Allah mentions in the Quran, "So shun the abomination of idols, and shun the word that is false."
[Quran 22: 30].
It has been narrated by Ibn Abdullah who said: "The Holy Prophet (SAWS) entered Makkah. There
were three hundred and sixty idols around the Ka'ba. He began to thrust them with the stick that was
in his hand saying: "Truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Lo! Falsehood was destined to
vanish" [Quran 17: 81]. Truth has arrived, and falsehood can neither create anything from the
beginning nor can it restore to life." [Book 19, Number 4397]
Why would the Prophet (SAWS) destroy these idols? After all, they were not going to be worshiped
anymore, since the Muslims had authority in the land, and most of the Makkans had embraced Islam.
Even if they had not, no one would dare to go and worship these idols if the Muslims were in
command. Why did the Prophet (SAWS) not preserve these idols as 'cultural heritage'? The answer to
this is the clear Hadith in which the Prophet (SAWS) stated that part of his message was to destroy
the idols.
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Battle of Somnath
. . . [After a fierce and close battle] Mahmud entered the temple and possessed himself of its fabulous wealth. `Not a hundredth part of the gold and precious stones he obtained from Somnath were to be found in the treasury of any king of Hindustan.’ Later historians have related how Mahmud refused the enormous ransom offered by the Brahmans, and preferred the title of `Idol-breaker’(But-shikan) to that of `Idol-seller’ (But-farosh). He struck the idol with his mace and his piety was instantly rewarded by the precious stones that came out of its belly. Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni by Mohammad Habib