Arabia before Islam
In writing the history of Islam, it is pertinent to give an overview of the life of Arabs at the eve of the call of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), to prophethood. The period in question has been termed in Islamic history as the ‘Period of Jahiliyyah’ (ignorance). This period could be calculated as to be between two hundred to two hundred and fifty years before the birth of Muhammad bn Abdullah in the year 570 (C.E).
Geographically, Arabia has three of its sides surrounded by water and that is why it is called the ‘Arabian Peninsula’. On the West, it is surrounded by the Red Sea, on the East by the Arabian Gulf while its south is surrounded by the Indian Ocean. Except those who lived in towns and cities around the oasis who engaged mostly in trading activities, a very large percentage of the Arabs lived in the desert and wandered after their animals in search of grazing for their goats, sheep, camels and horses. They lived in tents and camps and were at times forced out of such tents by raiders who could dispossess them of their belongings and life, and thus not having any settled life. They are known as the Bedouin Arabs.
The period of Jahiliyyah was a crude and barbaric time in the religious, political, economic and social aspects of the Arabs’ life in the history of Islam.
Political conditions in Arabia before Islam
The most remarkable feature of the political life of Arabia before Islam was the total absence of formal and centralised political organisations in any form. With the exception of Yemen in the South-West, no part of the Arabian Peninsula had any government at any time. Also, the Arabs never acknowledged any authority other than the authority of the Shaykh or Sayyid (chiefs) of their tribes. The authority of the tribal chiefs, rested in most cases on their character and their personality. Their authority was more than politics.
Since there was no government, it necessarily followed that there would be no law and order. In the event that a crime was committed, the injured party took the law into his or her own hands, and tried to administer ‘justice’ to the offender. Very frequently, this system led to acts of cruelty. Thus, the adage ‘help your brother, whether he is the oppressor or the oppressed’ was the norm.
Since there were no such things as the police, the courts or judges, the only protection a man could find from his enemies was in his own tribe. The tribe had an obligation to protect its members even if they had committed crimes. Tribalism or ‘asabiyyah (the clan spirit) took precedence over ethics. A tribe that failed to protect its members from their enemies exposed itself to ridicule, obloquy and contempt.
The desert could support only a limited number of people, and the state of inter-tribal wars maintained a rigid control over the growth of the population. This was because, to them, according to old and gallant codes, war was a pastline, a rather dangerous sports or a species of tribal drama waged by professionals.
They acknowledged the authority of a man who led them into a foray but could command their obedience only if they had an assurance of receiving a fair share of the booty, and his authority lapsed as soon as the expedition was over. The population of Arabia consisted of two main divisions: sedentary and nomadic Hijaz. South Arabia was dotted with many small and a few large towns. The rest of the country had a floating population composed of Bedouins. They were backward in a civil and political sense, but they were also a source of anxiety and fear for the sedentary population. They lived as pirates of the desert and they were notorious for their unrestrained individualism and Anarchic tribal particularism.
Economic conditions in Arabia before Islam
Economically, the Jews were the leaders of Arabia. They were the owners of the best arable lands in Hijaz and were the best farmers in the country. They were also the entrepreneurs of such industries as existed in Arabia in those days, and they enjoyed a monopoly of the armaments industry.
Slavery was an economic institution of the Arabs. Male and female slaves were sold and bought like animals, and they formed the most depressed class of the Arabian society.
The most powerful class of the Arabs was made up by the Capitalists and the Money-lenders. The rates of interest which they charged on loans were exorbitant, and were especially designed to make them richer and richer, and the borrowers poorer and poorer.
The most important urban centers of Arabia were Makkah and Yathrlb, both in Hijaz. The citizens of Makkah were mostly merchants, traders and money-lenders. Their caravans travelled in summer to Syria and in winter to Yemen. They also travelled to Bahrain in the East and to Iraq in the Northeast. The caravan trade was basic to the economy of Makkah, and its organisation called for considerable skill, experience and ability.
Social conditions in Arabia before Islam
Arabia was a male-dominated society; women had no status of any kind other than as sex objects. The number of women a man could marry was not fixed. When a man died, his son “inherited” all his wives except his own mother. A savage custom of theArabs was to bury their female infants alive. Even if an Arab did not wish to bury his daughter alive, he still had to uphold this ‘honourable’ tradition, being unable to resist social pressures. Drunkenness was a common vice of the Arabs and this was accompanied by gambling. They were compulsive drinkers and compulsive gamblers. The relations of the sexes were extremely loose. Many women employed sex as a means of livelihood since there was little else they could do. These women flew flags on their houses, and were called ‘ladies of the flags.
