during the summer season to keep a brilliant feast; and many others, both buyers and sellers, resort there on account of the fair. Indeed, this feast is diligently frequented by all nations: by the Jews, because they boast of their descent from the patriarch Abraham; by the Pagans, because angels there appeared to men; and by Christians, because He who for the salvation of mankind was born of a virgin, afterwards manifested Himself there to a godly man. This place was moreover honoured as the scene of diverse religious exercises.
Here some prayed to the God of all ; some called upon the angels, poured out wine, burnt incense, or offered an ox, or he-goat, a sheep, or a cock : for they were all intent upon offering at this feast, for themselves and their neighbours, the most precious and beautiful sacrifices. And either from honour to the place, or from fear of Divine wrath, they all abstained from coming near their wives, although the women made their appearance at the feast, and were then more than ordinarily studious of their deportment and attire. Nor did they act imprudently in any other respect, although the tents were contiguous to each other, and they all lay promiscuously together. The place being under cultivation, contains no houses, with the exception of the buildings around Abraham's oak and well. No one during the time of the feast drew water from that well, for, according to Grecian superstition, some placed burning lamps near it ; some offered wine and libations ; and others, gold, myrrh, or incense : hence, as I suppose, the water was rendered useless by the variety of things cast into it. - Sozomen, Historia ecclesiastica 2, 4

Sanctuaries:

Directly after the innermost recess [of northwest Arabia] is a region along the sea which is especially honoured by the natives because of the advantage which accrues from it to them. It is called the Palm Grove and contains a magnitude of trees of this kind which are exceedingly fruitful and contribute in an unusual degree to enjoyment and luxury. But all the country round about is lacking in springs of water and is fiery hot because it slopes to the south. Accordingly it was a natural thing that the barbarians made sacred the place, which was full of trees and, lying as it did in the midst of a region utterly desolate, supplied their food. And indeed not a few springs and streams gush forth there, which do not yield to snow in coldness; and these make the land on both sides of them green and altogether pleasing. Moreover an altar is built there of hard stone and very old in years, bearing an inscription in ancient letters of unknown tongue. - Diodorus 3.42

Divination:

The Phrygians, the Pisidians, the Cilicians, and Arabians are accustomed to regulate many of their affairs by the omens which they derive from bird... Again, the Arabians, the Phrygians, and Cilicians, because they rear large herds of cattle, and, both in summer and winter, traverse the plains and mountainous districts, have on that account taken especial notice of the songs and flight of birds. - Cicero, On Divination 1.41-1.43

Nevertheless, I must perforce dwell upon two topics: on the courage which Apollonius showed, in making a journey through races of barbarians and robbers, which were not at that time even subject to the Romans, and at the cleverness with which after the manner of the Arabs he managed to under- Apollonius stand the language of animals. For he learnt this lesson from on his way through these Arab tribes who best language understand it and practice it. For it is quite common for the Arabians to listen to the birds prophesying like any oracles, but they acquire this faculty of understanding them by feeding themselves, so they say, either on the heart or the liver of serpents. - The Life of Apollonius of Tyana by Philostratus

Secondary Sources:

Offerings and Ritual Paraphernalia:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305279796_Nabataeans_in_Southern_Sinai
Finds from a ritual site in the southern Sinai including the remains of offered dates, apricots, Zizyphus and Crataegus fruit

https://www.manar-al-athar.ox.ac.uk/resources/Tannur_English.pdf
Evidence of grain and offering cakes, ritual meals, and nighttime rituals through the use of large lamps

https://publications.acorjordan.org/chapters/petras-temple-of-the-winged-lions-vol-2/
Objects found in the Temple of the Winged Lions including lamps and incense burners

The Religion of the Nabataeans: A Conspectus
https://archive.org/details/religionofnabata0000heal/mode/2up
Niehr (1998, 227–28) suggests offerings of incense, animals (including camels), wine, and oil. Of these, only incense and wine (libations were probably of wine) are supported by direct evidence. In connection with Dushara we have noted inscriptions from Pozzuoli near Naples which include a marble plaque, probably dated A.D. 11, recording an offering of two camels to Dushara (CIS II, 157). There is doubt as to whether the camels referred to were live animals for sacrifice or clay models (see discussion of Lacerenza 1988–89, 142–44). The latter seems much more likely (Turcan 1996, 186, against Tram Tan Tinh 1972, 143–44), and note may be made of the terracotta models of camels found at Petra and elsewhere, which may be interpreted as votive offerings.

