This article will examine three elements of the Hajj - the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia - which have their roots in pre-Islamic Arabian Paganism:
During the Hajj, Muslims circumambulate the Kaaba seven times, emulating the behavior of Muhammad:
Sahih al-Bukhari 1645-46
Narrated `Amr bin Dinar:
We asked Ibn `Umar whether a man who, while performing `Umra, had performed Tawaf of the Ka`ba; and had not yet performed Tawaf between Safa and Marwa, could have sexual relation with his wife, Ibn `Umar replied "The Prophet reached Mecca and performed the seven rounds (of Tawaf) of the Ka`ba and then offered a two-rak`at prayer behind Maqam Ibrahim and then performed the seven rounds (of Tawaf) between Safa and Marwa." He added, "Verily! In Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) you have a good example."
The fact that he circled the Kaaba seven times is also narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari 395-96, 1603, 1623-24, 1691, 1767, 1793-94, Sahih Muslim 1227, Sunan Ibn Majah 2959, Sunan Abi Dawud 2001, Sunan an-Nasai 2732, 2930, 2942, and Jami at-Tirmidhi 862, 2967.
In the Quran, Muhammad claimed that this practice began with Abraham:
Surah 22:25-29
25 Indeed, those who persist in disbelief and hinder ˹others˺ from the Way of Allah and from the Sacred Mosque - which We have appointed for all people, residents and visitors alike - along with whoever intends to deviate by doing wrong in it, We will cause them to taste a painful punishment.
26 And ˹remember˺ when We assigned to Abraham the site of the House, ˹saying,˺ “Do not associate anything with Me ˹in worship˺ and purify My House for those who circle ˹the Ka’bah˺, stand ˹in prayer˺, and bow and prostrate themselves.
27 Call ˹all˺ people to the pilgrimage. They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel from every distant path,
28 so they may obtain the benefits ˹in store˺ for them, and pronounce the Name of Allah on appointed days over the sacrificial animals He has provided for them. So eat from their meat and feed the desperately poor.
29 Then let them groom themselves, fulfil their vows, and circle the Ancient House.
However, in spite of the above, there is no record before Muhammad that the Kaaba in Mecca was ever a part of Jewish worship in any sense, let alone a central, integral part of the original religion given to Abraham, as the above would suggest.
Instead, there are narrations suggesting that this was a practice of the pre-Islamic Pagans:
Sahih al-Bukhari 1665
Narrated `Urwa:
During the Pre-Islamic period of Ignorance, the people used to perform Tawaf of the Ka`ba naked except the Hums; and the Hums were Quraish and their offspring. The Hums used to give clothes to the men who would perform the Tawaf wearing them; and women (of the Hums) used to give clothes to the women who would perform the Tawaf wearing them. Those to whom the Hums did not give clothes would perform Tawaf round the Ka`ba naked. Most of the people used to go away (disperse) directly from `Arafat but they (Hums) used to depart after staying at Al-Muzdalifa. `Urwa added, "My father narrated that `Aisha had said, 'The following verses were revealed about the Hums: Then depart from the place whence all the people depart--(2.199) `Urwa added, "They (the Hums) used to stay at Al-Muzdalifa and used to depart from there (to Mina) and so they were sent to `Arafat (by Allah's order)."
A similar narration is found in Sahih Muslim 1219b, and related narrations in which Muhammad bans Pagans from doing Tawaf around the Kaaba are found in Sahih al-Bukhari 369, 1622, 4363, 4655-57, and Jami at-Tirmidhi 871, 3092.
There are narrations which indicate that there were multiple Kaabas in Arabia during the time of Muhammad. One such narration from Sahih al-Bukhari speaks about "Al-Ka'ba Al-Yamaniya", or "The Kaaba of Yemen" in English:
Sahih al-Bukhari 3823
Jarir bin 'Abdullah narrated:
There was a house called Dhul-Khalasa in the Pre-lslamic Period, and it was also called Al-Ka'ba Al-Yamaniya or Al-Ka'ba Ash-Shamiya. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to me, "Will you relieve me from Dhul-Khalasa?" So I left for it with 150 cavalrymen from the tribe of Ahmas and then we destroyed it and killed whoever we found there. Then we came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and informed him about it. He invoked good upon us and upon the tribe of Ahmas.
As can be seen above, Muslims destroyed this Kaaba, which is also narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari 3020, 4355-57, and 6333.
So, it seems that the Kaaba in Muhammad's hometown of Mecca was merely one of many that pre-Islamic Arabian Pagans resorted to.
Muslims who circumambulate the Kaaba, earnestly convinced that they are pleasing God, are in reality doing nothing more than perpetuating an idolatrous practice of pre-Islamic Pagan Arabs. This practice has nothing to do with Abraham, or David, or Jesus - none of whom ever did this, or visited the Kaaba.
In the corner of the Kaaba, there is a Black Stone, which Muslims circumambulate, point to, touch, and kiss. In so doing, they are following the example of Muhammad:
Sahih al-Bukhari 1603
Narrated Salim that his father said:
I saw Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) arriving at Mecca; he kissed the Black Stone Corner first while doing Tawaf, and did ramal in the first three rounds of the seven rounds (of Tawaf).
Other narrations of Muhammad kissing and circling (Tawaf) the Black Stone include Sahih Muslim 1218d, 1227, 1261c, 1780a, 2473a, and Sunan Abi Dawud 1879.
