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ALLAH
One of the three hundred and sixty idols the pagans worshipped was called Allah, having all the essential characteristics of a man. He was one of their principal deities. They believed that this Allah gave them life and sustained it with his mercy and kindness. This deity was also known as Al-Rahman-an (the merciful) and Al-Rahim (the compassionate) to the people of Northern and Southern Arabia.
The inscription (542-3) of Abrahah dealing with the break of the Ma’rib Dam bears testimony to this historical fact. The inscription begins with the words: “In the power and grace and mercy of the Merciful ((Rahman-an) and His messiah and of the Holy Spirit.”
The name Al-Rahman-an is especially significant because al-Rahman became later a prominent attribute of Allah, and one of His ninety-nine names in the Quran. Sura or chapter nineteen of the Quran is dominated by the word al-Rahman. Though used in the inscription for the Christian God, yet the word is evidently borrowed from the name of one of the older South Arabian deities.
Apart from the stated rites, the pagans had many other religious traditions, some of which they acquired in early times from the Jews. They are also said to have nurtured their devotional feelings with the books of Psalms, as well as with a book filled with moral discourses, supposedly written by Seth who, according to the biblical stories, was one of Adam’s many sons. Adam was the first human being whom God created, by using his own hands, out of mud, which he made by mixing dust with water.
Muhammad’s transfer to his uncle’s household did not bring him any relief from what he had been suffering from in his grandfather’s house. Abu Taleb was not rich, either, but he, too, had a large family. Even though he, in addition to his sacerdotal duties of the Ka’aba, had taken to trading to supplement his income, yet he did not earn enough to provide for all the needs of his family. Scarcity was a rule, rather than an exception for his dependents. As his family members often passed their days in hardship, Muhammad’s addition to the family became a burden not only for its head, but also for its other members. Consequently, they made him feel unwelcome in their midst, and used, in his presence, languages and gestures, which were good enough to act as salt for the wounds he had already acquired from his grandfather’s house.
Abu Taleb, on his part, was aware of the situation that his nephew had to endure in his house. He wanted to help, but he, too, was handicapped; had he been able to meet the needs of his immediate family members, he could have justified Muhammad’s presence in his house, but that was not the case and, consequently, he could do nothing for him, but to play the role of a spectator. When he could live no more with his nephew’s agonizing sufferings, he found him the job of a shepherd.