A World Waiting for Light

In the last chapter, we learned where the Arabs came from, and we heard that the beautiful story of Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail (peace be upon them) is coming very soon. It is, I promise! But first, there is something important to understand.

Before Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born, the world had become a dark and confused place. People had forgotten how to worship the One True God. To really feel the joy of the light that was coming, we first need to see how dark the night had become. So let us look, gently, at what people believed back then.

How the Idols Came

Long, long ago, Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail had built a simple, holy house in Makkah, the Ka’bah, and had taught people to worship only Allah, the One God who made everything. For a while, the people kept that pure teaching.

But many hundreds of years passed. Slowly, bit by bit, people began to forget. And then something sad happened.

There was a well-known leader in Makkah named ’Amr ibn Luhayy. He was rich and respected, and people looked up to him. One day he travelled far to the north, to the land of Syria (Sham). There he saw people bowing down to statues made of stone. He was surprised and asked them, “What are these statues?” They told him, “These are our helpers! When we need rain, we ask them. When we are hungry, we ask them. When enemies attack, we ask them for protection.”

’Amr ibn Luhayy believed them. He asked for one of these statues, an idol called Hubal, and carried it all the way back to Makkah. He placed it by the Ka’bah and told people to pray to it. Because the people loved and trusted him, they slowly began to copy him.

And so, little by little, idol-worship crept in. It did not happen all at once. It took many years and many parents passing the habit down to their children. In the end, there were about three hundred and sixty idols standing around the Ka’bah, the very house that had been built to worship Allah alone. What a sad change!

Mixed-Up Beliefs and Strange Rules

The people still remembered a few things from Prophet Ibrahim. They still went to Makkah for pilgrimage. They still walked between the two small hills of Safa and Marwah. But now they had mixed these good things up with idols and strange ideas.

For example, there is a story about two people named Isaf and Na’ila. Long ago, they did something very wrong inside the Ka’bah itself, the holy house that was meant only for the worship of Allah, and they were turned to stone as a punishment. Sadly, instead of learning a lesson from this, later people placed those two stones on the hills of Safa and Marwah and began treating them like idols, bowing to them and touching them for blessings. So even a beautiful practice from Prophet Ibrahim had been spoiled. (Do not worry: when Islam came, Allah made it clear that walking between Safa and Marwah is a pure and good act from Him, and has nothing to do with idols at all.)

They even changed the beautiful words people say when coming for pilgrimage. The true words mean, “Here I am, O Allah. You have no partner.” But the people added words claiming that Allah did have partners: the idols. They had turned something pure into something broken.

They made up all sorts of odd rules, too. For example, they would set certain animals aside for the idols and refuse to ride them or use their milk, thinking this pleased their statues. None of it came from Allah. It was all invented by people who had lost their way.

Everyone Believed Something Different

Back then, there was no single thing that everyone believed. Some people thought there would be a Day of Judgement, when we are brought back to life and asked about our deeds. Others laughed at the idea and said this life was all there is. Some believed one thing, some believed another. It was a muddle.

But almost everyone shared one big mistake: they bowed to idols. The whole land had forgotten the simple, beautiful truth that there is only One God who deserves our worship.

A Few Who Kept Searching

And yet, even in the darkest night, a few small candles still glow. Here and there, a handful of good, thoughtful people refused to bow to stone statues. They felt in their hearts that this could not be right. They were searching for the true, pure religion of Ibrahim. These special seekers were called the Hunafa.

One of them was a man named Zayd ibn ’Amr. He would not eat meat that had been offered to idols, and he would not join the idol-worship at all. He would lean against the Ka’bah and say, “O Allah, if only I knew the way You wish to be worshipped, I would worship You that way!” He died still searching, before the Prophet ﷺ began to teach, but his heart was pointed in the right direction.

Zayd had a very kind heart, too. In those dark days, some families were so lost that they would bury their own baby daughters, thinking a son was better than a daughter. It is a sad thing to hear, but it is true. Whenever Zayd learned that a little girl was in danger, he would step in and say, “Do not bury her; give her to me, and I will raise her as my own.” And he would take the child home and care for her. Later, Islam would completely forbid this cruel practice and teach that daughters are a blessing and a gift, but even before that, good-hearted Zayd was already trying to save these little ones.

Another was a wise old man named Quss ibn Sa’idah. People would gather to hear him speak, and he would remind them that there is one God, and that everyone who lives will one day die and meet Him. “Where are the peoples of the past?” he would ask. “They are gone, and we will follow.” He was trying to wake people up.

There was also Waraqa ibn Nawfal, a cousin of a noble lady named Khadijah (remember her name, she will become very important later!). Waraqa studied the older scriptures, learned about the earlier prophets, and believed a new prophet was soon to come. He was watching and waiting.

Far away in the land of Persia, a young man named Salman was searching too. He left the fire-worship of his people and travelled from teacher to teacher, always asking, “Where is the true religion?” One wise teacher finally told him, “A prophet is about to appear in the land of the Arabs, and one of his signs is a special mark between his shoulders.” We will hear Salman’s amazing, adventure-filled story later, but for now, just know that good hearts everywhere were quietly hoping for the truth to arrive.

The Rest of the World Had Drifted Too

It was not only Arabia. Almost the whole world had wandered away from worshipping the One God.

There were Jews and Christians living in and around Arabia. They had once received true prophets: Musa (Moses) and ’Isa (Jesus), peace be upon them. But over the long years, people had changed the message. Among the Christians, for example, there were big arguments about who Jesus really was. Many years after Jesus, leaders held a great meeting and decided on new teachings that Jesus himself had never brought. Only a small number of people still held on to the pure truth. Meanwhile, in mighty Persia, people bowed to fire instead of to God.

So all around the world, the pure light of “worship God alone” had grown dim. There is a saying of the Prophet ﷺ that tells us Allah looked upon the people of the earth and was displeased with almost all of them, except a few good souls who still remembered the truth.

The Darkest Hour Before the Dawn

Now, here is the hopeful part. Have you ever noticed that the darkest, quietest part of the night comes just before the sun rises? The whole world in those days was living through that dark hour.

But dawn was coming. Allah, in His mercy, was about to send a light for the whole world, a gentle teacher who would remind everyone of the simple truth that Ibrahim had taught long ago: that there is only One God, and He alone deserves our love and worship. That light would be Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, a mercy for all the worlds.

And so, at last, we are ready to draw near to his story. In the next chapter, we will meet the Prophet’s own blessed family, the grandfathers who prepared the way, and hear how brave Hajar and baby Ismail first brought life to the empty valley of Makkah, all leading up to the astonishing Year of the Elephant, the very year our Prophet ﷺ was born.