One of Muhammad's companions, Umar, who would go on to be the second Caliph, remarked that he would not be kissing the stone if he had not seen Muhammad do it:
Sahih al-Bukhari 1597
Narrated `Abis bin Rabi`a:
Umar came near the Black Stone and kissed it and said "No doubt, I know that you are a stone and can neither benefit anyone nor harm anyone. Had I not seen Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) kissing you I would not have kissed you."
This narration or similar is also given in Sahih al-Bukhari 1605, 1610, Sahih Muslim 1270a-d, Sunan Abi Dawud 1873, Sunan Ibn Majah 2943, Sunan an-Nasai 2946, and Jami at-Tirmidhi 861.
It is also known from other narrations that stone worship was common amongst the Pagans in Arabia during Muhammad's time. One of Muhammad's companions describes the practice:
Sahih al-Bukhari 4376
Narrated Abu Raja Al-Utaridi:
We used to worship stones, and when we found a better stone than the first one, we would throw the first one and take the latter, but if we could not get a stone then we would collect some earth (i.e. soil) and then bring a sheep and milk that sheep over it, and perform the Tawaf around it.
The reverence for the Black Stone is an obvious continuation of this sort of practice. It has absolutely nothing to do with the religion of the Bible.
Oddly, the Black Stone is given almost Salvific agency in Islam, as it is narrated to have come to earth white, but turned black from the sins of mankind (Jami at-Tirmidhi 877). Muhammad is also narrated to have said:
Jami at-Tirmidhi 961
Ibn Abbas narrated that:
The Messenger of Allah said about the (Black) Stone: "By Allah! Allah will raise it on the Day of Resurrection with two eyes by which it sees and a tongue that it speaks with, testifying to whoever touched it in truth."
The above describes the Black Stone seemingly taking on the role of mediator before God on Judgment Day, "testifying to whoever touched it in truth", which for some reason, Allah is apparently interested in.
Part of the Hajj also entails running back and forth seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa. In the Quran, these hills are mentioned, but the practice is never elaborated on:
Surah 2:158
158 Indeed, ˹the hills of˺ Ṣafa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah. So whoever performs the pilgrimage or minor pilgrimage, let them walk between ˹the two hills˺. And whoever does good willingly, Allah is truly Appreciative, All-Knowing.
The sense in which these hills are "symbols" is never explained in the Quran.
There are narrations testifying that the significance of these hills is related to local Arabian Paganism, just as in the cases of circumambulating the Kaaba, and worshipping the Black Stone:
Sahih al-Bukhari 3847
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:
To run along the valley between two green pillars of Safa and Marwa (mountains) was not Sunna, but the people in the pre-islamic period of ignorance used to run along it, and used to say: "We do not cross this rain stream except running strongly."
Sahih al-Bukhari 4496
Narrated `Asim bin Sulaiman:
I asked Anas bin Malik about Safa and Marwa. Anas replied, "We used to consider (i.e. going around) them a custom of the Pre-islamic period of Ignorance, so when Islam came, we gave up going around them. Then Allah revealed: "Verily, Safa and Marwa (i.e. two mountains at Mecca) are among the Symbols of Allah. So it is not harmful of those who perform the Hajj of the House (of Allah) or perform the Umra to ambulate (Tawaf) between them." (2.158)
Similar narrations can be found in Sahih al-Bukhari 1643, 1648, and Jami at-Tirmidhi 2966.
And, in Sahih Muslim 1277a, it is narrated that another aspect of the Hajj - people cutting their hair or shaving their head - was also part of the pre-Islamic Pagan practice associated with Safa and Marwa:
Sahih Muslim 1277a
The Ansar in the Days of Ignorance pronounced the Talbiya for two idols, fixed on the bank of the river which were called Isaf and Na'ila. The people went there, and then circumambulated between al-Safa' and al-Marwa and then got their heads shaved. With the advent of Islam they (the Muslims) did not like to circumambulate between them as they used to do during the Days of Ignorance. It was on account of this that Allah. the Exalted and Majestic, revealed:" Verily al-Safe and al-Marwa are among the Signs of Allah" to the end of the verse. She said: Then people began to observe Sa'i.
Therefore, two more aspects of Hajj - walking between two hills, and cutting one's hair - seem to have been elements of local Arabian Paganism that Muhammad absorbed into Islam.
Additionally, the Hadith contain many narrations regarding Muhammad's behavior around these two hills, for instance:
Sunan an-Nasai 2979
It was narrated that Ibn Abbas said:
"The Prophet walked rapidly between As-Safa and Al-Marwah to show the idolaters that he was strong."
Sunan Ibn Majah 2987
It was narratd that an Umm Walad of Shaibah said:
"I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) performing Sa'y between Safa and Marwah saying: 'The valley should not be crossed except quickly.'"
None of the above practices, which seem to border on superstitions, are related to the worship of the true God, yet they became an integral part of Muhammad's religion, because they were relics of his Pagan environment.
Muhammad claimed prolifically to be continuing in the tradition of the Biblical prophets (Surah 3:3-4, 5:43-48, 5:68, etc.). However, his religion consists of practices which no Jew or Christian has ever been obliged to follow, but were instead followed by Arabian Pagans that were local to Muhammad.