Jahiliyyah Period: Arabs before Islam

Chapter 1: Human and Jahiliyyah Community 1. The word Jahiliyah originated from Arabic root word jahala and its derivatives, jahalun and jahalatun which mean lacking of knowledge and astray. . !rom the "oran, the jahiliyyah #eo#le is mentioned by any of these four characteristics$ i% &o #ro#hecies and revelation 'guidance% ii% &o civili(ation iii% The #eo#les have no good manner iv% )eferred as jahiliyyah because illiterate *aving said that, any #eo#le at any #eriod of time which have at least one of these characteristics is also considered as jahiliyyah. +. ,n the "oran, the #eriod of Jahiliyah is not restricted to a define #eriod of time. -any Arabic dictionaries also stated the term in general, and majorly referred to the #eriod before ,slam came. '#re.,slam% /. ,n Arabian 0eninsula conte1t, jahiliyah era last for three centuries. ,t is started just after the colla#se of 2aba kingdom or in the final #eriod of *imyar "ingdom around +33 45 until the revelation of "oran and the #ro#hecies of 0ro#het -uhammad 2A6 '713-% 8. ,n that #articular #eriod, there is neither revelation nor #ro#hecies as for guidance. The develo#ment and the civili(ation are almost #erished because they do not learnt or inherit any knowledge from the #revious generation. ,n addition, the moral crisis among the #eo#le also worsening the lifestyle at that time. This last until the "oran is revealed. 2o thats why the Arabs are called as Arab Jahiliyyah. 7. According to a #rominent orientalist, 0.".*ittin, he stated that the term jahiliyah is not referred to lacking of knowledge but only in religion. *e said that there no both #ro#hets and holy book revealed at that time but the arab is already have a high level of civili(ation. *is statement is almost acce#ted by many modern writers. This also includes Arab writers such as Ahmad 2yalabi and *assan ,brahim *assan. 6e must take not in -uslim world, there some #eo#le who are very comfortable when they are being #raised, but they dont reali(e that they have tra##ed by the orientalist in this case. This is the strategy by the orientalist to strengthen and injected nationalism among -uslim around the globe so that they recycle their old tradition9 reviving the jahiliyah into the modern world. :. 0.". *ittins statement is not correct ')oslan, 331% if we see from the historical chronology. ,t undeniable that the southern region of Arabian 0eninsula having the glorious time, but in the same time, the kingdom of 2aba have the #ro#hecies of 0ro#het 2olomon. Therefore, at the earlier #eriod, they followed the teaching of the #ro#het. Therefore Allah 26T blessed the kingdom as *is #romised. ,t same goes to *imyar "ingdom. 4ut when both start to deviant from the teaching of the #ro#het, the kingdoms is destroyed and #unished by Allah. And by the end of the time, the Arab civili(ation started to develo#. The civili(ation are built from the ruins of both 2aba and *imyar "ingdom. ;. ,n Jahiliyyah era, the Arabs live in ignorance, boastfulness, unlawful, sinful, immoral, and lacking of knowledge as mentioned in the "oran. Summary Jahiliyyah is the #eriod before ,slam where the #eo#le living in ignorance where there is neither

#ro#hecies nor revelations to guide them. Their lifestyle is limitless and no rules. ,n general, this #eriod started after the destruction of "ingdom of 2aba until the #ro#hecies of -uhammad 2A6 revealed. Chapter 2: Beliefs and Religion 1. ,n this #eriod, the outside culture influences most of the religion #attern in Arabian 0eninsula. . The #eninsula is e1#osed to many outside influences as it em#loys o#en trade. They also made di#lomatic relationshi# with other nations. +. -ecca, *irah, <aman, =man, and 4ahrain are the most im#ortant international trade center which situated strategically in Arabian #eninsula and many religion s#read by this means. -ecca at that time is the im#ortant #lace for idol worshi##ing. /. ,n this conte1t, the religion in the Arab 0eninsula can be categori(ed as$

