Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Manat were idols that belonged to them, and they are feminine. Al-Lat was for Thaqif in Ta'if. It was said that it was in Nakhlah, worshipped by Quraysh. It is a form derived from 'lawā', because they would bend towards it and devote themselves to worship. Or they would turn towards it. [Mahamud said: 'The derivation of Al-Lat is from 'lawā' in the sense of standing by it, because they were... etc.' Ahmad said: 'The other is another form of femininity, and there is no doubt that it is originally derived from the existence of delay, but the Arabs shifted its usage from the meaning of existential delay to usage where a different mention precedes it, until it lost its indication of the original meaning, unlike 'akhira' and 'ukhra', which are on the pattern of 'fa'il' and 'fa'ila', for their indication of existential delay remains unchanged. Therefore, they refrained from saying: 'Rabī' al-akhira' on the pattern of 'af'al', and 'Jumādā al-ukhra' to 'Rabī' al-akhira' on the pattern of 'fa'il', and 'Jumādā al-akhira' on the pattern of 'fa'ila', because they wanted to convey the existential delay, as 'af'al' and 'fa'ila' from this derivation lack the indication of their purpose. They shifted to 'al-akhira' and 'al-ukhra' and adhered to that in both. This discussion is something that Sheikh Abu Amr ibn al-Hajib, may Allah have mercy on him, had clarified at the end of his time, and it is the truth, if Allah wills. Thus, the intended meaning is to indicate a different mention preceding it, along with what we believe in fulfilling the pause at the beginning of the verse. Allah knows best.] That is, they would circle around it. And it was read: Al-Lat, with emphasis. They claimed it was named after a man who used to mix ghee with oil and feed the pilgrims. And according to Mujahid, it was a man who mixed flour in Ta'if, and they would devote themselves to his grave, so they made it an idol. Al-Uzza was for Ghatafan, and it was a tamarisk tree. Its origin is the femininity of 'al-Aziz'. The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, sent Khalid ibn al-Walid to destroy it, and a she-devil emerged from it, with her hair disheveled, calling out, 'Woe to me!', placing her hand on her head. He struck her with the sword until he killed her, saying: 'O Al-Uzza, your denial is not glorification of you... I have seen that Allah has humiliated you.' [This is attributed to Khalid ibn al-Walid, may Allah be pleased with him. 'Al-Uzza' is a diminutive form of 'Al-Uzza'. Its diminutive is rare, as it is neither a four-letter word nor feminine with a 'hā', and it was a tree that the pre-Islamic Arabs worshipped. He struck it with his sword, and a jinn emerged from it screaming, and he said that to her in astonishment. It was said that he struck it with an axe until he cut it down and killed the jinn. 'Your denial' is accusative due to an omitted word, like 'glorification', meaning: 'I deny you with denial, not that I glorify you with glorification', for both are sources sufficient for their actions. 'Humiliation' means disgrace.] He returned and informed the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, who said: 'That is Al-Uzza, and it will never be worshipped again.' [This was narrated by Ibn Mardawayh through Muhammad ibn Ishaq from Muhammad ibn al-Sa'ib al-Kalbi from Abu Salih and from Ikrimah from Ibn Abbas that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, sent Khalid ibn al-Walid to Al-Uzza to destroy it. It was in Nakhlah, and it had a caretaker. Khalid came to it and destroyed it, and he mentioned something similar until the end. Al-Waqidi narrated it in Al-Maghazi, and Al-Azraqi in Al-Tarikh from him through Abdullah ibn Yazid al-Hudhali from Sa'id ibn Amr al-Hudhali, who said: 'When the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, entered Mecca, he mentioned the story, and in it: 'He sent Khalid ibn al-Walid to Al-Uzza to destroy it,' and he mentioned the story. Ibn Sa'd also mentioned it in Al-Tabaqat in the campaigns. The origin of this story was narrated by Al-Nasa'i, Abu Ya'la, Al-Tabarani, and Abu Nu'aym in Al-Dala'il from the hadith of Abu al-Tufail, who said: 'When the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, opened Mecca, he sent Khalid ibn al-Walid to Nakhlah, where Al-Uzza was, and Khalid came to it, and it was on three trees, and he cut down the trees.'] Manat was a rock that belonged to Hudhayl and Khuzā'ah. And according to Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, it was for Thaqif. It was read: Manā'ah, and it seems it was named Manat because the blood of women was shed near it, meaning: it was spilled. Manā'ah is a form derived from 'nū', as if they were seeking rain by it as a blessing. The other is a reproach, being the one that is lower in status, as in His saying: 'Their last will say to their first' meaning: their lowly ones to their leaders and nobles.

It is permissible that the priority and precedence for them is for al-Lat and al-Uzza. They used to say that the angels and these idols are the daughters of Allah. They worshipped them and claimed that they are their intercessors with Allah, glorified and exalted is He, while they would bury their daughters alive. They were told, 'Do you have the males while He has the females?' It may be intended that al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat are females, and you have made them partners with Allah. It is your nature to despise females and to be averse to having them born to you and attributed to you. So how do you make these females equals to Allah and call them gods? This is an unjust division. The term 'ضيزى' (dhiizaa) comes from 'ضاز' (daaz) if it encompasses. The original form is 'ضوزى' (duuzah). Thus, it was acted upon as it was done with 'بيض' (bayd), to preserve the 'ya'. It is also read as 'ضئزى' (dhi'zi) from 'ضأزه' (da'az) with a hamza. 'ضيز' (dhiiz) with a fatha on the 'dhal' refers to the idols, meaning they are nothing but names without any real entities beneath them. You claim divinity for that which is the furthest from it and most contradictory to it. This is similar to His saying, 'What do you worship besides Him except names that you have named?' Or it refers to the pronoun of the names, which are your words, al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat. They intend by these names the gods, meaning: these names are nothing but names you have named based on your desires and whims. You have no proof from Allah regarding the validity of naming them. The meaning of 'سَمَّيْتُمُوها' (sammaytumuhā) is that you named them with it. It is said: 'I named him Zayd,' and 'I named him by Zayd.' They follow nothing but conjecture, except the assumption that what they are upon is the truth, and that their gods are their intercessors, and what their souls desire, while they abandon what has come to them of guidance and evidence that their religion is false.