What is Faith?

How saint-worship gradually turns into idol-worship Several idols which were worshipped by Noah’s people­ – Wud, Suwa, Yaghuth, Yauq and Nasr – are mentioned in the Qur’an. Ibn Jareer al Tabari has related a tradition on the authority of Muhammad Ibn Qays to the effect that these idols were named after certain saints of ancient times. These were pious men who had lived in the period between Adam and Noah. They had many followers in their lifetime, and when they died these followers said if they were to construct images of their heroes, it would inspire them in their worship of God. They then proceeded to do so. When the next generation made its appearance, Satan introduced another idea: that their forefathers had not just been using these statues as a focus of worship-they had actually been worshipping them as idols. It was these idols who made the rain fall and, in fact, accomplished everything. That was how idol worship started. (IBN KATHIR, TAFSIR)