i. 6athani )eligion 'idol worshi##ing% ii. >oroastrians 'fire worshi##ing% iii. Judaism iv. 5hristianity v. *anif )eligion 'samawi% 8. 6athani religion is the most influenced the Arabs. According to ,bn "albi, the idol worshi##ing is initially brought by ?mar bin @uai who im#orted the idea after visited 2yria. *e saw that the 4alAa tribes worshi##ing idols, therefore bring the ritual back to -ecca. 7. As mentioned before, -ecca is the center of idol worshi##ing. ,t is known that a##ro1imately +83 idols built around "aabah. 2ome of them are mentioned in "oran$ i. Al.@at ii. Al.?((a iii. Al.-anar iv. *ubal :. >oroaster is originated from 0ersia. They have no holy books, no truth #ro#hets. This religion mainly dense in the region of =man, <emen and 4ahrain, which once are the territory of 0ersian Bm#ire. ;. Judaism is originated from the teaching of 0ro#het -oses. Torah is the holy book that revealed to him. 0eo#le who embraced Judaism is originally came from 4anu ,srael in northern Arabian 0eninsula. &evertheless, most of the teachings have been falsified and the Torah contents have been altered. C. 5hristianity is the teaching of 0ro#het Jesus ',sa% which sent by Allah. ,njil is the book for 5hristianity. The #eo#le are also originated from 4anu ,srael. ?nfortunately they also altered the teaching of 0ro#het Jesus. This religion s#read out throughout northern region of Arabian 0eninsula by the Dhassan and *irah #eo#le and *absyah 'Bthio#ia% at the southern side. There are also in -ecca, where 6araAah ,bn &aufal is one of the e1am#les. 13. *anif )eligion is brought by the #ro#het Abraham. ,n "oran, Allah 26T em#hasi(ed that ,brahim is *unafa and -uslim not Jews nor 5hristian. 0eo#le, who embrace *anif religion does not worshi##ing idols, gambling, drink alcoholic and other unlawful #ractices that Allah forbids. 11. =ther side of the Arabs does not have religion and some are animisms. 0almyra and 0etra worshi##ed sun and -ain 0eo#le worshi##ed the moon. They also believe in su#erstitions and black magic.

Summary ,n general, Arabs can be categori(ed into two, religious and non.religion 'animism%. Animism is dominantly embraced by the Arabs at this #eriod. Chapter 3: Politics and Governance 1. There is no ruling governance structure during Jahiliyyah #eriod. All the states have been coloni(ed. . 6estern and northern #art is conAuered by )oman Bm#ire and eastern region mostly under 0ersian Bm#ire control. +. ,n the middle #art of Arabia, including -ecca there is no coloni(ation but the im#act of coloni(ation surround affected the #eo#le. /. -ecca once has been attacked by the <emeni army in the year of Ble#hant but they failed. 8. This shows that -ecca having an unstable #olitical and governance structure. 7. ,t is worst condition at the region that has been coloni(ed. Dhassan, *irah and <emen having great difficult time. The coloni(ation se#arates the #eo#le into grou#s, clans, and fighting each other the get recognition and security from the ruling government. :. This however differs than the 4edouin Arabs.

Summary Although many area in the region has its own governance, but it is cannot be considered as civili(ed governance.

Chapter : !conomy system 1. The lifestyle of Arabs in many #laces in Arabia is lu1urious mainly because they have main activities, which are trades and agriculture. . 4ut this has been turned over when the region has been coloni(ed. +. ,n southern region, agriculture is badly affected since the destruction of -aarib dam. This lead the #eo#le migrate to the northern region. 4ut in the northern region, only trading activity can be carried out as the soil is dessert soil. /. This includes -ecca, *irah and Dhassan but time by time merchants seem to be not interested and it is not much lucrative because trading activity is always disturbed. 8. 2ince the demolishing of -aarib dam, *imyar turns the agriculture to war. They started to search for new land. They undergone economy crisis and then fell into the hand of *absyah government. 7. *absyah government is under 0ersian Bm#ire but *imyar is conAuered by )oman Bm#ire. This raises tension between the two regions and severely affects the economy activity at the region. :. Therefore the Euraisy Arab e1#loits the trading activity and turn into one.way trade with the 4edouin Arab. ,n turn, the 4edouin robs the Euraisy merchant. 2ummary Bconomy activities in Arabian 0eninsula have been affected by coloni(ation. This also includes -ecca as they e1#erience the im#act of tension between two regions9 *imyar ')oman% and <emen '0ersia%. The trading activity also unstable due to robbery and the Arab clans kee# fighting with each other. Chapter ": #ocial system and Culture There is no significant difference between the 4edouin Arab and *adhari Arab in terms of hierarchy.

They are regulated by the system of "abilah. "abilah is a system that controls the #eo#le. This is how clan grou#s are established. These clans are always rivalry with each other and even war. Fefeated clan will be slave. At this #eriod, women do not have the right as the deserved. They never res#ect women and believed that they bring no luck for the clan.

Chapter $: %no&ledge and 'ntellectual 1. The Arab before ,slam has little knowledge about #olitics and economy. 4ut this does not sufficient to say that they are civili(ed. . -erchant is more toward sailing skills not to gain knowledge. +. There is no inheritance of knowledge and most of them illiterate. /. According to al.4aladhuri, Euraisy Arab is the most advanced tribe among the Arabs. =nly 1: members of them can both read and write. They are9 ?mar al.khattab, Ali ibn Abi Talib, ?thman ,bn Affan, Abu ?baidah, al.jarrah, etc. 8. Therefore, they learn from mouth.to.mouth. 7. &o writings or encry#tion found that illustrate the #eriod. :. ,n literature the Arabs are famously known in #oetry. 2ee table below$

.......................... )eference$ Tamadun ,slam dan Tamadun Asia, 0enerbit ?niversiti -alaya$ 331 translated by ibadurrahman 311.

