Who was Yauq in Islam?

Yauq was a false deity mentioned in the Quran (71:23) that was worshipped by the people of Prophet Nuh. Islamic tradition holds that Yauq, along with four other idols, was originally a righteous man whose memory was later corrupted into idol worship through the deception of Satan.

What was the form of the idol Yauq?

According to classical Islamic commentators, the idol of Yauq was made in the form of a horse.

Which tribe worshipped Yauq?

After the time of Prophet Nuh, the worship of Yauq was adopted by the tribe of Hamdan in Yemen.

Yauq in Islam: The Idol of Prophet Nuh's People

Yauq

يعوق

Yauq (يعوق) is the name of a false deity mentioned in the Quran, who was worshipped at the time of the prophet Nuh (Noah).

Explore Verses Related to Yauq

🕋Nuh71:23

At a Glance

Yauq (يعوق) is a significant figure in the Quranic narrative of Prophet Nuh, representing one of the earliest forms of idolatry in human history. Mentioned in Surah Nuh (71:23), Yauq was one of five idols worshipped by Prophet Nuh's people. According to the exegesis of classical scholars like Ibn Abbas, Yauq, along with Wadd, Suwa', Yaghuth, and Nasr, was originally a righteous man. After his death, Satan inspired the people to create statues in their memory, which over generations, led to their worship. The idol of Yauq was reportedly in the form of a horse and was later worshipped by the tribe of Hamdan in pre-Islamic Arabia. The story of Yauq serves as a powerful Quranic lesson on the origins of shirk and the importance of adhering to the pure monotheism of Islam.

📖 Quranic Context

Serves as a prime example of the origins of shirk (polytheism) and the corruption of monotheism.

Represents a deviation from the worship of the one true God, Allah.

References: Mentioned in Surah Nuh (71:23) as one of the five principal idols of Prophet Nuh's people.

💭 Theological Perspective

Illustrates how reverence for righteous individuals can be manipulated by Satan into idol worship over generations.

Demonstrates the psychological attachment to ancestral traditions, even when they contradict divine guidance.

The story of Yauq and other idols highlights the necessity of prophetic guidance to correct societal deviation from tawhid.

A cautionary tale against excessive veneration that can lead to associating partners with Allah.

📜 Hadith Perspective

Narrations from Ibn Abbas, recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari, detail the origins of these idols as righteous men from the time of Prophet Nuh.

The story of how Satan inspired the people to create statues of these righteous men, which eventually led to their worship.
The subsequent adoption of the worship of these idols by various Arab tribes in the pre-Islamic era.

There is a general consensus among classical commentators that Yauq and the other idols mentioned were originally pious men whose memories were corrupted into objects of worship.

💎 Deeper Insights

The name 'Yauq' itself, derived from the Arabic root meaning 'to hinder,' symbolically represents how idolatry hinders humanity from the true worship of Allah.

— Linguistic analysis from Arabic lexicons