The State of Religion in Pre-Islamic Arabia
Judging by the beliefs and the practices of the pagan Arabs, it appears that it was the most appropriate name. The Arabs were the devotees of a variety of ‘religions’ which can be classified into the following categories:
- Idol-worshippers or Polytheists: Most of the Arabs were idol worshippers. They worshipped numerous idols and each tribe had its own idol or idols and fetish practices. They had turned the Ka’bah in Makkah, which according to tradition, had been built by the Prophet Abraham and his son, Ismael, and was dedicated by them to the service of One God. The Ka’abah was then a heathen pantheon housing 360 idols made of stone and wood.
- Atheists: This group was composed of the materialists that believed that the world was eternal.
- Zindiqs: They were influenced by the Persian doctrine of dualism in nature. They believed that there were two gods representing the twin forces of good and evil or the twin forces of light and darkness. Also, they believed that both were locked up in an unending struggle for supremacy.
- Sabines: They worshipped the stars.
- Jews: When the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70, and drove the Jews out of Palestine and Syria, many of them found new homes in Hijaz in Arabia. Under their influence, many Arabs also became Converts to Judaism. Their strong centres were the towns of Yathrib, Khaybar, Fadak and Umm-ul-Qura.
- Christians: The Romans had converted the North Arabian tribe of Ghassan to Christianity. Some clans of Ghassan had migrated to and had settled in Hijaz. In the South, there were many Christians in Yemen where the creed was originally brought by the Ethiopian invaders. Their strong centre was the town of Najran.
- Monotheists: There was a small group of monotheists present Arabia on the eve of the rise of Islam. Its members did not worship idols, and they were the followers of the Prophet Abraham. The members of the families of Muhammad, the future prophet, and ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, the future caliph, and most members of their clan, the Banu Hashim belonged to this group.
Education among the Arabs Before Islam
Among the Arabs, there were extremely few individuals who could read and write. Most of them were not very eager to learn the arts of reading and writing. Some historians are of the opinion that the culture of the period was almost entirely oral. The Jews and the Christians were the custodians of such knowledge as Arabia had. The greatest intellectual accomplishment of the pagan Arabs was their poetry. They claimed that God had bestowed the most remarkable qualities of the head upon the Greeks (its proof is their science and philosophy); of the hand upon the Chinese (its proof is their craftsmanship); and of the tongue upon the Arabs (its proof is their eloquence). Their greatest pride, both before and after Islam, is their eloquence and poetry.
Life and Mission of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W)
The Birth of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W)
Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), the son of one of the noblest Arab family in Arabia of his time, i.e. the Quraysh tribe of Banu Hashim clan, was born in Makkah on Monday 12″ of the lunar month of Rabi’al Awwal in the year of the Elephants, corresponding to April 20, 570 (Christian Era). His father’s name was Abdullah bn Abdul Mutallib while his mother’s name was Aminat bint Wahab.
Abdullah, the Prophet’s (S.A.W) father, died before he was born. In line with the Arabian custom, the Prophet (S.A.W) was taken to the desert to be suckled by a wet-nurse and for early childhood training with a Bedoin tribe. Halimah was very poor and weak when she took up the Prophet’s (S.A.W), upbringing, but her poverty and weakness were turned to fortune and goodluck because the coming of the Prophet (S.A.W), to her marked tremendous positive changes in her lifestyle.
The Prophet’s (S.A.W) stay with Banu Sa’ad assisted in giving him best of training. He learnt most of the arts common among the desert Arabs, Also, he learnt and imbibed a simple lifestyle, how to endure hardship and how to be patient with everybody in the clan of his trainer. Halimah loved him, especially for his good conduct and plain character. People began to notice his trustworthy character and this made them like him the more. While he was with Halimah, it was reported that one of the days, Allah sent two angels to seize him and cleanse his heart of evil and bad instincts. That is why after this incident, he was not known to be involved in any bad conduct throughout his life.
At the age of four, Halimah decided to take the Prophet (S.A.W) back to his mother Aminah. Later on, Aminah decided to take the Prophet (S.A.W), to Yathrib (later known as Madinah) in order to visit his maternal uncles, and to pay a visit to his father’s grave. Unfortunately for the young Prophet (S.A.W), Aminah also died on their way back to Makkah. When the Prophet (S.A.W) was 6 years old, he was brought back to Makkah where Abdul Mutallib, his grandfather, took over his training. Abdul Mutallib took care of him with great love and passion.
