THE SMALL
HAJJ CALLED UMRA
By Dr. Rafat Amari
Historically, the Umra
Hajj was a ceremony of the Jinn religion of
We will examine the small Hajj called Umra, and the occultism at
There
were many copies of the statues for people to worship. The most important statues were placed on Safa and
Marwa, two stones on a hill near the well of Zamzam. Al-Shahrastani, an Islamic historian, claimed
that Amru Bin Lahi had put
the statues on the two stones of Safa and Marwa.[i][1] But Amru Bin Lahi is not a real historical figure. Muslim
tradition endeavors to
attribute all their Arabian paganism to him, accusing him of bringing all the statues, idols,
and pagan worship to
In pre-Islamic times, the
Asaf and Naelah statues were placed on the main stones of the Kaabah of Mecca
and on the two stones of Safa and Marwa.
In the Umra' Hajj the pilgrims had to circle these statues seven times. This helps us understand the real
worship at
The worship
at
There was
also a serpent in the Kaabah, which lived in the well of the temple where the worshippers
threw their gifts.[ii][2]
The serpents were considered by the Arabians to be Jinn and devils.[iii][3] This suggests that
the serpents as Jinn were worshipped by pilgrims visiting
Our
hypothesis about the Jinn worship in the temple at
What was the True Religion
of Abdul Mutaleb, the man who dug the Well of Zamzam to Venerate Asaf and Naelah?
The statues of Asaf and Naelah were
placed on the well of Zamzam. Ibn Hisham, who edited the oldest book on the life of
Mohammed, says these statues
were worshipped at the well of Zamzam. He tells us the worshippers sacrificed their
animals to the statues there[v][5].
This suggests to us that the well of Zamzam was dedicated to the worship
of the two
priests of the Jinn, which the statues represented. It was Abdel Mutaleb, the grandfather of Mohammed, who
dedicated the well of Zamzam to the two venerated Jinn priests and their statues. We draw this conclusion for many reasons. First, Abdel Mutaleb
dug the well of
Zamzam.[vi][6]
Second, Abdel Mutaleb was one of the worshippers of the statues of the two Jinn priests.
He was so consumed by occult worship that he wanted to sacrifice one of his own sons at the feet
of the two statues at Zamzam. That son was Abdullah, the father of Mohammed. When Abdel Mutaleb
was at the point of killing Abdullah with his knife, Abdel
Mutaleb's brother
rescued the boy.[vii][7]
The idea of sacrificing
one’s
son to the Jinn or their representatives, the venerated leaders and priests, is known,
not only in
The third
reason for concluding that Abdul Mutaleb dedicated the well of Zamzam to the statues of the Jinn priests
who were venerated in
They were the chiefs of the Kuhhan and
the ones with knowledge about occultism and the priesthood to the Jinn.[ix][9]
Ibn Hisham mentions about this
Kahinah, “She was the Kahinah of the clan of Saad Hutheim.”[x][10] When a dispute arose between Abdel Mutaleb and Beni Kilab,
which means the clan of Kilab, Abdel Mutaleb went to a Kahen of the Jinn called
Rabiah Bin H'thar al-Asadi to judge the matter.[xi][11] Consulting the Kuhhan of the Jinn was something that the
grandfathers of Mohammed practiced. Hisham, the father of Abdel Mutaleb, was
known to consult a main Kahen of the tribe of Khuzaa'h.[xii][12] Many examples such
as these shed light to the affiliation of the family and the ancestors of
Mohammed to the religion of Jinn in
As if this were not
convincing enough, two more considerations prove that Abdul Mutaleb was a
leader in the Arabian Jinn religion. When Abdel Mutaleb dedicated his son
Abdullah, who became the father of Mohammed, he did it through a Kahinah, a
female Kahen, under the instruction of the Jinn to whom she was connected.
The biographers of Mohammed,
including Ibn Hisham, Mohammed’s most authoritative biographer, tell us that Abdel Mutaleb took Abdullah to a
Jinn priestess named Khutbah. She lived in the city of
We see the
dedication of Abdel Mutaleb to the religious system which Khutbah represented.
