Book of Idols
Encyclopedia
The Book of Idols written by the Arab scholar Hisham Ibn Al-Kalbi
(737 – 819), describes gods and rites of Arab religion. The text is critical of pre-islamic religion and decries the state of religious corruption which the Arabs had supposedly descended to since the founding of the Kaaba
. The book was instrumental in identifying shirk (the sin of polytheism
) with "the idolatry of the pre-Islamic Arabs."
Ahmad Zaki Pasha
, the Egyptian philologist
, discovered the text; he bought the sole extant manuscript at auction in Damascus
and the manuscript, one of many in his extensive collection, was donated after his death to the state. Pasha announced his discovery at the XIVth International Congress of Orientalists.
Hisham Ibn Al-Kalbi
Hisham Ibn Al-Kalbi , also known as Ibn al-Kalbi was an Arab historian. His full name Abu al-Mundhir Hisham bin Muhammed bin al-Sa'ib bin Bishr al-Kalbi. Born in Kufa, he spent much of his life in Baghdad. Like his father, he collected information about the genealogies and history of the ancient...
(737 – 819), describes gods and rites of Arab religion. The text is critical of pre-islamic religion and decries the state of religious corruption which the Arabs had supposedly descended to since the founding of the Kaaba
Kaaba
The Kaaba is a cuboid-shaped building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam. The Qur'an states that the Kaaba was constructed by Abraham, or Ibraheem, in Arabic, and his son Ishmael, or Ismaeel, as said in Arabic, after he had settled in Arabia. The building has a mosque...
. The book was instrumental in identifying shirk (the sin of polytheism
Polytheism
Polytheism is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals....
) with "the idolatry of the pre-Islamic Arabs."
Ahmad Zaki Pasha
Ahmad Zaki Pasha
Ahmad Zaki Pasha was an Egyptian philologist, sometimes called the Dean of Arabism , and longtime secretary of the Egyptian Cabinet.-Civil service:...
, the Egyptian philologist
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
, discovered the text; he bought the sole extant manuscript at auction in Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
and the manuscript, one of many in his extensive collection, was donated after his death to the state. Pasha announced his discovery at the XIVth International Congress of Orientalists.
Additional literature
- H. S. Nyberg. "Bemerkungen zum Buch der Götzenbilder von Ibn al-Kalbi." Lund: Svenska Institut i Rom. Ser. 2, Bd. 1, 1939. pp. 346-66.