65/71.1. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 4920 — The Origin of Idols
"Nor shall you leave Wadd nor Suwā' nor Yagūth nor Ya'ūq nor Nasr'. . ." (V.71:23)
Hadith About the Origin of Idols and Protecting Tawhid
Sahih Bukhari : 4920
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 4920
حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُوسَى، أَخْبَرَنَا هِشَامٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ، وَقَالَ، عَطَاءٌ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ صَارَتِ الأَوْثَانُ الَّتِي كَانَتْ فِي قَوْمِ نُوحٍ فِي الْعَرَبِ بَعْدُ، أَمَّا وُدٌّ كَانَتْ لِكَلْبٍ بِدَوْمَةِ الْجَنْدَلِ، وَأَمَّا سُوَاعٌ كَانَتْ لِهُذَيْلٍ، وَأَمَّا يَغُوثُ فَكَانَتْ لِمُرَادٍ ثُمَّ لِبَنِي غُطَيْفٍ بِالْجُرُفِ عِنْدَ سَبَا، وَأَمَّا يَعُوقُ فَكَانَتْ لِهَمْدَانَ، وَأَمَّا نَسْرٌ فَكَانَتْ لِحِمْيَرَ، لآلِ ذِي الْكَلاَعِ. أَسْمَاءُ رِجَالٍ صَالِحِينَ مِنْ قَوْمِ نُوحٍ، فَلَمَّا هَلَكُوا أَوْحَى الشَّيْطَانُ إِلَى قَوْمِهِمْ أَنِ انْصِبُوا إِلَى مَجَالِسِهِمُ الَّتِي كَانُوا يَجْلِسُونَ أَنْصَابًا، وَسَمُّوهَا بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ فَفَعَلُوا فَلَمْ تُعْبَدْ حَتَّى إِذَا هَلَكَ أُولَئِكَ وَتَنَسَّخَ الْعِلْمُ عُبِدَتْ.
Ibn 'Abbas Narrated from:
All the idols which were worshiped by the people of Noah were worshiped by the Arabs later on. As for the idol Wadd, it was worshiped by the tribe of Kalb at Daumat-al-Jandal; Suwa` was the idol of (the tribe of) Hudhail; Yaghouth was worshiped by (the tribe of) Murad and then by Bani Ghutaif at Al-Jurf near Saba; Ya`uq was the idol of Hamdan, and Nasr was the idol of Himyar, the branch of Dhi-al-Kala`.The names (of the idols) formerly belonged to some pious men of the people of Noah, and when they died Satan inspired their people to (prepare and place idols at the places where they used to sit, and to call those idols by their names. The people did so, but the idols were not worshiped till those people (who initiated them) had died and the origin of the idols had become obscure, whereupon people began worshiping them.
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 4920In-book reference : Book 65, Hadith 440USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith 442
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 4920
This Hadith explains how idol worship began among the people mentioned in the story of Noah and how those idols later appeared among Arab tribes. The main lesson is about Tawhid and the danger of slowly moving away from clear knowledge. The names Wadd, Suwa, Yaghuth, Ya'uq, and Nasr first belonged to righteous men. After they died, Satan inspired people to place memorial objects where they used to sit and name those objects after them. At first, they were not worshiped. Later, when the people who knew the real story passed away and the origin became unclear, worship began. This Hadith shows how losing knowledge can lead people into shirk step by step.
What we learn from this hadith
- Names and memories of righteous people should not be turned into objects of worship.
- When sound knowledge fades, people may misunderstand earlier practices.
- Satan can mislead people gradually, not always through an open call to worship idols.
- Tawhid needs to be protected across generations through clear teaching.