Abdel Mutaleb was ready to obey the decision of the Jinn-devil to whom Khutbah
was a medium and a priest, in whatever the Jinn decided for his son. Ibn
Hisham reports the answer the Jinn priestess gave to Abdel Mutaleb’s request: “Return to
me after one day until the one to whom I am connected comes to me.”[xiv][14] By this she meant the Jinn-devil. The Jinn-devil
came to her and told her
that camels should be sacrificed instead of Abdullah, who became the father of Mohammed.
To decide the religion of any person,
one needs only to look at where he consecrates his children. If he dedicates
his children in a church, we know he is a Christian. If he dedicates
them in a Jewish synagogue, we can be sure he is a Jew. If he dedicates
them in a Sabian temple, then he is member of the Sabian sect. But when he dedicates his children in an
occult ceremony by a medium of the order of a Jinn-devil, then he belongs to the occult
sect that the medium or priestess represents. That’s his religion. Not far from
Another thing to
consider was his willingness to find a wife for his son Abdullah from among the
priestesses of the Jin. He introduced Abdullah to many young Jinn priestesses. On one occasion
reported in the book of
Halabieh, which contains the life of Mohammed:
When Abdel Mutaleb accompanied his son Abdullah in
preparation for marriage, he passed by a Kahinah who was a priestess of Jinn from Tubbalah, a small
town in
Another priestess of Jinn to whom
Abdullah was introduced was Ruchieh Bint Naufal رقية. She was also a Kahinah priestess of Jinn.
Ibn Hisham, Mohammed’s main
biographer, showed that Abdul Mutaleb encountered Ruchieh in the Kaabah,
which suggests
that she was part of the occult functions that took place in the Kaabah of Mecca.[xvi][16]
Khadijah, the First Wife
of Mohammed, and her Cousin Waraqa
Ruchieh was the sister of Waraqa bin
Naufal, the Ebionite occult priest who was the cousin of Khadijah, the first wife of Mohammed.
Waraqa was the one who convinced Mohammed to be a prophet. After returning home from the
Khadijah was
married to Nabash Bin Zarareh Bin Wakdanنباش بن زرارة
بن وقدان, a visionary for the Jinn, before she met Mohammed. The Jinn appeared to
Nabash in the form of an old
man to give him information[xvii][17]. As a wife of
a visionary of Jinn, this gave Khadijah some prestige, because many Arabians consulted Jinn visionaries,
and gave them money. This also
explains why Khadijah was wealthy. She had caravans which brought goods
from
After the
negative experiences which depressed Mohammed, Khadijah sent him to her cousin, Waraqa,
to convince him that Mohammed was called to be a prophet of Allah. Waraqa succeeded in his task and
became responsible for most of the Qur’anic verses at the beginning. Waraqa inserted Ebionite doctrines about Jesus in the Qur’an,
stating that Jesus was a prophet, and that He was not crucified, but God made
someone to resemble Jesus. That one was crucified because the crowd
thought he was Jesus. This doctrine was first initiated by Simon, the magician
from
Jesus
Christ being transformed, and being assimilated to the rulers and powers and
angels, came for the restoration (of things). And so (it was that Jesus)
appeared as man, when in reality he was not a man. And (so it was) that
likewise he suffered, though not actually undergoing suffering, but appearing
to the Jews to do so.[xviii][18]
The idea that the people crucified someone whom
God made to resemble Jesus was embraced by some heresy-believing groups which
were known to have immoral values, such as free sex and connections with
occultism. Waraqa belonged to one of these cults.
Waraqa
was one of the founders of the group called Ahnaf. In the first narration of
the life of Mohammed, written by Ibn Hisham in the 8th century A.D.,
we read:
The Honafa’, or Ahnaf, was a
small group started when four Sabians at
The four founders of Ahnaf
were all related to Mohammed. They were descendants of Loayy, one of
Mohammed's ancestors. Furthermore, Waraqa bin Naufal and Uthman Bin al-Huwayrith
were cousins of Khadijah. We know this from Mohammed’s genealogy presented by
Ibn Hisham.[xx][20] Ubaydullah Bin Jahsh was a maternal
cousin to Mohammed. Mohammed married his widow, Um Habibeh. All this reveals
the close connection between Mohammed and the founders of the group.
