Q 3: Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said about Wud, Suwa`, Yaghuth, Ya`uq, and Nasr that they were righteous men among the people of Nuh (Noah, peace be upon him).How can they be among the people of Nuh while the message of Nuh was directed at destroying idols? Can they not be the names of righteous men among the people of Adam and Idris and when they died and knowledge was forgotten, the people of Nuh made idols in their likeness and began worshiping them? How was knowledge forgotten through time according to the words of Ibn `Abbas, while Nuh condemned their evil works day and night, in private and in public?

A: The Jumhur (dominant majority of scholars) agreed that Wud, Suwa`, Yaghuth, Ya`uq and Nasr were idols of righteous people who were worshipped by the people of Nuh during the era of Nuh, and then by all the Arabs. This is the opinion of Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father).As for the righteous people, scholars disagreed about them.The first opinion is that of Ibn Jarir who said that Ibn Humayd told them that Mihran said (Part No. 3; Page No. 183) on the authority of Sufyan, from Musa, from Muhammad ibn Qays, concerning: Ya`uq and Nasr : "They were righteous people from Banu Adam (descendents from Prophet Adam). They had followers who used to imitate them. When they died, their followers said, 'If we make statues of them, it will urge us to perform `Ibadah (worship) as we will always remember them.' When those followers died, the following generation was misled by Iblis (Satan). He convinced them that they used to worship the idols and that they brought rain. This was the beginning of idol worship. When Allah sent Nuh, they asked the people not to forsake their gods: Wud, Suwa`, and so on." Sufyan said on the authority of his father, from `Ikrimah (may Allah be pleased with him): "There were ten generations between Adam and Nuh, all of whom were Muslims." (See the Tafsir of Al-Tabary, vol. 23, p. 639; Tafsir Al-Qurtuby, vol. 9, pp. 307-308; and Tafsir Ibn Kathir, vol. 4, p. 426).The second opinion narrated from Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) is that these idols were righteous men from the people of Nuh. In his Sahih (authentic) Book of Hadith, Al-Bukhari narrated on the authority of `Ata', from Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) that he said: "The idols that used to be worshipped among the people of Nuh came to be worshipped by all the Arabs. As for Wud, it was worshipped by Kalb in Dawmat-ul-Jandal. As for Suwa`, it was worshipped by Hudhayl. As for Yaghuth, it was worshipped by Murad and then by Banu Ghutayf in Al-Juruf near Sheba. As for Ya`uq, it was worshipped by Hamadan. As for Nasr, it was worshipped by Himyar, the people of Dhul-Kila`. These were the names of righteous men among the people of Nuh (peace be upon him). When they died, (Part No. 3; Page No. 184) Satan whispered to their people to make idols of them in the places where they used to sit and to name these idols after them. They did, but they were still not worshipped. When those people died and knowledge was abrogated, these idols were worshipped." This was also narrated by `Ikrimah, Al-Dahhak, Qatadah and Ibn Is-haq. (See the Tafsir of Ibn Kathir, vol. 4, p. 426, and the Tafsir of Al-Qurtuby, vol. 9, p. 308).Thus, based on what is previously mentioned the interpretation of the statement of Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) is that those idols were of righteous men among the people of Nuh, i.e. the people to whom Nuh was sent, who were followers of Islam before Nuh was sent to them. When they died, their people made idols of them to remember and follow them. They were not worshipped in the beginning. When those people died and knowledge was abrogated, the idols were worshipped and Shirk (associating others with Allah in His Divinity or worship) spread. Allah sent Nuh (peace be upon him) to resist this and to call them to worship Allah Alone.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.