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and Nasr (1). These men had been righteous, and the polytheism that arose concerning them was of the same kind as the polytheism of Noah’s people toward the righteous.
The first person to bring idols into Mecca was ʿAmr ibn Luhay, the chieftain of Khuzaʿah; he was the first to alter the religion of Abraham, transporting the idols from Syria, from the district of al-Balqaʾ. It is soundly reported in the Sahih that the Prophet ﷺ said, “I saw ʿAmr ibn Luhay dragging his entrails through the Fire.” He was the pioneer in introducing both idolatry and baseless prohibitions, for he forbade the sāʾibah (2) and the waṣīlah (3).
(1) Reported by al-Bukhari, Sahih, no. 4920.
(2) The manuscript reads “fa-jaʿala,” but the reading adopted here is probably more accurate.
(3) Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya remarks in al-Fatawa, 27/90: “It is said that the first open appearance of shirk (polytheism) in the territory of Mecca after Ibrahim the Friend came through ʿAmr b. Luhayy al-Khuzaʿi, whom the Prophet ﷺ saw dragging his intestines in the Fire. He was the first to declare certain camels saʾiba (left to roam in the name of an idol) and to alter the religion of Ibrahim. They recount that he travelled to al-Sham and, in the Balqaʾ region, found idols whose people claimed they brought benefit and warded off harm; he brought those idols to Mecca and thereby inaugurated for the Arabs the practices of shirk and idol-worship.”
وَنَسْرٌ) (١)، وَهَؤُلَاءِ كَانُوا قَومًا صَالحِينَ، وَكَانَ شِرْكُهُمْ مِنْ جِنْسِ شِرْكِ قَومِ نُوحٍ بِالصَّالحِين.
وَأَوَّلُ مَنْ نَقَلَ الأَصْنَامَ إِلَى مَكَّةَ: عَمْرُو بن لُحَيٍّ سَيدُ خُزَاعَةَ، وَهُوَ أَوَّلُ مَنْ غَيَّرَ دِين إبْرَاهِيم، نَقَلَ الأَصْنَامَ مِنَ الشَّامِ مِنْ أَرْضِ البَلْقَاءِ، وَقَدْ ثَبَتَ فِي الصَّحِيحِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: "رَأَيتُ عَمْرَو بنَ لُحَيٍّ يَجُرُّ قَصَبَهُ فِي النَّارِ"، وَهُوَ أَوَّلُ مَنْ أَحْدَثَ الشِّرْكَ وَالتَّحَرِيمَ، فَحَرَّمَ (٢) السَّائِبَةَ وَالوَصِيلَةَ (٣).
(١) أخرجه البخاري (خ/ ٤٩٢٠).
(٢) في الأصل: (فجعل)، ولعل ما أثبته هو الأقرب.
(٣) قال شيخ الإسلام في الفتاوى (٢٧/ ٩٠): (ويقال: إن أول ما ظهر الشرك في أرض مكة بعد إبراهيم الخليل من جهة عمرو بن لحى الخزاعي الذي رآه النبي ﷺ يجر أمعاءه في النار، وهو أول من سيب السوائب، وغيَّر دين إبراهيم قالوا: أنه ورد الشام، فوجد فيها أصنامًا بالبلقاء يزعمون أنهم ينتفعون بها في جلب منافعهم ودفع مضارهم، فنقلها إلى مكة، وسنَّ للعرب الشرك وعبادة الأصنام).