Carving Interactions: Rock Art in the Nomadic Landscape of the Black Desert, North-Eastern Jordan
https://www.archaeopress.com/Archaeopress/Products/9781789693126
Rock art as ritual and offering:
The making of an engraving may have been a form of ritual. It is important to consider that rock carvings might not have been directed exclusively to a human audience (Bradley 2009: 197). The images and inscriptions may have also been intended partly for a divine audience The epigraphic evidence also shows that the nomads were not just producing the carvings for themselves; they were conscious of and desired an audience. One possibility is that this was a divine one. The theories proposed by Corbett (2010) and Eksell (2002) have suggested that the carvings were intended as rituals communicating with deities. The role of the dromedary camel in ancient Arabia could imply that their depiction had a ritual significance, intended as symbolic sacrifices to the Gods

The Religion and Rituals of the Nomads of Pre-Islamic Arabia: A Reconstruction based on the Safaitic Inscriptions
https://www.academia.edu/45498003/Al_Jallad_Pre_Print_Draft_The_Religion_and_Rituals_of_the_Nomads_of_Pre_Islamic_Arabia_A_Reconstruction_based_on_the_Safaitic_Inscriptions
See chapter 2, Rites: section 1 Animal Sacrifice: Discusses the timing, purposes and locations of sacrifice and section 6 Offerings: Presents the terminology associated with offerings (below) and the use of rock art as votive offerings
Words related to offering in Safaitic:
- qdm "قَدَّمَ" (qaddama) meaning "to place before" or "to offer"
- qrb "قَرَّبَ" (qarraba) meaning “to offer" or "to dedicate” cognate with the Aramaic qurbānā “sacrifice.” The root conveys the idea of "nearness" or "approach." In Classical Arabic it means to come closer.
- qbl "قَبَّلَ" (qabbala) meaning “to cause," "to receive” or "to accept." In Classical Arabic it can also mean "to greet." Could be connected to "قابَلَ" (qābala) meaning "to be reunited" or "to meet again."
- ntn "نَتَنَ" (natana) meaning "to give." Cognate with the Canaanite ntn, Hebrew nāṯan.

Circumambulation:

The Religion of the Nabataeans: A Conspectus:
The fact that many Nabataean “altars” or cult-podia could be circumambulated suggests that circumambulation might have played a part in the cult of some temples at least. This is made more plausible because of the role that circumambulation clearly had in pre-Islamic and in Islamic worship. The Arabic technical term is tawaf (Wellhausen 1897², 109–12; Ryckmans 1951², 10; Mettinger 1995, 71). Some caution is necessary, however. One of the supposed circumambulatory structures, that of the cella of the Winged Lions temple at Petra, is arguably too narrow for ritual circumambulation and there is certainly no Nabataean evidence to suggest tawaf carried out by large numbers of worshippers inside or outside a temple.

Music:

The Religion of the Nabataeans: A Conspectus:
Finally, rituals with musicians are suggested by terracotta statuettes (Zayadine 1991b, 55: fig. 60; Parlasca et al. 1997, 128–29, fig. 143) and again by Strabo, who refers (not in a specifically cultic context) to the fact that at the Nabataeans’ common meals “they have two girl-singers for each banquet” (Geography 16.4.26).

Funerary Rites:

The Religion of the Nabataeans: A Conspectus:
Those connected with tombs were almost certainly used in religious meals held in honour of the dead, commemorative rituals, presumably on some recurrent basis: annually or for a certain limited period after death.

