Our Beloved Master - His Early Life — Page 124
•oUR BELoVED MASTER• 124 The king of the idols within the Ka‘bah was called Hubul and had been placed upon the roof of the Ka‘bah. It was because of this idol, Hubul , that the worshipping of idols became the practice across Arabia. At that time the responsibility of looking after the Ka‘bah belonged to Makkah’s powerful and influential Prince, ‘Amr bin Lu h aiyy, who belonged to the tribe of Khuz a ‘ah. Once Prince ‘Amr bin Lu h aiyy became extremely ill and despite trying numerous remedies his ailment was not cured. Someone told him that there is a spring in a place called Ma’ a b in Syria. He heard that by bathing in the water of that spring his illness would be cured and he would be restored to good health. Accordingly, Prince ‘Amr bin Lu h aiyy went to this spring, bathed in the water, and was cured. During his stay in Ma’ a b, he observed that the people living there were worshipping idols and bowing down to them. For Prince ‘Amr bin Lu h aiyy this was a sight that he had never before witnessed. He was astonished to see such a practice. Out of curiosity he asked the people, “Why are you bowing down to these and who are they?” The people of Ma’ a b replied, “Sir! Do you not know? Let us tell you that these are extremely useful figures! They fulfil all of our needs whatever they may be. They provide for us! They may