According to the

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...

, Yaʿūq ( ar, يعوق) was a

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

worshipped in the days of

Noah Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5– ...

. A temple dedicated to

Rahmanan Raḥmānān ( Musnad: 𐩧𐩢𐩣𐩬𐩬 rḥmnn, "the Merciful") was a South Arabian epithet used by Christians, Jews, and pagans in South Arabia. Raḥmānān is usually followed by " Dhu Samawi", possibly "the out of heaven". During the Hi ...

and named after Ya'uq is mentioned in

South Arabia South Arabia () is a historical region that consists of the southern region of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia, mainly centered in what is now the Republic of Yemen, yet it has also historically included Najran, Jizan, Al-Bahah, and 'Asi ...

n inscriptions as "mkrbn yʿwq".

And they say: Forsake not your gods, nor forsake
Wadd Wadd ( ar, وَدّ) (Ancient South Arabian script: 𐩥𐩵) is a pre-Islamic Arabian god. He was the national god of the Minaeans of South Arabia, and the snake was associated with him. It is also called Waddum and Wadd'ab. In Islamic tr ...
, nor Suwa', nor Yaghuth and Ya'uq and Nasr. (
Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...
71:23)

Maulana Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; ar, محمد علي‎; 1874 – 13 October 1951) was an Indian people, Indian writer, scholar, and leading figure of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement. Biography Ali was born in Murar, Kapurthala State (now in Ludhiana dis ...

adds the following commentary on the passage:

The names of the idols given here are those which existed in Arabia in the Prophet's time, and hence some critics call it an anachronism. ..According to IʿAb, the idols of Noah's people were worshipped by the Arabs,
Wadd Wadd ( ar, وَدّ) (Ancient South Arabian script: 𐩥𐩵) is a pre-Islamic Arabian god. He was the national god of the Minaeans of South Arabia, and the snake was associated with him. It is also called Waddum and Wadd'ab. In Islamic tr ...
being worshipped by
Kalb The Banu Kalb ( ar, بنو كلب) was an Arab tribe which mainly dwelt in the desert between northwestern Arabia and central Syria. The Kalb was involved in the tribal politics of the eastern frontiers of the Byzantine Empire, possibly as earl ...
, Suwāʿ by Hudhail, Yaghūth by Murād, Yaʿūq by
Hamadān Hamadan () or Hamedan ( fa, همدان, ''Hamedān'') ( Old Persian: Haŋgmetana, Ecbatana) is the capital city of Hamadan Province of Iran. At the 2019 census, its population was 783,300 in 230,775 families. The majority of people living in H ...
and Nasr by Ḥimyar ( B. 65:lxxi, 1). The commentators say that Wadd was worshipped in the form of a man, Suwāʿ in that of a woman, Yaghūth in that of a lion, Yaʿūq in that of a horse and Nasr is that of an eagle ( Rz).
Maulana Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; ar, محمد علي‎; 1874 – 13 October 1951) was an Indian people, Indian writer, scholar, and leading figure of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement. Biography Ali was born in Murar, Kapurthala State (now in Ludhiana dis ...
. ''The Holy Qur'an, with English Translation and Commentary''; 2002 edition (). The quoted text appears in Ali's footnote on 71:23a (page 1138).

References

Arabian deities Horse deities {{MEast-myth-stub