Indian Antiquary Vol 58

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 101

MAY, 1929 ]
AN IMACE OF WADD: A PRE-ISLAMIC ARABIAN GOD
91
AN IMAGE OF WADD: A PRE-ISLAMIC ARABIAN GOD."
BY CH. MUHAMMAD ISMAIL, M.A., M.R.A.S. PRE-ISLAMIC Arabia furnishes rich material to archæologists, but unfortunately such atten. tion as it deserves has not been paid to this field of research, especially in India. The Government of India, under which the Civil Administration of the Aden Hinterland still remains, has controlled the destinies of Southern Arabia for about a century, but it has never taken, and is not even now taking, any steps to acquire and preserve in India South Arabian antiquities, or even the best known of Sabæan and Himyaritic collections. It is a consideration too deep for tears that such art and such archæological treasures as these should be exported to foreign countries and that thus should be thrown away the very material itself, upon which the talents of Indian scholars could be more than usefully employed. The Delhi Museum of Archæology could-if the Government of India should so decide easily be made the finest collection of South Arabian antiquities in the world, and then inquirers into that subject could make pilgrimage to Delhi, and not—as they must now-wander from place to place, in order to visit London, Berlin, Paris, Aden and America. It is a pity indeed that no kind of work on it has Government patronage or encouragement. Thanks, however, to Sir John Marshall's interest in this field a new life has been given to the Aden Historical Society, and Indians have come forward to work on this invaluable subject.
The Pre-Islamic god Wadd was perhaps the most important of all gods of ancient Arabia. He was certainly the chief of the gods of the civilised peace-and-commerce-loving citizens of Himyar and Saba', who differed widely in character from the wild Beduin Arabs, and their submissive attitude towards the gods is the key-note of South Arabian inscriptions. These peoples attributed such things as happiness and death, victory and slaughter of enemies to the gods, who indeed were so numerous that it has become difficult for the inquirer to distinguish a god from an heroic man, since the dead are venerated and sometimes deified.
We can, however, be sure of three true gods of the Arabs, as they are mentioned in the Qur'an ; Wadd, Yaghus and Nasr (xxxi, 22, 23). Scholars may say that Wadd was only "a certain good man who lived between Adam and Noah, and of whom, after his death, was made an image, which after a long time became an object of worship.” But this statement can be safely countered by a reply that the people of Saba' and Him yar looked upon Wadd as a true god of their own without any infusion of the idea of manhood. All ancient Arabs worshipped Wadd and wore talismans bearing his name. They also dedicated, temples to him as a God of Love and Happiness, in opposition to Nakru, the God of Hatred. The name itself is merely wadd, that is love and affection.
The image of Wadd has been described by an Arab commentator as "the figure of a tall man wearing a loin-cloth with another cloth over it, with a sword hanging round his neck and also with a low and quiver : in front of him a lance, with a flag attached to it."4 It will be perceived that this does not at all describe the figure in the Plate attached, which shows a short man wearing a kilt with pleats, like that of a Scottish Highlander. On the head is a close fitting cap with a long tassel, which seems to represent a long strand of hair. It may be noted that Beduins, who come to Aden from the Hinterland, while even to this day shaving the lower parts of the head with a razor, keep a tuft on the crown, and sometimes a long strand of hair like the badi6 of the Hindus. From this I once thought that perhaps there existed a connection between the peoples of Arabia and those of the Indus Valley, and I sent a drawing of this image of Wadd to Sir John Marshall, who wrote in reply as follows: "I do not think that there is any connection between the kilted figure (from Arabia] and the Indus
1 See Presidential Address to the Oriental Conference, Madras, 1924. R. A. Nicholson, Literary History of the Arabs.
3 Lane, Lexicon. 4 Arzu'l Qur'an, ii, 428.
6 Apparently the cúdd is meant. -Jl-Editor.