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Hubal

هبل

Hubal — a pre-Islamic Arabian idol.

Depth

At a glance

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Tradition versus culture

Summary

Hubal is the idol that Amr ibn Luhayy, chief of Khuza'a, brought from Syria. He placed it inside the Ka'ba and called the people of Mecca to associate partners with God, and they answered him. Soon the people of the Hijaz followed the people of Mecca, because they were the custodians of the House and the people of the sacred precinct 1 2.

Its origin

Amr ibn Luhayy travelled to Syria and saw its people worshipping idols. He found this good and thought it right, since Syria was the land of messengers and scriptures, so he brought Hubal back with him 1. In the narration of al-Bukhari that the entry on Amr ibn Luhayy presents, he saw the people of al-Balqa venerating idols, and brought an idol to Mecca.

The arrows at Hubal

When they were in doubt about a man's lineage, they took him to Hubal with a hundred camels, and gave them to the keeper of the arrows. They cast lots with the arrows on which were written "from you", "from others", or "attached" 3 4.

The end

The polytheists filled the Sacred Mosque with idols. When the Prophet ﷺ conquered Mecca, he found three hundred and sixty idols around the House. He began poking them until they fell, then ordered them removed from the mosque and burned 1 5. See the cleansing of the Ka'ba on the day of the conquest.

Not covered here

According to al-Azraqi, the origin of Hubal is Hit in Iraq; this is in the data of this entry. Also, Abu Sufyan's cry "Exalt Hubal!" on the day of Uhud is in the entry on that battle.

For young visitors

Hubal is an idol that Amr ibn Luhayy brought from Syria and placed in the Ka'ba. It was the greatest idol of Quraysh until the Prophet broke it on the day of the conquest of Mecca.

Connections

Explore the connections

Made by
ʿAmr ibn Luḥayy
Made in
Mecca

People and things also explored

Idol worship in the Jahiliyya and its rites· Consecrated Livestock· ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib’s Vow and the Lot· Dar al-Nadwa· The Kaaba· Al-Masjid Al-Haram· The offices of Quraysh at Mecca· Restoration of the Abbasid Khutba in the Two Harams in 479

Sources

  1. al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri , p.35
  2. Mukhtasar Sirat al-Rasul — Ibn Abd al-Wahhab , p.12
  3. al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri , p.37
  4. al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham , 1/152-153
  5. Mukhtasar Sirat al-Rasul — Ibn Abd al-Wahhab , p.50-54
  • Akhbar Makka — al-Azraqi
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Hubal”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/object/hubal/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-22.

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Related

Idol worship in the Jahiliyya and its rites

The rites of idol worship among the Arabs of the Jahiliyya as al-Raheeq al-Makhtum lists them: devotion and appeal to the idols as intercessors with God, pilgrimage, circumambulation and prostration to them, slaughter for them and in their names, a share of food, crops and cattle set aside for them, vows, and the consecrated animals; most were introduced by Amr ibn Luhayy and thought a good innovation rather than a change of Ibrahim's religion, and the Qur'an rejects them in al-An'am, al-Ma'ida, al-Zumar and Yunus.