| Wadd | |
|---|---|
God of the Moon | |
| Symbol | love, kindness, affection, crescent with the small disk of Venus |
| Part of themyth series on Religions of the ancient Near East |
| Pre-Islamic Arabian deities |
|---|
| Arabian deities of other Semitic origins |
Wadd (Arabic:وَدّ) (Ancient South Arabian script: 𐩥𐩵) orVed, if translated to English, was thenational god of theKingdom of Ma'in, inhabited by the Minaean peoples, in modern-daySouth Arabia.
Wadd is mentioned once in theQuran as part of a list of fivefalse gods worshipped by the people ofNoah. In the Islamic era, it was believed that Wadd was worshipped by a tribe known as theBanu Kalb, with a centralidol being stored at the city ofDumat al-Jandal, which is in northwestern Arabia. Accordingly, this idol is said to have been destroyed by the early generalKhalid ibn al-Walid.
Wadd was the national god of Ma'in, or theMinaeans; the magic formulaWd'b or "Wadd is [my?] father" was written on amulets and buildings.[1] These writings were often accompanied with a symbol; acrescent moon with the small disc ofVenus.[1]
An altar dedicated to him was erected by Minaeans living on the Greek island ofDelos. The altar contains two inscriptions, one of which is inMinaean language and the other in Greek. Minaean inscription on the altar begins with symbols of three Minaean god one of which is of Wadd whose symbol is a snake. The Minaean text on the altar reads, "Hāni' and Zayd'il [of the lineage] of Hab erected the altar of Wadd and of the deities of Ma'in at Delos." The Greek inscription reads, "[Property] of Oaddos, god of the Minaeans. To Oaddos."[2][3] He was also worshipped by Minaean colonists in Dedan (modern-dayAl-'Ula) during theLihyanite rule. A temple of Wadd evidently existed in Dedan. There is evidence from Minaean inscriptions of the presence ofLevites in the temple of Wadd who according to some scholars were either as priests or cult servants who could later be promoted to higher positions.[4][5][6]
Wadd was also the national god of theAwsan kingdom.[4] It is known that in theHellenistic era, a king of Awsan was proclaimed as "son of (god) Wadd", receiving offerings as if he himself were a god.
Wadd is mentioned in theQur'an (71:23) as a deity of the time ofNoah.
And they say: By no means leave your gods, nor leave Wadd, norSuwa'; norYaghuth, andYa'uq andNasr. (Qur'an 71:23)
Thetheophoric name Abd Wadd is attested in the name ofAmr ibn Abd Wadd, a champion of the tribe ofQuraish who challenged the Muslims for aduel during theBattle of the Trench.Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law and cousin, accepted the challenge and killed Amr.
According toHisham ibn al-Kalbi'sBook of Idols, theBanu Kalb tribe worshipped Wadd in the form of a man and is said to have represented heaven.[7][8] His idol and temple stood inDumat al-Jandal, and Malik ibn Harithah, a former devotee of Wadd, describes his idol:
lt was the statue of a huge man, as big as the largest of human beings, covered with two robes, clothed with the one and cloaked with the other, carrying a sword on his waist and a bow on his shoulder, and holding in [one] hand a spear to which was attached a standard, and [in the other] a quiver full of arrows.[9]
The temple dedicated to Wadd was demolished on the orders of Muhammad in theexpedition of Khalid ibn al-Walid (2nd Dumatul Jandal).[10][11]
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