KHUTAB III - 38. THE ARABS BEFORE ISLAM

38. THE ARABS BEFORE ISLAM

It is important to shed some lights on the Arabs in pre-Islamic Arabia: their characters and their socio-economic lives, so that we can see how far Islam has influenced them and brought them from the darkness of the jāhiliyyah (era of ignorance) to the light of Islam. Among the characters of the Arabs before Islam are as follows: They were free from inner tension and stress, which are more common in our time. They had strong passions: they were fiery in temper, ardent in love, bitter in hate, and delighting in war, wine and banquets. They had strong forbearance from cold, thirst and hunger. They were generous in their tongue and eloquent in their utterance. Their generosity and hospitality were well known. A large heap of ashes and bones outside their tents indicated that they had entertained many guests. This generosity extended even to animals, such as wolves. Loyalty and fidelity to their tribes were also important virtues. A fellow tribesman would be helped instantly whenever he asked for it.

Vengeance was so strong among the pre-Islamic Arabs that it was like a physical necessity; it was like eating and drinking. Without it he would not be able to sleep, would not have appetite and became sick and even mad. They said: “With the sword will I wash my shame away, let God’s doom [namely, ruin or death] bring on me what it may”. A typical Arab hero was a poet belonging to the Azd tribe called Sanfarā.  He was captured when he was a child by Banū Salāman tribe. He did not know until he grew up, then he returned to his tribe and swore to revenge against his captors: to kill one hundred people of the Salamān tribe. He killed 98 of them, but he was ambushed and taken prisoner. However, while he was struggling, one of his arms was cut by a sword stroke. He took the arm with his other arm and hit the enemy‘s face with it and killed him. He was killed and his body was left in the desert. One day, one of his enemies passed by and kicked his skull with his foot. A sharp edged bone entered into his foot and he died of infection, so that the number of the enemies killed by Sanfarā became one hundred persons. Finally, Sanfarā the poet and the outlaw, fulfilled his oath.

The Arabs in this jahiliyyah period had strong sense of personal dignity. They were against any form of authority, but they were loyal to the ancient traditions of their tribes. They did not see the importance of writing, and therefore, their literature was preserved only in their lips and hearts. They did not develop any form of art except the art of eloquence, unlike the Greek who developed the statues and architecture, and the Hebrew in psalm. Their wise saying was “The beauty of man lies in the eloquence of his tongue”. Eloquence is the ability to express oneself forcefully and elegantly. It was one of the three basic attributes of the perfect man at that time; the other two, being archery and horsemanship. However, poetry was esteemed more than prose.

The poetry of the pre-Islamic Arabs described the joys of battle, the struggle for mastery, and the perils of long journeys; the noble horses and camels, the flashing of swords in the battle, the deadly lance and arrows, the wail of lament over the ashes of a long deserted encampment which had been the home of a beloved one. It was full of boasting and reviling, but was absent from prayer. Many merits and achievements, and memory of great actions and events were mentioned in poetry. The importance of poetry continued later in Islamic period. Many of Muslims scholars were themselves poets and wrote their books in special knowledge in poetry, such as Ibn Malik’s Alfiyyah (one thousand verses on grammar). 

            With regard to the social life of the Arabs in the Arabian Peninsula before Islam, they were nomads. They did not like to settle, but continued moving in search of pasture. Since they were nomads, their basic unit of life was their tribe rather than states. These tribes themselves were constantly on the move.

          As nomads they did not have any universal law. They never subjected themselves to what we now call general political order.  Contrary to settlers, who gave some parts of their freedom to rulers, authority, or the group as a whole in exchange for peace, security and prosperity, these nomads were free without any control except following their tradition.  They moved freely to survive, to defend themselves with honour and integrity required in the free life of the desert.

          They never suffered patience of injustice, as they could give up the pasture and move away in case a foreign authority or ruler wanted to impose any authority on them. This was one of the main reasons the Persians or the Romans never tried to conquer the Arabian Peninsula.  There would be no benefit from conquering a desert where its people kept moving, and could go away if their country were conquered.

