And this al-Jaʿd ibn Dirham was reportedly from Harrān, whose inhabitants included many Sabians and philosophers—remnants of the followers of the religion of Nimrod and the Canaanites, concerning whose magic some later authors composed works. Nimrod designates the king of the polytheistic Chaldean Sabians, just as Chosroes designates the king of the Persians and Magians, Pharaoh the king of Egypt, the Negus the king of Abyssinia, Ptolemy the king of the Greeks, and Caesar the king of the Romans. It is thus a generic designation, not a proper name.
At that time, the Sabians—with few exceptions—were polytheists, and their learned men were the philosophers. A Sabian, however, may not be a polytheist, but rather a believer in Allah and the Last Day, as Allah Most High says:
“Indeed, those who believed, the Jews, the Christians, and the Sabians—whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and does righteous deeds—will have their reward with their Lord, and no fear will be upon them, nor will they grieve.”
And He says:
“Indeed, those who believed, the Jews, the Sabians, and the Christians—whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and does righteous deeds—no fear will be upon them, nor will they grieve.”
Yet many, or most, of them were disbelievers or polytheists, just as many Jews and Christians altered and distorted their religion and became disbelievers or polytheists. Those Sabians who lived at that time were disbelievers or polytheists; they worshipped the heavenly bodies and built temples for them.