This group was unknown outside
The myths which they believed and incorporated into their poetry
were also written into the Qur’an because Mohammed belonged to the group from
the time he was a youth. He boasted that he believed in their creed, and he was
known to have connections with many members of this group. He was influenced by
their teachings, as well as by the immoral concepts and the use of
slogans of sex to draw people to them, such as a paradise of free sex. All this
reflects Mohammed’s deep affiliation to this group. Mohammed used their
ideas. In the Qur’an we encounter some of the same myths.
It was not known if this group called themselves Honafa’ or Ahnaf,
or if they were called this by the society as such, but they knew the
terminology had a negative meaning and reflected negative behavior. The word hanif
means “astrictive, confined, awry, biased and errant.” The Arabic word comes
from the verb hanafa which means “to become Astrictive.”[xxi][21] Although the Qur’an would convey a positive
meaning to the term hanif today, it was not so at the time of Mohammed.
Jawad Ali, the Iraqi scholar I referred to earlier, says, “The Hanaf is
straying from the right way.” Jawad Ali quotes many old Islamic authors who
maintained this was the meaning of hanif at the time of Mohammed.[xxii][22] According to Jawad Ali, the word
also is derived from an Aramaic word that means "atheist, guileful,
hypocrite, infidel or perverted."[xxiii][23]
No
matter how you look at it, the term hanif was a negative one at the
time of Mohammed, as we see it in the Arabic and Aramaic languages. This
suggests that since the group's members were called by this term, not by
themselves but by the society in which they lived, is a reflection on their
immoral conduct and the perversions in which they participated.
The Immoral Reputation of
Ahnaf and its Impact on Mohammed
Their immoral behavior is
seen in their poems, such as the poem composed by Waraqa Bin Naufal, one of
the four founders of the group. He boasted of his own experience raping a girl
in her home and enjoying sex with her. In his poem he encourages others to
enjoy experiences like this.[xxiv][24] Waraqa's immoral ideas left a special
impact on Mohammed, who learned under him.
When
Waraqa died, the biographers of Mohammed said the “inspiration
cooled down or
languished.”[xxv][25] Because of this,
Mohammed wanted to throw himself many times from a mountain. The narrators are in
disagreement about the duration of such period in which he tried to kill
himself; some claimed it was forty days, others say it was three years.[xxvi][26] It took time
before Mohammed found other resources for his verses .
How Should we Label the Grandfather of Mohammed who dug the
Well of Zamzam?
I mentioned that when Abdel Mutalib wanted to find a wife
for his son Abdullah, the eventual father of Mohammed, he
rejected many priestesses of Jinn before he selected a wife. Finally he
selected a wife for Abdullah. She was
Amneh, a niece of Soda Bint Zehra, the main priestess of the Jinn at
An important test of the
level of someone’s
dedication and his attachment to his religious convictions is the partner he has selected
for himself or for his
son to marry. If he’s
satisfied with any female of the sect, we might consider him a normal follower of his own
religious system, but if he looks for wives only among women dedicated to his religion he
ceases to be a simple follower
of his religion, and becomes an activist and a fanatic. He shows that he desires to promote
the religion by building a family totally dedicated to it, so that such family may have a leading role in his
religious system.
This helps us see the religious affiliations of
the man who dug the well of Zamzam, and gives us the purpose for which he dug
the well. It was a custom for Arabians to dig a well and dedicate it to the
gods they worship and venerate. The fact that Abdul Mutaleb dug the well of
Zamzam and erected the two statues of the priest of Jinn, Asaf and Naelah, on
the well, is sufficient to convince us of the nature of his religion and the
zeal he had to promote it. Because he considered killing his son Abdullah
before those two statues, indicates that the Arabian Jinn worship was his main
religion and he was fully dedicated to it.
The
literature which gives us background to the life of Arabians at the time of Mohammed, mentions
the custom of some Arabians to present sacrifices to the Jinn-devils after they dug a well.[xxviii][28] The fact that Abdul Mutaleb had erected
the two statues of the priests of
Jinn on the well of Zamzam,
and that he was ready to kill his son at the feet of these
statues, indicates that he wanted to
bring a sacrifice to the Jinn, and that he dug the well of Zamzam for the
express purpose of honoring the
worship of the Jinn
religion of Arabia.
