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INTRODUCTION:
Martin Lings Seerah starts with an account of the covenant with Ibrahim alayhis salaam narrated in Biblical sources. The book of Genesis is devoted entirely to Isaac, with scarcely any mention of Ishmail alayhis salaams life, it is clear this is done out of bias. Ismael alahyis salaam is praised early in the book of Psalms however, How amiable are thy tabernacles O Lord of Hosts, giving reference to the miracle of Zam Zam which gave birth to a civilisation in the valley of Makkah, Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee; in whose heart are the ways of them who passing through the valley of Bacca make it a well. The construction of the Kaabah took place and also the instituting of Hajj as a religious ceremony took place under Hadrat Ibrahim and Ismail alayhis salaam, as a mark of the covenant being made with them, purify My House for those who go around it, and stand beside it and bow and make prostration. Hajarahs informing of Ibrahim alayhis salam of her plight resulted in him adding the seven units of say as a part of Hajj in commemoration of Hajarah alayha salaams search for water. Ibrahim alayhis salaam famously made a prayer for the wellbeing of his family and the prosperity of their settlement, thus pilgrims always brought plentiful produce with them when visiting the Holy House, keeping the settlement well stocked and bountiful. There is a considerable history of the shift of authority over the preservation of the Holy Sanctuary from the Jurhumites, who covered the well of Zamzam in revenge, and it was later taken over by the Khuzaah, who were descendants of Ismaeil alayhis salam but they did not try to uncover the well, it was forgotten for a long time. A Jurhumite chieftain was responsible for the institution of idolatry at the Kabah, after having returned from a journey to Syria and asking the Hoabites for one of their idols called Hubal, which was then set up as a chief idol next to the Kabah.
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THE QURAYSH: After the death of an important Arab chieftain named Hulayl, a struggle for power took place in Arabia and Qusayy, one of the great leaders of Quraysh took over, he settled his family in the valley of Makkah. The Quraysh were divided into the close relatives of Qusayy, known as Quraysh of the Hollow, and then those who were his more distant relatives who lived on the outskirts of the settlement known as Quraysh of the Outskirts. He ruled as king and people would pay taxes to him by which the poorer pilgrims were looked after. When Hashim became the leader of Quraysh he set up two great caravan journeys from Makkah, one in the Winter to the Yemen and one in the Summer which went to Palestine and Syria, Madinah which was then known as Yathrib was one of the main halts on the Summer pilgrimage. It was Hadrat Abdul Muttalib who uncovered the well of Zamzam. Abdul Muttalib went through a lengthy process in order to save the life of Abdullah who he intended to sacrifice as a fulfilment of a vow he made to Allah, that is an important incident depicting how Allah worked in a mysterious way in order to save the life of Hadrat Abdullah, the father of the Last Prophet. THE HUNAFA: There remained a group who rejected idolatry as a perverse pagan custom, their refusal to compromise and their frequent outspokenness relegated them to the fringe of Makkan society where they were respected, tolerated or ill-treated, partly according to their personalities and partly whether their clans were ready to protect them or not.
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115. Modern researchers such as Noldeke also concur that the Sabeans possessed an advanced civilisation. It was known as Arabia Felix because of its suitability for agriculture. The Nabateans. Social Conditions of Pre Islamic Arabia: It is argued that no civilisation suddenly rises from barbarism to a high living order, and then reference is made to the ancient Arab states and their advanced architecture. It is seen however that these examples of high living were an exception and in reality the rest of the country was backward, analysis of the language of the time showed that there were no pure Arabic words to describe things connected with civilised living, such as bowl, or coin. Hadith literature also attests to the fact that before Islam, customs existed that showed a low standard of living, e.g. there were no residential latrines, and even women had to go outside, also, there were no sieves in the days of the Prophet, reptiles and insects were eaten and were not considered forbidden during the Holy Prophets time. The World Before Prophethood: The Dark Ages: Banu Israel who had already been called snakes after being cursed by Isa alayhis salaam had contained nothing human in them except their figure. Being influenced by the neighbouring nations they had drawn towards idol worship. Europe was consumed by ignorance and wilderness Briton and Saxon wild races inhabited England. Northumberland, Midland, Norfolk, Suffolk, Sussex all worshipped the idol of Wordon. France always ran wars with Saxon at the Shore of Alab and this war continued until 782 AD when 4500 Saxon prisoners were brutally slain in Wordon. Hungary was under the clutches of a very barbarous nation. Mazukia dominated Persia who had socialised women, wealth and land. The degeneration of human values can be imagined.