Why Did the Quraysh Oppose Islam? Posted on July 27, 2011 by thethinkin muslim !he Prophet "uhammad #pbuh$ prea%hed his messa e at a time &hen the people o' "e%%a &ere en(oyin an easy oin li'e &ith an abundan%e o' a''luen%e) !he Quraysh &ere 'ear'ul 'or the loss o' in%ome 'rom the pa an pil rims, &ho &ould tra*el throu hout the year to the %ity 'or reli ious purposes, be%ause they relied hea*ily on the &ealth they athered throu h the pil rims+ %onstant *isitation to the sa%red house) !hey thou ht it &ould %ut them o'' 'inan%ially and they &ould be%ome poor) !here'ore, they tried to resist the messa e o' Islam in order to se%ure their &ealthy and e%onomi% status) ,%%ordin to "ont omery Watt, -as the ranks o' "uhammad+s 'ollo&ers s&elled, he be%ame a threat to the lo%al tribes and the rulers o' the %ity, &hose &ealth rested upon the .a+aba, the 'o%al point o' "akkan reli ious li'e, &hi%h "uhammad threatened to o*erthro&)/1

,nother reason 'or the opposition o' Islam by the Quraysh &as pride) !he Quraysh en(oyed the hi h status o' their 'ore'athers &ho &ere *ery &ell kno&n and respe%ted throu hout the ,rabian

Peninsula) ,nd they hated to be%ome di''erent 'rom them or to attribute 'la&s to&ards them) ,s ,llah 0ays in the Quran1

,nd &hen it is said to them, -2ollo& &hat ,llah has re*ealed,/ they say, -3ather, &e &ill 'ollo& that upon &hi%h &e 'ound our 'athers)/ 4*en i' 0atan &as in*itin them to the punishment o' the 5la6e? #Quran 71121$)

!his is also de 'a%to reason ,bu !alib, the Prophet+s paternal un%le, did not a%%ept Islam as narrated in al85ukhari1

When the time o' death 'or ,bu !alib approa%hed, ,llah+s "essen er &ent to him and 'ound ,bu Jahl bin 9isham and :,bdullah bin ,bi ;maiya bin ,l8"u hira by his side) ,llah+s "essen er said to ,bu !alib, -O un%le< 0ay1 =one has the ri ht to be &orshipped but ,llah, a senten%e &ith &hi%h I shall be a &itness #i)e) ar ue$ 'or you be'ore ,llah)/ ,bu Jahl and :,bdullah bin ,bi ;maiya said, -O ,bu !alib< ,re you oin to denoun%e the reli ion o' ,bdul "uttalib #,bu !alib+s 'ather$?/ ,llah+s "essen er kept on in*itin ,bu !alib to say it #i)e) :=one has the ri ht to be &orshipped but ,llah+$ &hile they #,bu Jahl and :,bdullah$ kept on repeatin their statement till ,bu !alib said as his last statement that he &as on the reli ion o' ,bdul "uttalib #al85ukhari 5ook >27, 9adith >??2$)

,nother reason &as due to the 'a%t that *arious sub8tribes o' the Quraysh use to %ompete &ith ea%h other and did not &ish 'or the other sub8tribes to be dominant and@or superior to their o&n sub8tribe) 9en%e, some o' the Qurayshi tribes did not appre%iate that a prophet be %hosen 'rom amon the 5anu 9ashim, one o' the sub8tribes o' the Quraysh and to &hi%h the Prophet "uhammad #pbuh$ belon ed) !hey 'elt that someone 'rom amon their o&n tribe should be more deser*in o' prophethood than "uhammad #pbuh$) ,nd ,llah addressed this %riti%ism o' theirs in the Quran &hen 9e 0aid1

,nd they said, -Why &as this Qur+an not sent do&n upon a reat man 'rom Aone o'B the t&o %ities?/ #Quran ?7171$

Ibn .athir, author o' one o' the most 'amous interpretations o' the Quran in the "uslim &orld, said re ardin this *erse, -meanin , &hy &as this Quran not re*ealed to some man &ho &as reat and prominent in their eyes, 'rom the t&o to&ns, i)e), "e%%a and ,t8!a+i'C0e*eral s%holars o' !a'sir #interpretation$ stated that by this, the Quraysh meant ,l8Walid bin ,l8 "u hirah and D;r&ah bin "asDud ,th8!haEa'i) !he apparent meanin is that &hat they meant