How ironic it
is to connect this occult place with Abraham! Muslims today receive
no benefit from traveling so far to drink water from a well like the one at
Zamzam. Neither do they benefit from performing rituals from this pagan
occult system. Christ is the one who gives the true water of life. He gives the gift
of the Holy Spirit and eternal life to each one who accepts Him as personal Savior.
Shouldn’t our Muslim friends be among those who follow Christ?
THE UMRA’ HAJJ WHICH IS
INCORPORATED IN ISLAM, AND ITS PAGAN AND OCCULT ROOTS
We want to look at the small Hajj,
called Umra’. It was the occult Hajj of Mecca,
and its temple. This small Hajj is different from the great Hajj which
took place outside
The
Islamic small Hajj, or Urma,
which can be
performed any time during the
year, begins at the
The
pre-Islamic Umra’ was a ritual of the Jinn religion of
We want to
see how this small Hajj was originally part of the Jinn religious ceremonies
and had as its focus the venerating of four idols placed on four stones.
Although the idols were later removed by Islam, the stones where the idols were
placed continue to be the subject of Hajj and its worship. Those idols were the
two statues of Asaf and Naelah. They were the most venerated priests of Jinn.
Two other idols were placed over the two stones, Safa and
Marwa. There were also two statues
of Asaf and Naelah on these
stones.[xxix][29] Safa
and Marwa were located on
two hills near
Arabians
venerated Asaf and Naelah because they considered them to be sacred priests
of the Kaabah at
Al-Ya'akubi,
the famous Arabian historian and geographer of the 9th century who
wrote about the life of
The delegation
of Thamad al-Azdi who came to Mohammed was reported by Ibn Abbas:“Thamad came
to
Thus, we see that the wind was one of the titles for the
Jinn-devil at
Arabian
authors, such as al-Azruqi الازرقي, who wrote about
Further Proofs That the
Safa and Marwa
were a Center of Worship of the Jinn Religion of Arabia
Other proofs support that the idea that Safa and Marwa, the two stones near the well of Zamzam,
became a center of Jinn worship.
The
Jinn had a special way to call worshippers. They played music similar to a
clanging occult sound. It was heard at night as a drum or timpano. Ibn Abbas, the cousin of Mohammed, and the authoritative
reporter of his Hadith,
says: “The
Jinn used to play all night between the two stones of Safa and Marwa.”[xxxv][35]
These things demonstrate
that the place between Safa and Marwa was an important center of worship in the
Arabian Jinn religion . It had the following occult elements: the statues of Asaf
and Naelah- the famous deified priests
of Jinn- and the idol of the Wind- Devil. These idols encouraged the Jinn worshippers to make
the pilgrimage to Safa and Marwa. In fact, those
worshippers connected their pilgrimage to the stones where the idol of the
Wind-Devil and the statues of Asaf and Naelah were placed. They visited
the two statues of Asaf and Naelah, the venerated Jinn priests, and went to Zamzam which we saw
was dedicated to the statues
of Asaf and Naelah.
Proofs That the Umra Hajj
Revolved Around the Statues of the two Priests of Jinn
The four
stones over which the four idols were placed are still venerated in Islam today.
I will discuss the connections of these idols with the old, small Hajj. We will
also see that these idols, especially the statues of Asaf and Naelah, were the
subject of the small Hajj of Mecca.
The
venerating of Asaf and Naelah, the two statues of the priest of Jinn, was rooted in the worship
of
Al-Ya'akubi
shed light on the origin of Meccan Hajj which became the Umra’ Hajj. We can only conclude
from his writings that there was a Hajj before the Islamic era, which involved the two
statues of the priests of Jinn. From his writings we can see that the stones called Rukun at the
Another thing we can
conclude from the description of the small Hajj in Ya'akubi's writings is that
the course of the small Hajj was around the two priests of Jinn. Asaf
and Naelah were worshipped
and may be considered as intercessors between the worshippers of Jinn and the Jinn-devils themselves. The
Hajj started from their statues and concluded when they returned to kiss the same statues.
This also
explains why the statues of Asaf and Naelah were erected at the well of Zamzam. Arabians used to dig a
well for each temple to which they went to sacrifice to the gods they
worshipped. This would build Hajj around the statues of the gods. Among the
ceremonies, they drank water from the well which was dedicated to the deity. The
worshippers in the Arabian Jinn religion erected two statues on the well of Zamzam in honor of
the two statues they represented.