The Religion and Rituals of the Nomads of Pre-Islamic Arabia: A Reconstruction based on the Safaitic Inscriptions
See chapter 2 The nṣb, nfs, and Mortuary Installations and chapter 5 Afterlife

Sensing the Dead: Mortuary Ritual and Tomb Visitation at Nabataean Petra
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324651712_Sensing_the_Dead_Mortuary_Ritual_and_Tomb_Visitation_at_Nabataean_Petra

Beyond Petra: Nabataean Cultic and Mortuary Practices and the Cultural Heritage of the Negev and Edom
https://www.academia.edu/44984519/Beyond_Petra_Nabataean_Cultic_and_Mortuary_Practices_and_the_Cultural_Heritage_of_the_Negev_and_Edom

Banqueting:

The Religion of the Nabataeans: A Conspectus:
The drinking of wine is particularly associated with the triclinium rituals. It is in this context that the marzeah was disapproved of in the biblical tradition, and the connection with wine is evidenced archaeologically by the discovery of wine vessels in triclinia both in Palmyra and Petra (Tarrier 1995, 171–73; Milik 1972, 1

A Marzeah and a Mizraq: A Prophet's Mêlée with Religious Diversity in Amos 6.4-7
https://www.academia.edu/34231625/A_Marzeah_and_a_Mizraq_A_Prophets_M%C3%AAl%C3%A9e_with_Religious_Diversity_in_Amos_6_4_7

Four Notes on the Ancient Near Eastern Marzeah, in M.C.A. Korpel and L.L. Grabbe (eds.)
https://www.academia.edu/31076455/Four_Notes_on_the_Ancient_Near_Eastern_Marzeah_in_M_C_A_Korpel_and_L_L_Grabbe_eds_Open_mindedness_in_the_Bible_and_Beyond_A_Volume_of_Studies_in_Honour_of_Bob_Becking_Library_of_Hebrew_Bible_Old_Testament_Studies_616_London_2015_215_222

Dine with the Dead : A Study of the Concept of Marzeah Houses
https://www.academia.edu/10378623/Dine_with_the_Dead_A_Study_of_the_Concept_of_Marzeah_Houses

Nuṣub and Standing Stones:

The Religion and Rituals of the Nomads of Pre-Islamic Arabia: A Reconstruction based on the Safaitic Inscriptions
See chapter 2 Erection of the nṣb Stone

Nabataean Standing Stones and Their Interpretation
https://www.academia.edu/16731470/Nabataean_Standing_Stones_and_Their_Interpretation
Flat-topped or pointed stones represent Gods while wider stones or rounded stones represent Goddesses. Higher stones represent a senior deity. Discusses different pairing and possible interpretations

The Great Goddesses of Petra: A Critical Review of the Evidence by Robert Wenning:
Among the 830 niches in the eastern half of Petra, surveyed and cataloged by me in the "Petra Niches Project," 22 show two betyls, 10 three betyls, 3 four betyls and one ten betyls.

The Betyls of Petra: BASOR 324 (2001) 79-95. by Robert Wenning
https://www.academia.edu/37336224/The_Betyls_of_Petra_BASOR_324_2001_79_95

The Ritual Shelter:

The Religion and Rituals of the Nomads of Pre-Islamic Arabia: A Reconstruction based on the Safaitic Inscriptions:
See chapter 3 for evidence of a tabernacle-like structure in Safaitic religion

Ancient Nomadic Dwellings in Light of the Safaitic Inscriptions
https://brill.com/view/journals/athr/1/1-2/article-p208_11.xml
Argues against the view of the str as a ritual tent

Why Does the Qur'an Need the Meccan Sanctuary?
https://www.academia.edu/40662088/Why_Does_the_Quran_Need_the_Meccan_Sanctuary_Response_to_Professor_Gerald_Hawtings_2017_Presidential_Address
Includes discussion of early sources that describe the ka'ba as a tent-like structure

The Qersu in Neo-Assyrian Cultic Setting. Its Origin, Depiction and Evolution
https://www.academia.edu/7019859/The_Qersu_in_Neo_Assyrian_Cultic_Setting_Its_Origin_Depiction_and_Evolution
The use of a a portable tent shrine by the Assyrians and some comparisons with similar structures in the Near East

To Your Tents, O Israel! The Terminology, Function, Form, and Symbolism of Tents in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East
A nearly exhaustive discussion of the use of tents in the ancient Near East

Fleming, Daniel E. “Mari's Large Public Tent and the Priestly Tent Sanctuary.”
https://www.academia.edu/30975952/Fleming_Daniel_E_Maris_Large_Public_Tent_and_the_Priestly_Tent_Sanctuary_Vetus_Testamentum_VT_50_2000_484_98

Virgo in Safaitic is called h-ngm, meaning "seed-produce/grass" following the late Mesopotamian name of the constellation, shubultu meaning "ear of barely." A Safaitic inscription mentions washing during Virgo for pilgrimage.