At the age of eight, Abdul Mutallib passed to the great beyond, leaving the Prophet (S.A.W) in the care of only Abu Talib, who happened to be his uncle. Abi Talib equally proved to be up to the task by giving him the best of training and care. In addition, Abu Talib, as a shepherd, trained the Prophet (S.A.W) in this noble business and always took him along on his business trips. During one of such trips to Syria, Bakhirah, a monk advised Abu Talib to take good care of the Prophet (S.A.W) because he foresaw he that was going to be a great man and thus, needed to be properly taken care of. The Prophet’s (S.A.W) life was characterised with virtues and with good moral character. He displayed a very high level of trustworthiness that when people kept things with him for a long time, he usually returned exactly what had been kept in his custody. As a result of this, he was nicknamed alAmin, meaning the Trustworthy’.
The Prophet’s (S.A.W) marriage to Khadijah Growing up, the Prophet (S.A.W) decided to work with a wealthy Arab widow, Khadijah. Soon, Khadijah began to notice exceptional qualities in the Prophet (S.A.W), in her business dealings with him, especially when servant, Maysarah, gave her the report of the Prophet’s (S.A.W) transparent honesty during their business trip to Syria.
This outstanding qualities of the Prophet (S.A.W) attracted him to Khadijah, who was well-known and loved by many Arabs of her time. She could not hide her feelings, but had to show her interest in marrying this trustworthy young man. Khadijah’s wish soon became a reality. As at this time, the Prophet (S.A.W) was twenty-five years old while Khadijah was forty. The union was blessed with six children: Al-Qasim, Abdullah, Zaynab, Rugayyah, Ummu Kulthum and Fatimah. The Prophet (S.A.W) was a loving husband and a modest father who did everything within his reach to provide comfortable living for his family.
The Mission of the Prophet (S.A.W)
The Prophet’s (S.A.W) virtues of truthfulness and_ trustworthiness encouraged everyone among his peers to love him and trust him. Right from time, many of the dreams of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) came to pass. In addition to this, the situation of the Arabs, i.e. the socio-political situation of the Arabs during the period of Jahiliyyah, occupied the mind of the Prophet (S.A.W). He was always thinking of the possible ways out of the terrible situation.
He gave himself the assignment of finding a possible solution to the Arab’s situation by spending a lot of time contemplating and pondering on their situation. Mount Hira’, a distance just outside the city of Makkah, was his choice of place of meditation for this assignment. Therein, he usually reflected on everything around him.
On the 17″ of Ramadan, February 610 C.E., while he was in cave Hira’ in his usual act, he heard a strange voice commanding him to read. Of course, he was an unlettered person, who knew nothing about reading and writing. The voice repeatedly made this statement until the third time when the voice now said,
- Read, in the name of your Lord who creates
- Creates man from a clot
- Read and your Lord is the most generous
- Who teaches by the Pen
- Teaches man what he knew not.
Soon, the Angel disappeared and the Prophet (S.A.W) was frightened and quickly ran home to his wife. Khadijah comforted him and believed in him immediately. This was the starting point of revelations of the Qur’an as well as the commencement of the mission of the Prophet (S.A.W), which is Islam. The revelation of the Qur’an became a staff of office with which Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) was commissioned into Islam.
Not long after, the message of Islam began to be preached to people and the response was coming at a seemingly slow rate. The few early believers were exposed to severe torture and abandonment by relatives and friends as well as acquaintances. Despite these persecutions, Islam continued to wax stronger.
Summary
The situation of the Arabs before the advent of Islam was a barbaric one where paganism was the order of the day. The Shaykh or Sayyid, who heads the tribe leads his clan to war and guides them in peace time. Spiritually, there was no definite way of worship; the majority worshipped many deities almost one per day round the year. The situation moved the Prophet (S.A.W) at a very early stage of life and he resorted to meditation in Cave Hira’ where revelation from Allah eventually came to him to guide the Arabs and humanity as a whole. His moral standard assisted his responsibility as a prophet, but many Arabs still rejected and persecuted him. His rich merchant wife and uncle protected him and assisted him in his cause. In the face of persecutions, the Muslims migrated to Yathrib and Allah granted them victory and acceptance.
