Manaf (deity)

Manaf was a pre-Islamic Arabian deity venerated in the region of Mecca. He was considered a significant god, particularly among the Quraysh tribe, who were the dominant power in Mecca before the rise of Islam. Sources suggest Manaf was associated with divination and potentially also with ancestor veneration.

Little is concretely known about the exact nature of Manaf's worship or his specific attributes. Information about Manaf is primarily derived from later Islamic sources, which may be colored by the perspective of a monotheistic faith seeking to understand and contextualize the polytheistic practices that preceded it.

It is said that children were named 'Abd Manaf ('Servant of Manaf') to honor the deity. The removal of his idol from the Kaaba is a key event recounted in Islamic tradition as occurring before the advent of Islam and symbolizing a shift in religious sentiment among some within the Quraysh.

Manaf's role and significance declined with the rise of Islam in the 7th century CE, and his worship was ultimately replaced by the monotheistic faith centered on Allah. He is now primarily known as one of the deities who were worshipped in pre-Islamic Arabia.