Was Al-Hanifiyyah present in the Arabian Peninsula before Islam, and did people embrace it before their conversion to Islam?
It is first recommended to invite the atheist to Islam through monotheism, rational and cosmic proofs, prophetic miracles, and the truthfulness of the Quran. Among the references that help in this regard are: "The Story of Faith" by Nadeem Al-Jisr, "Faith and Life" by Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, and "Belief in Allah" by Omar Al-Ashqar. No one denies the existence of Abraham except an ignorant person of history, as all religions affirm his existence. Hanifiyyah is the creed of Islam upon which Abraham and the prophets were, and Allah commanded us to follow it. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, before Islam, used to practice Hanifiyyah in the Cave of Hira, meaning he worshipped according to the creed of Abraham. Among the people of the fatrah (interval between prophets) who were on Hanifiyyah was Zayd ibn Nufayl, who sought the true religion and rejected idol worship, and the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, affirmed his high status. Also, Amr ibn Absah Al-Sulami was among the Hanifs who witnessed the Prophetic mission and embraced Islam.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/141241