QUESTIONS
- What period is referred to as the ‘Period of Jahiliyyah’ in Islamic history?
a) 1000-1200 years before Prophet Muhammad’s birth
b) 200-250 years before Prophet Muhammad’s birth
c) 500-600 years after Prophet Muhammad’s birth
d) 50-100 years before Prophet Muhammad’s birth - Which body of water surrounds Arabia to the West?
a) Arabian Gulf
b) Mediterranean Sea
c) Red Sea
d) Indian Ocean - What was the primary activity of the Bedouin Arabs?
a) Agriculture
b) Trading
c) Wandering and herding animals
d) Fishing - What was the most notable feature of political life in pre-Islamic Arabia?
a) Strong central government
b) Formal courts and law enforcement
c) Tribal leadership with no centralized authority
d) Constant warfare between kingdoms - What was the role of the Shaykh or Sayyid in pre-Islamic Arabian tribes?
a) A religious leader
b) A military leader
c) A government official
d) A judge - What was a significant consequence of the lack of formal government in pre-Islamic Arabia?
a) High level of education
b) Regular peace treaties
c) No protection except within one’s own tribe
d) Well-organized trade systems - What were the Bedouin Arabs notorious for?
a) Agricultural innovations
b) Urban development
c) Individualism and anarchic tribalism
d) Educational achievements - Which group of people were the economic leaders of pre-Islamic Arabia?
a) Nomads
b) Jews
c) Christians
d) Farmers - What was the major economic activity in Makkah before Islam?
a) Slavery
b) Agriculture
c) Caravan trade
d) Mining - Which of the following was a common vice in pre-Islamic Arabian society?
a) Meditation
b) Alcoholism and gambling
c) Charity work
d) Education - What was the primary characteristic of Arabian society before Islam in terms of gender relations?
a) Gender equality
b) Male-dominated society
c) Women’s political power
d) Equal marriage rights - What was the common practice regarding female infants in pre-Islamic Arabia?
a) Educating them
b) Burying them alive
c) Letting them be independent
d) Marrying them off at a young age - What type of religious belief was common among most Arabs before Islam?
a) Monotheism
b) Atheism
c) Idol worship and polytheism
d) Zoroastrianism - What was the Ka’bah in Makkah originally used for in pre-Islamic Arabia?
a) A mosque for monotheistic worship
b) A site for idol worship
c) A temple for Jews
d) A market place - Which group of people were known for worshipping stars in pre-Islamic Arabia?
a) Jews
b) Sabines
c) Christians
d) Monotheists - Which of the following was a key intellectual achievement of pre-Islamic Arabs?
a) Architecture
b) Poetry
c) Science
d) Engineering - What was the literacy level among the Arabs before Islam?
a) High literacy rate
b) Low literacy rate
c) Only priests were literate
d) Universal literacy - What was the main feature of the Prophet Muhammad’s (S.A.W) upbringing?
a) Raised by his biological parents
b) Raised by his grandfather and uncle
c) Raised in a royal family
d) Educated by Christian monks - What is the name of the Prophet Muhammad’s (S.A.W) biological mother?
a) Khadijah
b) Amina
c) Halimah
d) Fatimah - How old was Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) when his father passed away?
a) 2 years old
b) 5 years old
c) He was born after his father’s death
d) 10 years old - Who took care of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) after his grandfather’s death?
a) His uncle Abu Talib
b) His mother Amina
c) His father Abdullah
d) His wet-nurse Halimah - What was Prophet Muhammad’s (S.A.W) nickname, meaning ‘the Trustworthy’?
a) Al-Rashid
b) Al-Amin
c) Al-Hadi
d) Al-Sadiq - How old was Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) when he married Khadijah?
a) 25
b) 30
c) 35
d) 40 - What was Khadijah’s status in society?
a) A poor merchant
b) A wealthy widow
c) A scholar
d) A priestess - What was the name of the monk who advised Abu Talib to take good care of the Prophet (S.A.W)?
a) Bakhirah
b) Al-Tabari
c) Zayd
d) Abdullah - Where did Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) often meditate before receiving his first revelation?
a) Mount Uhud
b) Cave Hira’
c) The Ka’bah
d) Mount Sinai - What event marked the beginning of Prophet Muhammad’s (S.A.W) mission?
a) His marriage to Khadijah
b) His first battle
c) The revelation in Cave Hira’
d) His return to Makkah - What was the first word the angel said to Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) during his revelation?
a) Pray
b) Read
c) Speak
d) Believe - What was the immediate reaction of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) after the first revelation?
a) He rejoiced and began preaching immediately
b) He was frightened and ran to Khadijah
c) He doubted the revelation
d) He consulted with his tribe’s leaders - What was the initial response to Prophet Muhammad’s (S.A.W) message of Islam?
a) Widespread acceptance
b) Rejection and persecution
c) Immediate conversion of all Arabs
d) No response