          The harsh conditions of nomad life promoted the growth of many virtues, such as hospitality, bravery, and mutual assistance. However, these virtues became weaker in small towns, which grew up along the caravan route from Yemen to Syria, such as Makkah, Medinah, and T.ā’if.

          They held a general assembly once a year at the ‘Ukāz where they recited their poems competing among themselves to get the first honour as the best poet of the year. Poets came to this place to recite their best poetry so that the best one would be hung at the door of the Ka‘bah honouring the poet.

          The Arabs in pre-Islamic Arabia enjoyed drinking alcohol, dancing, gambling and adultery. Their caravan carrying their native merchandise from Makkah to Syria India, Byzantine and Persian empires returned with luxurious habits and vices as well as slave girls from Syria and Iraq. Those who did not join them in their joy in these vices were considered stingy and unsociable. They found their solace in drinking wine. Their wise saying was اليَوْمَ خَمْرٌ وَغَدًا أَمْرٌ , “Today is [to enjoy] wine, and tomorrow is a [different] matter”. They lived for the day and had no concern for the next day.

          Most of the Arab tribes at that time had no conjugal fidelity. The husbands were indifferent about the infidelity of their wives. They might even send their wives to live with other men to get good offspring. Children of prostitutes had no stain of illegitimacy. Both polygamy (a man having many wives) and polyandry (a woman having many husbands) were common. Adultery was tolerated except of a person from another stock (line of ancestry) which was usually punished with death.

          A particular tribe buried their female children (until they reached about six years old) alive for fear of poverty or for being poor. Female offspring were considered a burden to them, as they needed constant protection instead of protecting their parents and tribes when they grew up.  On the contrary, male offspring would be expected to protect the tribe when they grew up. This practice was referred to by the Qur’ān as follows:

 وَإِذَا بُشِّرَ أَحَدُهُمْ بِالْأُنْثَى ظَلَّ وَجْهُهُ مُسْوَدًّا وَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ. يَتَوَارَى مِنَ الْقَوْمِ مِنْ سُوءِ مَا بُشِّرَ بِهِ أَيُمْسِكُهُ عَلَى هُونٍ أَمْ يَدُسُّهُ فِي التُّرَابِ أَلَا سَاءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ. (النحل: ٥٨-٥٩)

When news is brought to one of them, of (the birth of) a female (child), his

face darkens, and he is filled with inward grief! With shame does he hide

himself from his people, because of the bad news he has had!  Shall he

retain it on (sufferance and) contempt, or bury it in the dust!  Ah!

What an evil (choice) they decide on?  (Q. 16:58-59).

After the conquest of Makkah, the Prophet strongly prohibited people from practicing burying their female offspring alive.

In pre-Islamic Arabia a widow could be inherited by the husband’s heir. If he had no son, his brother or nephew would take her, either as his wife or marry her to another person with a good price, or keep her in confinement unless she redeemed herself by paying off. The Qur’ān prohibits this practice with the following verses:

 يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لَا يَحِلُّ لَكُمْ أَنْ تَرِثُوا النِّسَاءَ كَرْهًا وَلَا تَعْضُلُوهُنَّ  ... (النساء: ١٩)

O ye who believe! Ye are forbidden to inherit women against their

will. Nor should you treat them with harshness,… (Q. 4:19).

The word كَرْهًا meaning “with harshness” or “forcibly” in this verse does not mean it is a condition for inheriting them, so that they can be inherited leniently or willingly. The statement is merely the fact that they were inherited by force, as it is prohibited to inherit them willingly or unwillingly. In another verse it is stated that a widow cannot be married by her step-son, as follows: 

وَلَا تَنْكِحُوا مَا نَكَحَ آَبَاؤُكُمْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ إِلَّا مَا قَدْ سَلَفَ

إِنَّهُ كَانَ فَاحِشَةً وَمَقْتًا وَسَاءَ سَبِيلًا. (النساء : ٢)

And marry not women whom your father married,

--except what is past: it was shameful and odious—

an abominable custom indeed! (Q. 4:22).

