They were not worshipped in the beginning, for scholars were still present who clarified tawḥīd (monotheism) to the people and denounced shirk (idolatry). When those scholars passed away and the first generation disappeared, a later generation arose after the scholars had died. Satan came to them and said, “Your forefathers only set up these images so that they might worship them; through them they used to obtain rain.” He thus made the worship of the images attractive to them, and they began to worship them instead of Allah. In this way polytheism first appeared on earth.

Allah therefore sent His prophet Noah—peace be upon him—calling the people to Allah and bringing them back to the monotheism that had been the religion of their father Adam—peace be upon him. Yet they obstinately rejected and grew arrogant, saying:
“And they said, ‘Do not abandon your gods; do not give up Wadd, nor Suwaʿ, nor Yaghūth, nor Yaʿūq, nor Nasr.’” (Qur’an 71:23)

Ibn ʿAbbās said, “These were the names of righteous men. Their people fashioned their images and erected them in their gatherings; in the end they came to worship them instead of Allah.”

When Noah—peace be upon him—came to them, forbade them from worshipping those images, and commanded them to worship Allah alone, they responded, “Do not abandon your gods; do not obey Noah,” and they persisted in their disbelief, tyranny, and stubbornness. This was the first act of polytheism to occur on earth, and its cause was images. For that reason the Prophet ﷺ said, “Among the people who will receive the severest punishment from Allah on the Day of Resurrection are the image-makers.”