Surah An-Najm (53) — Ayah 20

20. 1. This is said as a rebuke to the polytheists: Allah has the majesty that has been mentioned, that He is the Creator of great angels like Jibreel (علیہ السلام), His Messenger is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, whom He called to the heavens, showed him great signs, and also sent down revelation upon him. Do those deities whom you worship possess these or any such qualities? In this context, the names of three famous idols of Arabia are given as examples. Lat: according to some, this word is derived from Allah, while others say Lat is from "yalit," which means to turn; the worshippers would turn their necks towards it and circumambulate it, hence the name. Some say that in Lat, the "ta" is mushaddad, and it is the active participle from "lat yalit" (one who mixes flour with water); he was a pious man who used to mix flour with water and give it to the pilgrims to drink. When he died, people made his grave a place of worship, and then his statues and idols were made. This was the greatest idol of Banu Thaqif in Taif. Uzza: it is said that this is derived from Allah's attribute "Aziz," and it is the feminine of "a'azz," meaning "azizat." Some say it was a tree in Ghatafan that was worshipped, some say it was a she-devil (female jinn) who appeared in certain trees. Some say it was a white stone that was worshipped. This was the special deity of Quraysh and Banu Kinanah. Manat: from "mani yamni," which means to pour; to gain its nearness, people would slaughter many animals at its place and pour their blood. This was an idol between Makkah and Madinah (Fath al-Qadeer); it was in a place called Mushallal opposite Qudayd, and it was the special idol of Banu Khuza'ah. In the time of ignorance, Aws and Khazraj would enter ihram from here and also circumambulate this idol. (Aysar al-Tafasir and Ibn Kathir) Besides these, there were many other idols and idol-houses spread throughout various regions. The Prophet ﷺ, after the conquest of Makkah and on other occasions, eliminated these idols and all other idols, demolished the domes and buildings that were built over them, cut down the trees that were venerated, and erased all traces and manifestations that were reminders of idolatry. For this task, he ﷺ sent Khalid, Ali, Amr ibn al-As, Jarir ibn Abdullah al-Bajali, and others (may Allah be pleased with them all) to wherever these idols were, and they went and destroyed them all, erasing the name of shirk from the land of Arabia. (Ibn Kathir)