The Dhat Anwat incident
قصة ذات أنواط
January 630 CE · Shawwal 8 AH
On the march to Hunayn the army passed the sacred tree Dhat Anwat, where pagans hung their weapons and held rites; some of the newly converted soldiers asked the Prophet to 'appoint for us a Dhat Anwat as they have one', and he rebuked the request, likening it to the Israelites' demand that Moses make them a god.
At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
In time
Summary
"Make us a Dhat Anwat"
Some of the army — many of them Meccans new to Islam — said to the Prophet: make us a Dhat Anwat as they have a Dhat Anwat 1. He rebuked their words and said: "God is greatest — you have said, by Him in whose hand Muhammad's soul is, as the people of Moses said: make us a god as they have gods. He said: you are a people who act in ignorance," and told them this was the way of things — that they would tread the ways of those before them 2.
For young visitors
Some of the new Muslims saw a great tree the polytheists venerated, hanging their swords on it, and asked for a tree like it for themselves. The Prophet taught them that monotheism needs neither idols nor sacred trees, and that their request resembled the people of Moses asking for an idol — so they learned a lesson in the oneness of worship.
Connections
- Had participant
- Muhammad
- Part of
- The Battle of HunaynThe Prophetic Era
People and things also explored
The Conquest of Mecca (Fath Makka)The siege of Ta'ifThe Battle of HunaynThe Incident of the Slander (Hadith al-Ifk)The Prophet's address to the Ansar at al-Ji'ranaThe three years of the secret callAli's expedition to destroy al-Fuls, the idol of Tayy'The monk Bahira at Busra
Sources
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, p. 415
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, p. 415; jami-al-tirmidhi
- Jami' al-Tirmidhi
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The Dhat Anwat incident”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/incident-of-dhat-anwat/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.