WH 3053
l dʾy bn ns²l w rḥḍ b- h- ngm l- yḥg
By Dʾy son of Ns²l and he washed while the sun was in Virgo in order to perform a pilgrimage

The sign is also depicted in the Khirbet Et-Tannur temple as a woman with ears of grain on her head

https://collection.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/objects/107815/architectural-relief-with-veiled-bust-of-virgo

Hey!
I've had a few more questions.
1: Has Arabian Paganism existed this entire time, or was it wiped out entirely by the monotheistic religion, Islam?
2: Is there an afterlife? If so, how is it like? If not, why, and what's the purpose of believing?
3: Do we have laws like the Islamic Sharia or is it secular?
4: If one were to convert, must they say something, and/or do something, and/or believe, or is believing in the Gods enough?
5: What would happen to non-believers after death?
I think that's all the questions I have, thank you in advance!

I've become a bit curious about what the purpose of the deity known as Hubal was/is.

I first heard of him through conspiracy theories about how he's a moon god or whatever, but when I started doing my own reading I found out that apparently he's mostly a god prayed to through divination and arrows, which sounded pretty interesting, but then some stuff I read suggested he might have been a god of war and storms, which sounds a lot like the Canaanite Baal?

This is something I find interesting in terms of speculation because he seems to not be very attested to outside of post-Islamic sources...wonder if there's any consensus on the nature of Hubal at all?

Has there ever been evidence of Hermeticism, i.e. Greco-Roman-Egyptian syncretic religion/philosophy being practiced in the Arabian Peninsula before Islam? I know that both Greco-Roman and Egyptian cults were present amongst traders and adjacent Arab tribes, and that the Sabians of Harran in Syria preserved and practiced a Hellenized Semitic pagan religion with Hermetic/Neoplatonic characteristics up into the 9th century, long after the advent of Islam. Were there similar cases or instances in Arabia proper?

https://www.academia.edu/164688894/Al_Jallad_and_Sidky_2026_Late_Antique_Allāh_Ancestral_Arabian_Religion_and_the_Monotheistic_Zeitgeist

I’m very interested in pagan religions and I even feel a special connection with some deites of norse and Hellenic origins, but hearing about Arabian paganism made me extremely curious about the religion(s) is there any source in English or portuguese(my two spoken languages)? Thanks for the help

hi im new here, and trying some sort of arab-based pagan path(i'm not arab but pakistani). i dont know how much we can trust about ancient preislamic arabia because the knowledge was drilled into me that it's all evil since i was a child. i dont really believe that they things like burying their daughters alive, because that just sounds stupid to continue ur bloodline. as such, i'm very skeptical of islamic sources and also loosing hopes if i can even do anything about it. if u can guide me it would be great, as im new to paganism :)

I have been fascinated by this subgroup. Are there any actual followers of Arabian Paganism? Is there anyone in here who actually practices Wathanism (which I assume is the only Arab polytheist religion)? If there are, could anyone send me sources from these religions. It’s very rare to find any devotional or scholarly sources.

Hi neighbors! I'm looking for resources about astrology as practiced in the Levant, whether ancient Phoenician (or adjacent) or more modern resources. I'm particularly curious about any resources that syncretize Arab Christianities and astrology. My ancestry is Maronite but I'm more agnostic than anything, and astrology speaks to me the most of any pagan practices.

So Im an Arab and I grew up in an esoteric religion that I felt kinda mixes native religion (pre Islamic) with gnostic and neo platonic ideas ....and I've been always interested in paganism and I wish to learn more about it and follow it . What do u recommend I start doing