With regard to their economic life, the Arabs at that time were nomads who depended in their livelihood on stockbreeding, especially camels.  Camels were essential not only for meat (besides sheep), but also as a means of transportation, so that yhey were called “the ships of the desert”. The Arabs settlers earned their living besides trading by cultivating the land, especially in oases where dates grew, especially in Yathrib (later called Medinah). Others took favourable spots in the mountains were cereals grew such as in T.ā’if. Some Jews established agricultural colonies, such as in Khaybar.

          Some areas were not good for agriculture, such as Makkah; others were good, such as Yemen. There was a statement from the Prophet indicating his displeasure in a Muslim’s keeping a plough in his house. The prevalent interpretation was that the Prophet did not want the Muslims to divert their concern with their daily lives, in this case, agriculture, from observing their daily obligatory prayers. However, if this statement were made in Makkah, it would have been probably an indication that Makkah was not a good place for agriculture, due to lack of rain. The Muslims should find other kinds of jobs, such as trading which he himself had done and recommended.  He said that trading is nine-tenth of livelihood.

The commercial towns flourished, especially alongside the caravan routes, such as Makkah, Yathrib (Medinah) and T.ā’if. Trading is the backbone of the economy of the Makkan people at that time. By the end of the 6^th century CE they controlled most of the trade from Yemen to Syria. Syria at that time was called by the historians “the Greater Syria” which included Syria itself, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine. Makkah became a flourishing town for its strategic location between Yemen and Syria. Caravans travelling between the two destinations passed through Makkah. Traders who passed through the route of Makkah were levied with various charges: upon their entering Makkah they had to pay tithes, namely, 10% of the value of their merchandise. Special tax was also levied for securing permits to stay in this town as well as departure taxes when they left. Foreign traders had many problems, especially if they did not have jiwār  (neighbourhood) guarantees from a local clan or nobility. They had to obtain permits from the tribes whose areas they were intending to pass through for their safety.

Makkah was peculiar for being the site of pilgrimage besides being a commercial town, rivaled by T.ā’if with its good climate where fruit, grapes and raisins were produced. Moreover, T.ā’if was a good place for marketing wine, wheat and wood. Besides, T.ā’if was also an industrial town where leather was manufactured in its tanneries polluting the area. Yathrib (Medinah) was a town of farming, as it was fertile and rich in water. It reminds us of the report of Abū Hurayrah saying that he knew more about the Prophet’s statements and actions than others, as he kept following him, whereas the muhājirīn (emigrants from Makkah, fleeing from the prosecution of the Makkan idolaters) were busy in the market, and the ans.ār (the “helpers”, namely, the inhabitants of Medinah who assisted the Prophet and the muhājirīn in Medinah) were busy in cultivating their land. (Reported by Bukhārī and Muslim).

Commercial business was not exclusively for men. Some women were well known for business at that time, among them were Khadījah, Abū Jahl’s mother, and Abū Sufyān’s wife Hind whose merchandise was said to have been sold to the Kalbī tribe in Syria.

          Ribā (usury) was the backbone of the financial and economic system of the Arabs in pre-Islamic era. Heavy rates of interests were imposed on the debts. The amount of debt was doubled if it was not paid in time, trebled, namely, three times as many as the amount borrowed if not paid at the expiry of the third year. Eventually, the creditor sometimes took the wife and the children of the debtor.

These were the conditions of the Arabs in pre-Islamic Arabia. It was the duty of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. to change them in the light of Islam. Within twenty-three years of struggling to achieve this end, he had successfully established an Islamic city-state in Medinah where people lived in harmony and prosperity. It became a model of what is called in the Qur’ān, (سبأ :١٥) ... بَلْدَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ وَرَبٌّ غَفُورٌ “… a fair land and an Oft-Forgiving Lord!” (Q. 34:15)