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In India the era of Pranas and Bam Margi were dominant, they were diverting mankind towards degrading practices and they used to display nude pictures in the temples and worshipped them. In China the entire kingdom believed themselves to be the inhabitants of the kingdom of a Divine Son. The appointed a seperate God for every objective, i.e. the God of Rain, the God of Progeny, the God of peace and the God of War. These Gods were all punished somehow by the King. In Egypt Christianity had taken root and many sects took place regarding Isa alayhis salaam, one sect treated the other as disbelievers and used to burn each other alive. The Arab race had been isolated from various nations, none had come to guide them, they did not have a King come to rule them for centuries. Allah considered them for His Mercy and renewed information and new order from this part of the world. Pre Islamic Religions: Some people disbelieved in Allah and said that it was only Time which created everything, or the Laws of Nature were supreme. Some believed in Allah but disbelieved in the Rising, or in Prophecy. Many were pagans, a full account is given in Shahrastanis Milal wan Nihal. Himyarites worshipped the Sun, Kanaanites worshipped the moon. Another source is tabaqat ul umam. The names of the chief idols are given in Milal wan Nihal. Amr b. Luhayy was the one who brought back Hubal from a trip in Syria. Other accounts can be found in Mujam al Buldan. The Holy Quran revealed that the pagan Arabs used to believe in Allah. So when they ride in their ships they call upon Allah, being sincerely obedient to Him, but when He brings them safe in the land, lo, they set up others. This truth was proved, Noldeke mentions in Encyclopaedia
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of Religions that the word Allah was part of the names of the Nabataean peoples, e.g. Zaidallah. He is a separate deity in the Safa inscriptions. Allah has been used consistently as the name for the Supreme deity in ancient Arab literature, according to Wellhausen. Christianity, Judaism and Magism were well spread by the time of the Islam. Anecdotes of the People of the Book were very well known, thus the Makkans believed that the Prophet had learned these teachings from someone else. And certainly We know what they say: Only a mortal teaches him. THE HUNAFA: There remained a group who rejected idolatry as a perverse pagan custom, their refusal to compromise and their frequent outspokenness relegated them to the fringe of Makkan society where they were respected, tolerated or ill-treated, partly according to their personalities and partly whether their clans were ready to protect them or not. (Lings) Four famous examples of Hunafa were given during the pre-Islamic period mentioned by Ibn Ishaq; Waraqa Ibn Naufal, Abdallah b. Jahsh, Uthman b. Huwairith and Zaid b. Amr Ibn Nufail, who attended an annual fair in honour of some pagan deity, which they were averse to. Zaid went in search of the true faith and could not find it, in Bukhari it is mentioned that he said, Ye people of Quraysh, none of you e xcept myself is following Ibrahim. Zaid b. Amr was the first to denounce infanticide. The term din hanifi is disputed, it is considered to mean revolt, as in a revolt against idol worship. In Hebrew and Syriac it would mean non believer or heretic, which the idolaters may have given to the monotheists. Many had renounced idolatry and were waiting for the reviver of the Abrahamic faith. This means it was very strange for everyone to overreact when the Prophet made his announcement. None of the pre Islamic religions had any influence. Any people with religious beliefs acted as though they were atheists. Christianity
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contributed to this since they believed that their Prophet had died for their sins. Anthropomorphism led to the belief that human beings could overcome Allah Taala, the Bible mentioned an account of a wrestling match between Jacob and the Lord. (Genesis, 22-29). Many corrupt social practices existed, such as incest, sons married their mothers, sisters marrying one man, no limit to marriage, drinking and adultery common, Prince Imrul Qays, famous poet mentioned his illicit intercourse with his cousin and hung it on the Kabah. There was no sense of etiquette in warfare, pregnant women and children were killed. The idea that Muslims were influenced by Christianity and thus they made a new sect should be questioned as to what was the impact of Christianity in pre Islamic Arabia. In preface to Life of Muhammad sallallahu alahi wa sallam, William Muir notes that despite being preached for five hundred years, Christianity had very little following. W.M. Watt, The Arabian Background - From Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam at Makkah: The main type of civilisation in the desert was nomadic. They would constantly move from one area to another because of the constantly changing climate and their main diet would be milk and dates. Skirmishes and raiding were a common form of income for Bedouins. Control of Affairs at Makkah: Known as the senate or mala, an assembly of the tribal chiefs and leading men of the clans. Leaders were known for their ability to form a common mind and abandon small rivalries.
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