Ibn Hisham, the first book narrating the life of Mohammed, mentions that the Arabians presented
sacrifices to the statues of Asaf and Naelah, which were erected at the well of Zamzam.[xxxvii][37]
This confirms that Asaf and Naelah were the deities in whose honor the worshippers drank the
water of the well of Zamzam, and to whom they made the ceremonies of the Hajj.
The two tribes of
The fact that the Umra' Hajj to Mecca revolved around the two
priests of the Jinn
statues, and that it was part of a ceremony of the Arabian Jinn religion, is supported by other
historical factors, one of which is the way Aisheh interpreted one verse of the Qur’an in
Surah 2:158, called Al-Baqarah. The Qur’an says:
Behold Al-Safa’ and Marwa are Allah’s
ceremonies. So those who visit
the Kaabah in season or at other times, should encompass them around so
that there is no
sin in them.
Aisheh, the youngest wife of Mohammed, spoke about the rite to
encompass the Safa and Marwa which Mohammed incorporated in the Qur’an. She
said:
Ansar, in pre-Islamic times, went to worship the two idols placed on
the seashore. [By Ansar she meant the two tribes of Yathrib who helped Mohammed
subdue the Arabians and require them to accept Islam by making war against
them.] These idols were Asaf and Naelah. Then the two tribes came to encompass
Safa and Marwa. Afterwards, they cut their hair. When Islam came, they were not
as eager to encompass Safa and Marwa, as they did before Islam. Allah inspired the verse “Behold Safa and
Marwa are Allah's ceremonies.” As a result, the two tribes returned to the
practice of encompassing the Safa and Marwa.[xxxviii][38]
Aisheh
explained how and why many verses of the Qur’an came to be, and she reported many of
Mohammed’s
Hadiths. Her words quoted above, reveal and confirmed important facts. Concerning the occult
religion of the two tribes, Oas and Khazraj, you may remember that these two tribes made a
treaty with Mohammed in which they would say “there is no god
but Allah, and Mohammed his prophet.” In
exchange, Mohammed
promised to lead them in war against neighboring Arabian tribes, promising them special
privileges. They were to enjoy the wives and
daughters of the Arabians they conquered by making them concubines, enslaving
their children, and taking their neighbors' possessions. From the words
of Aisheh we understand the two tribes used to worship Asaf and Naelah and go to Safa and Marwa, the two places which were at
the center of Jinn
worship, as we saw previously. There they would also worship the statues of Asaf and Naelah.
This shows that the true worship of these two tribes was occult in nature. They worshipped the
same elements as those revered by the Arabian Jinn religion.
The
second thing we see is that they performed a Hajj which started with the same statues of Asaf
and Naelah, and passed by Safa
and Marwa. Then they cut their hair, showing that this is the same occult Hajj
performed by other pre-Islamic
Arabians mentioned by al-Ya'akubi. The difference is that the two tribes began their Hajj at
the two statues of Asaf and Naelah on the seashore near Mecca, while the others started the Umra'
Hajj from the statues of Asaf and Naelah placed over two stones at the temple in Mecca,
then proceeded to the Safa
and Marwa hills. The same ceremonies contain the same elements of Jinn worship, except one
places the statues on the seashore and the other places them in the Kaabah at
The reason the
two tribes chose the statues of Asaf and Naelah on the seashore, and not at the
It
doesn’t
make sense for Muslims to build monotheistic claims on an occult Hajj which clearly revolved around
elements of worship of the Jinn religion. Today, Islam practices the same
ceremonies of this occult Hajj at the same places, yet it attributes them to Abraham. What is the
relationship between the faith which Abraham confessed and the Jinn-devils, who were at the center of
Jinn religion? Clearly, Mohammed wanted to unite elements that can't be united. God's worship
cannot be included in ceremonies
dedicated to the Jinn and its representatives. Mohammed confirmed the same occult Hajj practiced by the two
tribes that supported
him. This included visiting the well of Zamzam which his grandfather dug in honor of the Jinn
and his servants, Asaf and Naelah, which were the main subjects of the Hajj.