&as a reat man 'rom either o' the t&o to&ns)/2 !here'ore, here en*y played a role in their re(e%tion o' the messa e) ,nother eFample under this %ate ory is that o' ;mayyah ibn ,bi ,l8 0alt &ho &as a %ontemporary o' Prophet "uhammad #pbuh$ and a poet) 9e produ%ed beauti'ul poetry on the %on%ept o' !a&heed #Oneness o' ,llah$ but &hen the Prophet #pbuh$ started to prea%h !a&heed under the shade o' prophethood, ;mayyah re(e%ted him out o' en*y) 4*en the Prophet #pbuh$ en(oyed his poetry as reported in a hadith1

One day &hen I rode behind ,llah+s "essen er #pbuh$, he said #to me$1 Do you remember any poetry o' ;mayyah bin ,bi ,l80alt) I said1 Ges) 9e said1 !hen o on) I re%ited a %ouplet, and he said1 Ho on) !hen I a ain re%ited a %ouplet and he said1 Ho on) I re%ited one hundred %ouplets #o' his poetry$) #0ahih "uslim 5ook >02I, 9adith >JK02$)

9o&e*er, he 'elt he &as more deser*in o' prophethood than "uhammad #pbuh$, hen%e, re'used to 'ollo& him) 5ut ,llah %hooses &home*er 9e Wills to prea%h 9is messa e) 0imilarly ,bu Jahl, the ar%henemy o' Islam durin the Prophet+s #pbuh$ li'e, made the 'ollo&in %omment &hen asked about his opinion re ardin the Quran1

We ha*e %ompeted &ith the %lan o' :,bd "ana' 'or honors1 they 'ed the poor, and &e did the sameL they pro*ided enerous support to those &ho needed it and &e did the same) When &e &ere to ether on the same le*el, like t&o ra%ehorses runnin ne%k and ne%k, they said that one o' their number &as a Prophet re%ei*in re*elations 'rom on hi h< When %an &e attain su%h an honor? 5y ,llah, &e shall ne*er belie*e in him)7

,nother issue that bothered the Quraysh, parti%ularly the &ealthy leaders amon them, &as that the ne& messa e prea%hed eEuality, toleran%e, mer%y, enerosity and %ompanionship bet&een the stron and the &eak, the ri%h and the poor, those o' a hi h so%ial %lass and those not so mu%h, et%) !his &as a reat %on%ern 'or the Quraysh leaders be%ause they thou ht o' themsel*es as superior in %omparison to su%h people) !his is &hy the early %on*erts o' Islam in "e%%a &ere mostly either the poor or -people &ho had 'allen out o' the 'irst rank in their tribe or 'ailed to attain itL and the &eak, mostly unprote%ted 'orei ners)/?

!here &as also a 'ear o' the break up o' the "e%%an so%iety) !he Quraysh 'elt this ne& 'aith &ould break up the stru%ture o' their tribal so%iety and &ould %ause the Quraysh to turn on ea%h other) !he %ontrol o' "e%%a, the lar est and most sa%red %ity in ,rabia, depended lar ely on the unity o' the Quraysh, the lar est tribe in ,rabia) In order to a*oid losin %ontrol o*er "e%%a, the tribe o' Quraysh &ould try to e*ade situations that %ould possibly lead to disunity bet&een the Quraysh sub8tribes) Disunity &ould lea*e the Quraysh *ulnerable to the possibility o' other

tribes o' ,rabia takin "e%%a by 'or%e) !his 'ear is Euite apparent in their o&n &ords &hen they &ent to ,bu !alib to %omplain about his nephe&+s tea%hin s and ho& it+s had a ne ati*e impa%t on their so%iety) ,s noted by Ibn 9isham, one o' the dele ations, %onsistin o' hi h le*el notables o' "e%%a, sent to ,bu !alib reEuested o' him that, -you i*e us your nephe& &ho has rebelled a ainst the reli ion you and your 'ore'athers ha*e 'ollo&ed, and has so&n the seeds o' dis%ord amon your people and ridi%uled their pra%ti%es) We &ould take him and kill him)/J

!he abo*e are some o' the reasons &hy Quraysh re'used to a%%ept Islam at the time o' "uhammad #pbuh$) ,lthou h they tried to atta%k his %hara%ter and authenti%ity, they %ould not su%%ess'ully do so as he &as already *ery &ell kno&n in "e%%a as one o' the most trust&orthy people) 9e &as titled by these same pa ans be'ore re*elation started to des%end upon him as al8amin, the trust&orthy) !hey use to entrust to him their most *aluable treasures, ho&e*er, &hen he started to prea%h his messa e 'rom ,llah, they %ould not %ontrol their en*y, desire and reed) !heir pride and the lo*e o' this &orld blinded them 'rom seein the reality o' this &orld and the importan%e o' the a'terli'e and it led them to re(e%t the messa e sent to them 'rom ,llah by the most noble, pious and ri hteous human bein e*er to &alk on the 'a%e o' the planet)

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