According to classical Islamic scholarship, the pre-Islamic deities mentioned in the Quran are the specific historical examples of false gods and idols whose worship the Quran categorically refutes to establish the absolute monotheism of Tawheed. Classical commentators like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir explain that deities such as the Meccan goddesses Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Manat (Surah An-Najm), the idols of Noah's people like Wadd and Suwa' (Surah Nuh), and figures like Baal (Surah As-Saffat) were central to the polytheistic practices (Shirk) that Islam came to abolish. The Quran's consistent theological argument, synthesized across all verse contexts, is that these are merely 'names' invented by humanity, devoid of any divine power or authority, and their worship is a grave misguidance based on conjecture rather than revelation. This refutation serves as the foundational argument against Shirk, the one unforgivable sin in Islam if unrepented, solidifying the principle that all worship is due exclusively to Allah.