I previously quoted the words of Aisheh,
Mohammed’s
wife, when she
talked about the religious Hajj performed by the two tribes of Yathrib, Oas and Khazraj. Remember,
they backed Mohammed and helped him use the sword to impose Islam on their neighbors. We also
notice in Aisheh’s
narration that they performed
the same ceremonies of the Hajj, including marching around the two stones of Safa and Marwa, and the cutting of their hair.
When Islam appeared on the scene, the pilgrims encompassed Safa and Marwa seven times, then finished the Hajj by
cutting their hair. This shows that Mohammed continued the ceremonies practiced in the Hajj
which contained elements of
the occult worship of the Arabian Jinn religion.
After Abdel
Mutaleb, the grandfather of Mohammed, dug the well of Zamzam near Safa and Marwa, visiting the well and drinking of its water
became part of the
small Hajj called Umra'. We must, therefore, conclude that the well of Zamzam
was dug explicitly to honor
the deities for which the Hajj was called in the first place, namely to honor the Jinn and
his famous and devoted servants, Asaf and Naelah. Our conclusion is based upon
many facts. First, the well was dug near Safa
and Marwa which, we saw, was venerated due to the statues of Asaf and
Naelah which
were placed there. The idol of the Wind, also considered as Jinn by those
living in
Worship rites of the Jinn religion of
If Abdul
Mutaleb had really heard a voice from heaven telling him to dig a “sacred
well” why
did he erect the statues of Asaf and Naelah?
Why would he want
to sacrifice his son at the feet of Asaf and Naelah? Is
not this enough proof to convince us that he dug the well to the same statues
that he erected over the well, and to whom he showed reverence to the point he
was willing to sacrifice his son to them? He wanted to provide to the Hajj,
dedicated to the same Asaf and Naelah, a well of water. It is common knowledge
that Arabians used to dedicate wells of water to their gods.
All these questions should cause our
Muslim friends to recognize how old Arabian occult rites were given new meaning when
Mohammed founded Islam. He
simply incorporated them in his new religion. Yet, historical facts
connecting the ceremonies
of the old pagan and occult religion of
What’s the secret behind Khazraj and Oas, the
only tribes who accepted
Mohammed’s
offer to back him with military power to force Arabian tribes to accept Islam?
Knowing that Oas and Khazraj, the two
tribes of Yathrib from al-Medina, had an occult Hajj which started from the two statues of
Asaf and Naelah, can explain
why they were the only tribes which were ready to accept Mohammed’s offer to help him subdue neighboring Arabian
tribes and convert them to Islam. In return, you remember, he guaranteed to give them the
females of those they conquered
to become their concubines, and Mohammed gave them the conquered children as slaves and
confiscated their possessions.
There is a
connection between these two tribes and the Hajj of Asaf and Naelah. The Hajj
proceeded toward a location in the hills of Safa and Marwa which was dedicated
to the Wind-Jinn. This is significant in identifying their true religion, and
their affiliation with the occult religion of the Arabian Jinn. The Kuhhan, who
were priests of the religion of Jinn, backed and supported Mohammed. The two
tribes, both adherents to the Jinn religion of
Marching around the
stones, Safa and
Marwa, was a ritual hated by most of Mohammed’s companions because they knew it was a pagan ritual.
Yet, they still observed
it because Mohammed claimed that Allah confirmed it.
Even the companions of Mohammed confessed that the Hajj to
Safa and Marwa was a pagan rite from
Jahiliyah, the pre-Islam period. Sahih al-Bukhari said:
Asem told us that he said to Uns bin
Malek, a companion of Mohammed, “You were hating to
encompass around the Safa and Marwa.” He answered, “Yes, because it was
one of the pagan rites of Jahiliyah until Allah gave a verse that the Safa and
Marwa are the rites of Allah. If one makes the Hajj to the Kaabah, he must encompass
them. The person has no sin when he encompass them.” [xxxix][39]
Even Ibn Abbas, the cousin of Mohammed, and the most
authoritative reporter
of his Hadith, speaks of
encompassing the Safa and
Marwa as was the custom of
the
people of Jahiliyah, meaning the pagan Arabians before
Islam. His speech is reported in Sahih al-Bukhari.[xl][40]
Muslims at the time of Mohammed knew the origin of this pagan rite just as they knew about many Arabian pagan rites which Mohammed incorporated in Islam. But they embraced it simply because Mohammed made the decision to incorporate it<