How did Islamic traditions preserve information about pre-Islamic Arabian beliefs?

Islamic traditions played a significant role in preserving information about pre-Islamic Arabian beliefs, despite the period being characterized by Muslims as jāhiliyyah (a term meaning "ignorance" or "barbarism"). While the Qur'ān was written to reject idolatry and establish monotheism, it provides specific references to pre-Islamic deities, such as the goddesses al-ʿUzzā, Manāt, and al-Lāt, who were known as the "Daughters of Allāh" in Mecca.12345

Beyond the sacred text, historical information was transmitted through several other Islamic channels:

• Early Annalists and Geographers: Scholars compiled accounts of ancient folklore and religious practices. Notable examples include The Book of the Idols (Kitāb al-aṣnām) by the genealogist Ibn al-Kalbī and al-Iklīl by the encyclopaedist al-Hamdānī, which documented pre-Islamic antiquities in Yemen.3
• Oral Poetry: Pre-Islamic poetry, an oral corpus later transcribed during the Islamic period, serves as a vital source for understanding the social and cultural context of the era.3
• Philological Interest: Early Muslim scholars and philologists, eager to preserve the classical linguistic heritage, meticulously recorded and studied this literature, which inadvertently preserved details about the pre-Islamic worldview.6