Key People:
Hishām ibn al-Kalbī
Related Topics:
Nikrah
Dhu-Samawi
Shams
Ḥawkam
Anbay

Arabian religion, polytheistic beliefs and practices that existed in Arabia before the rise of Islam in the 7th century ce. Arabia is here understood in the broad sense of the term to include the confines of the Syrian Desert. The religion of Palmyra, which belongs to the Aramaic sphere, is excluded from this account. The monotheistic religions that had already spread in Arabia before the arrival of Islam are also mentioned briefly. For historical background, see history of Arabia: Pre-Islamic Arabia, to the 7th century ce. In the polytheistic religions of Arabia most of the gods were originally associated with ...(100 of 4594 words)