The demolition of al-Lat
هدم اللات
c. December 630 CE · Ramadan 9 AH
Fulfilling the Thaqif treaty's clause, the Prophet sent Khalid ibn al-Walid who demolished al-Lat at al-Ta'if; al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba struck its gate with the pickaxe after feigning a collapse that terrified the onlookers, and its ornaments and covering were divided the same day.
At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
In time
In space
Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph
Summary
Khalid ibn al-Walid carried out the peace term with Thaqif and demolished al-Lat at al-Ta'if in Ramadan 9 AH; al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba struck its door with the pickaxe, and its ornaments and covering were divided that same day 1.
The account
In their peace Thaqif stipulated that the Prophet undertake the demolition of al-Lat and that they never demolish it with their own hands, and he accepted 2. The Prophet sent men under the command of Khalid ibn al-Walid 3. Al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba rose, took the pickaxe and said to his companions: by God, I will make you laugh at Thaqif; he struck, then fell trembling, and the people of al-Ta'if were shaken and said: may God remove al-Mughira — the goddess has killed him 1. Al-Mughira sprang up and said: God shame you — she is only a thing of stones and clay; then he struck the door and broke it, climbed atop its wall and the men climbed too, and it was demolished and levelled to the ground until its foundations were dug out and its ornaments and covering brought out 1. Khalid returned to the Prophet with his detachment carrying its ornaments and covering, which he divided that very day, praising God for aiding His Prophet and exalting His religion 4.
For young visitors
Al-Lat had a house the people of al-Ta'if held sacred; when they became Muslim they asked not to demolish it with their own hands, so the Prophet sent men who demolished it and distributed what was in it to the poor that same day.
Connections
- Had participant
- al-Mughira ibn Shu'baKhalid ibn al-Walid
- Occurred at
- Ta'if
- Caused by
- The delegation of Thaqif
People and things also explored
The siege of Ta'ifThaqifThe Battle of HunaynAbd Yalil ibn Amral-Mughira ibn Shu'baMuhammadUthman ibn Abi al-AsTa'if
Sources
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, p. 449
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, p. 448
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, p. 449; ibn-hisham-sira
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, p. 449; zad-al-maad
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham
- Zad al-Ma'ad — Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The demolition of al-Lat”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/demolition-of-al-lat/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.