192 THE REV. W. ST. CLAIR TISDALL, M.A., ON ISLAM: 
that in some cases monumental contemporary evidence is more 
important, and gives different results to those which we obtain 
from Moslem writers, whose own beliefs coloured their statements, 
and who are, moreover, very late authorities. We have numerous 
inscriptions from Yemen, some from Northern Arabia, others 
Nabathean, and others in the Safa alphabet of Bashan (which is 
Yemenite in origin), which serve to carry us back some 1000 years 
before Muhammad, and to show us something of what the Arabs 
of the “ times of ignorance ” really believed. To this monumental 
evidence the author does not allude, 
There is nothing surprising in the fact that the early Arabs 
had some knowledge of a single Deity, considering how long the 
Jews and Christians had dwelt among them before Muhammad 
came, and considering that the idea was known to the Egyptians 
at least as early as 1400 R.c., and perhaps quite as early in 
Chaldea. But I do not think this can be quite regarded as 
monotheism, because the early Arabs, like the Canaanites, 
Assyrians, Babylonians, and Phoenicians, were certainly the 
worshippers of very many gods. 
I have not been able to find any evidence, in the monumental 
texts which refer to these deities, which would support the theory 
that they were regarded as ‘‘intercessors” with God. That 
seems to me to be rather an attempt of later Moslem writers to 
explain away the true character of the ancient idolatry, which in 
no way differed from that of other races. The author says that 
we do not find Baal, Moloch, Ashtoreth, etc., among Arabs; but 
this does not quite agree with the monumental evidence. The 
Himyarite gods included 3pypyy “Aththar, whose name has been 
compared with that of Istar (the later Ashtoreth); wT “the 
heavenly,” is apparently only the old Baal Shemim; and the 
name of #l—the older form of Allah—occurs as a compound in 
such titles as monde: Hobal, worshipped at Mecca, is the old 
byag of Mareb—a name perhaps connected with byan, or 
“‘the Baal” (Jus). The Assyrian and Aramaic influence was 
strong in Arabia from 700 B.c. downwards, and the exclusively 
Assyro-Babylonian god, Sin (pw), of the moon, was adored 
even as far south as Hadramaut. These were but a few of the 
many deities, known monumentally, who were adored as indepen- 
dent powers of Heaven and Hell by early Arabs. Among the 
Nabatheans the same texts show us that the worship was not 
monotheistic, but included the two deities, bys and —oy9—the 
Assyrian El and Alat. So Herodotus couples Alilat with Orotal ; 
but the proposed explanation of the latter name seems to me very 
doubtful. The antiquity of the Mecca shrine, where the Arab 
Venus was adored, was no doubt very great; but Diodorus does 
