Lat, al-

Lat, al-

Northern Arabian goddess of pre-Islamic times. A stone cube near Mecca was held sacred as part of her cult. Two other northern Arabian goddesses, Manat and al-'Uzza, are associated with al-Lat in the Qur'an. According to a contentious account, Muhammad was said to have recognized these three as goddesses, but a new revelation led him to abandon his attempt to placate Meccan pagans, and he later ordered the sanctuaries of al-Lat and the other two goddesses destroyed. The goddesses were worshiped by Arab tribes located as far away as Palmyra, Syria.