Editing Paganism (section)

=== Postclassical history ===

Pagan Continuity in Mani and Mistra (800–1100) Christianity was introduced late in Mani, with the first Greek temples converted into churches during the 11th century. Byzantine monk [[Saint Nikon the Metanoeite|Nikon "the Metanoite"]] (Νίκων ὁ Μετανοείτε) was sent in the 10th century to convert the predominantly [[pagan]] Maniots. Although his preaching began the conversion process, it took over 200 years for the majority to accept Christianity fully by the 11th and 12th centuries. [[Patrick Leigh Fermor]] noted that the Maniots, isolated by mountains, were among the last Greeks to abandon the old religion, doing so towards the end of the 9th century: {{blockquote|Sealed off from outside influences by their mountains, the semi-[[rock-cut architecture|troglodytic]] Maniots themselves were the last of the Greeks to be converted. They only abandoned the old religion of Greece towards the end of the ninth century. It is surprising to remember that this peninsula of rock, so near the heart of the Levant from which Christianity springs, should have been baptised three whole centuries after the arrival of [[Augustine of Canterbury|St. Augustine]] in far-away [[Kent]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Leigh Fermor |first=Patrick |title=Mani: Travels in the Southern Peloponnese |year=1958 |publisher=John Murray |page=46}}</ref>}} According to [[Constantine VII]] in ''[[De Administrando Imperio]]'', the Maniots were referred to as 'Hellenes' and only fully [[Christianized]] in the 9th century, despite some church ruins from the 4th century indicating early Christian presence. The region's mountainous terrain allowed the Maniots to evade the Eastern Roman Empire's Christianization efforts, thus preserving pagan traditions, which coincided with significant years in the life of [[Gemistos Plethon]].

Another safe area for the pagans was the city of Harran which, Despite the persecution of its pagan inhabitants by Byzantine Emperor Maurice, remained a largely pagan city well into the early Islamic period. When the city was besieged by the armies of the [[Rashidun Caliphate]] in 639–640, it was the pagan community that negotiated its peaceful surrender. Under the subsequent rule of the caliphates, Harran became a major settlement within the [[Diyar Mudar]] region and retained a significant degree of autonomy. During the [[First Fitna]], the people of Harran sided with [[Mu'awiya I]] over [[Ali]] at the [[Battle of Siffin]] in 657, which allegedly resulted in a brutal retaliation by Ali, who massacred much of the population.{{Sfn|Pingree|2002|p=17}}

Under the [[Umayyad Caliphate]] (661–750), Harran prospered and was selected as the capital by the last Umayyad caliph, [[Marwan II]], from 744 to 750. This move may have been influenced by the city's pagan sympathies and its strategic position near the empire's eastern provinces.{{Sfn|Bosworth|2003|pp=13–14}} The city's prominence under Umayyad rule saw it grow as a cultural and scholarly center, with the establishment of the first Muslim university in 717 under [[Umar II]], attracting scholars from across the Islamic world.{{Sfn|Frew|1999}}

Although Harran lost its capital status under the [[Abbasid Caliphate]], it continued to flourish, particularly during the reign of [[Harun al-Rashid]] (786–809), when its university became a key center for translation and intellectual activity.{{Sfn|Özdeniz|Bekleyen|Gönül|Gönül|1998|p=478}} The local religion, blending elements of Mesopotamian paganism and Neoplatonism, persisted into the 10th century, though periodic decrees enforced conversions to Islam, especially under [[Al-Ma'mun]] in 830.{{Sfn|Pingree|2002|p=23}} Nonetheless, Harran retained its heterogeneity, with a population that included Muslims, Christians, Jews, and a variety of other religious groups.

The medieval church accused sects deemed heretical such as the [[Waldensians]] and Cathars of participating in pagan fertility rites.<ref name="Byrne 2017 p. 626">{{cite book |last=Byrne |first=J.P. |title=The World of Renaissance Italy: A Daily Life Encyclopedia [2 volumes] |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-4408-2960-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5_kmDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA626 |access-date=2023-05-14 |page=626}}</ref>

==== Islam in Arabia ====
{{See also|Religion in pre-Islamic Arabia}}
Arab paganism gradually disappeared during [[Muhammad]]'s era through [[Islamization]].<ref name="sealednectar2">{{citation |title=The sealed nectar: biography of the Noble Prophet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r_80rJHIaOMC&pg=PA245 |first=Saifur Rahman Al |last=Mubarakpuri |year=2005 |publisher=Darussalam Publications |isbn=978-9960-899-55-8 |pages=245–46}}</ref><ref name="online">Muhammad Saed Abdul-Rahman, [https://books.google.com/books?id=nmUrN0B8cvQC&pg=PA139 Tafsir Ibn Kathir Juz' 2 (Part 2): Al-Baqarah 142 to Al-Baqarah 252 2nd Edition] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102164909/https://books.google.com/books?id=nmUrN0B8cvQC&pg=PA139 |date=2 January 2023 }}, p. 139, MSA Publication Limited, 2009, {{ISBN|1861796765}}. ([https://web.archive.org/web/20090529214150/http://www.fda.gov/fsrscripts/triggerParams.js online])</ref> The sacred months of the Arab pagans were the 1st, 7th, 11th, and 12th months of the Islamic calendar.<ref name="The Sealed Nectar Free Version">Mubarakpuri, [https://books.google.com/books?id=-ppPqzawIrIC&pg=PA129 The Sealed Nectar (Free Version)]{{dead link|date=May 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, p. 129</ref> After Muhammad had conquered [[Mecca]] he set out to convert the pagans.<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite book |last=Sa'd |first=Ibn |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dfnXAAAAMAAJ&q=Hatim |title=Kitab al-tabaqat al-kabir, By Ibn Sa'd, Volume 2 |year=1967 |publisher=Pakistan Historical Society |asin=B0007JAWMK |page=380}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated1>{{citation |title=The Sealed Nectar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-ppPqzawIrIC&pg=PA269 |first=Saifur |last=Rahman al-Mubarakpuri |year=2005 |publisher=Darussalam Publications |page=269 |isbn=9798694145923}}</ref><ref name="Mufti Dec 2007 103">{{citation |title=Encyclopaedia of Islam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oiAtbfbHgVoC&pg=PA103 |first=M. Mukarram Ahmed |last=Mufti |year=2007 |publisher=Anmol Publications Pvt Ltd |isbn=978-81-261-2339-1 |page=103}}</ref> One of the last military campaigns that Muhammad ordered against the Arab pagans was the [[Demolition of Dhul Khalasa]]. It occurred in April and May 632 AD, in 10AH of the Islamic Calendar. [[Dhul Khalasa]] is referred to as both an idol and a temple, and it was known by some as the [[Ka'ba]] of Yemen, built and worshipped by polytheist tribes.<ref name=b3>{{cite book |title=Kinship and Marriage in Early Arabia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VHufEXRlR6EC&pg=PA297 |first=William |last=Robertson Smith |year=2010 |publisher=Forgotten Books |isbn=978-1-4400-8379-2 |page=297}}</ref><ref name=b2>{{cite book |title=Who Was Jesus?: Conspiracy in Jerusalem |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yWzcsddrx_wC&pg=PA146 |first=Kamal |last=S. Salibi |year=2007 |publisher=Tauris Parke Paperbacks |isbn=978-1-84511-314-8 |page=146}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=When the Moon Split |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xJL6gxPUV4EC&pg=PA296 |first=Saifur Rahman Al |last=Mubarakpuri |year=2002 |publisher=DarusSalam |isbn=978-9960-897-28-8 |page=296}}</ref>