Quzah

Quzaḥ (Arabic: قزح) is a pre-Islamic Arab god of weather,[1] worshiped by the people of Muzdalifah. The pre-Islamic rite of the Ifada celebrated after the September equinox was performed facing the direction of Quzah's sanctuary.[2][3] A lasting reference to Quzah is the term qaws Quzaḥ (Arabic: قوس قزح; 'bow of Quzah'), which became the Arabic term for rainbow.[4] Qaws is also said to be the name of the chief deity worshipped by the Edomites, though Josephus actually identified him as Quzah.[5]

References

  1. ^ Jordan, Michael (2004). "Quzah". Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses (2nd ed.). p. 260. ISBN 0-965-51025-5. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  2. ^ Hidiroglou, Patricia (1994). L'eau divine et sa symbolique: Essais d'anthropologie religieuse [Divine water and its symbolism: Essays of religious anthropology] (in French). Albin Michel. ISBN 2226205705. OCLC 1524828812.
  3. ^ Hitti, Philip K. (1987) [1970]. Islam, a Way of Life. Regnery Gateway. p. 37. ISBN 0-89526-992-9. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  4. ^ Bartlett, J. Edom and the Edomites. p. 201.
  5. ^ Vriezen, Th. C. (1965). "The Edomitic Deity Qaus". Oudtestamentische studiën. Vol. 14. Leiden: Brill. pp. 330–353.