Condition of Arabia before Islam

     Are you IGNOU MA History students and looking for study noted for History Paper MHI-101  on then you’re on the right website. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the condition of Arabia before the rise of Islam, based on the IGNOU MA History syllabus (MHI). If you're preparing for your exams or writing assignments, this post covers all the major aspects of pre-Islamic Arabian society, including its social, religious, economic, and political life.

How was Arabia before Islam?

     Prior to the rise of Islam in the 7th century Arabía presented a picture of extreme Jahiliya or ignorance. At that time Arabia was dominated by Bedouins. Bedouins were nomadic tribes. They used to wander from one place to another in search of pasture lands. Looting, plundering and internecine quarrels was their way of life.

  The position of women in the contemporary Arabian society was truly deplorable. They were considered only as objects of sexual pleasure. Several other evils were also rampant in the society. At that time the people of Arabia used to worship several gods-goddesses, rather than believing in one omnipresent Allah. Each tribe had its own separate deity. The people believed in many kinds of superstitions. Most of Arabian Peninsula was barren, lacked vegetation and was inhospitable. Thus, the Arabians were economically quite backward. The Arabians also lacked any kind of organised political set-up. They were totally lacking the spirit of unity and nationalism. According to Edward MacNall Burns,

  "Arabia, a peninsula of deserts, had been so backward before the founding of Islam that the two dominated neighbouring empires the Roman and the Persian had not deemed it worthwhile to extend their rule over Arabian territories."

1.Social Life

The main features of the Arabian society prior to the rise of Islam in the seventh century were as under-

i. Family: Family was the basic unit of Arabian society. Joint family system was prevalent. The families were patriarchal. The eldest male member of the family used to be its head. He used to command the entire family. All other members of the family used to obey his commands. A birth of son was believed to be of utmost importance. In case of the death of the head of the family, the entire responsibility of family was transferred to his eldest son.

 According to Dr. K.A. Fariq,"The father exercised almost absolute power over his family and was master of their life and death."

ii) Position of Women:

   Prior to the birth of Prophet Muhammad, the position of women in the contemporary Arabian society was truly deplorable. A birth of daughter was believed to be a source of misfortune and misery. Most of the girls were buried alive at the time of their birth. Undoubtedly, it was an appalling custom. The women were completely denied the rights as enjoyed by the men in the society. Women education was totally neglected. The girls were married at an early age. Polygamy was quite rampant in the Arabian society. Besides men also indulged in extra marital relations. Immoral relations were quite widespread as women were treated only as objects of sex. So far so widows were married to their step sons and sisters were married to their step brothers. After the death of her husband a widow never hesitated to establish illegitimate relations with the near relatives. The women were denied the right of inheritance. It further degraded the position of women in the society. Prof. K. Ali has aptly remarked,"The position of women was worse than that of the women of any other country in contemporary history."

iii. Education: 

The Arabian people were quite backward in the field of education; Most of the Arabs were illiterate. No heed was paid towards the education of women, despite all this, the contemporary Arabia had made much progress in the field of poetry.

iv. Standard of People's Morality: 

The contemporary Arabian society was full of vices. To indulge into loot and plunder and to deceive the people was a normal way of life in the contemporary Arabian society. The people were very fond of liquor and intoxicants and gambling was their favourite past-time. To have illegitimate relations with women was considered as a status symbol. Even close relations were not a hinderance in the way of harbouring such illegitimate relationships. Undoubtedly, this was a sign of degeneration of the contemporary Arabian society. V. Entertainments: The people of the Arabian society had several sources of entertainment. Dancing and singing were their main sources of entertainment. They were much fond of flute and guitar. The game of gambling was also very popular. They also used to witness animal fighting with much enthusiasm. They were also fond of hunting.

VI. Dress and Diet:

 The Bedouin people used to wear long kurta and paijama. They used to wear a loose cloak made of camel hide over their kurtas. Besides this, they also used to wear a turban. The people of upper strata used to wear expensive clothes. The women used to wear salwar and kameez. They also used to cover themselves with burka (veil). Their main food was date-palm and milk. Besides this, they also ate wheat, millets, grapes, apricot, apple, almonds and bananas etc. They also ate meat of camel, sheep and goats. The people belonging to higher strata of society were fond of drinking.

VII. Slavery: 

The institution of slavery was very popular in the contemporary Arabian society. Usually, the people taken as prisoners during the course of war were treated as slaves. The slaves were treated ruthlessly. They could not marry as per their free will. The slaves violating this social norm were punished severely.

2. Economic Life

   Arabia has a hot and dry climate. Most of the land receives less than 12 cm of rainfall per annum. The winds that blow across Arabia seldom carry moisture. There of sand dunes. is little vegetation over most of Arabia. The desert winds blow sand over large areas

Under such extreme conditions of land and climate, life in the pre-Islamic times was quite primitive. The density of population was very low. There were hardly any means of transport and communication. Despite these overwhelming odds, people of Arabia managed to grow economically. A brief description of their progress is as under:

i.Agriculture:

 Preponderance of sand over large areas of Arabia, coupled with lack of moisture was responsible for unproductively of land. There was almost no rainfall for a number of years. Besides due to lack of rivers, there was hardly any means of irrigation. It resulted in meagre produce of the crops. Cultivation was practised in those regions only where there were available sources of irrigation and land was comparatively fertile. The main crop is date palm. Al-Hijajh and al-Madinah  are two main centres producing dates-palms. It has a special item of their diet. The beverage made from it is believed to be beneficial for health. Its crushed stones are the main fodder for the camels. The bark of date palm is used for manufacturing ropes and mats. Its wood is the only source of fuel. Prof. K. Ali has aptly remarked,

“The date palm is the queen of trees in Arabia. It is a friend of friend of the poor and the rich alike, without it life in the desert would be unthinkable.”

    Barley is also produced in plenty in Arabia. Its fodder is used for the horses and its flour is used by the human beings. Wheat was produced in large quantity in Temen. Millets and rice were produced in Oman. Besides these, several kinds of vegetables and fruits were grown in the coastal areas. Pomegranates, apple, apricot, almond and banana were popular among fruits.

ii. Animal Rearing: 

The main occupation of the people of Arabia was animal rearing. Camel, horse, sheep and goat were their main domesticated animals. Amongst these, camel was believed to be most important. The camel is known as the ship of the desert. In those days of lack of means of transport and communication, life without camels, in desert, was unthinkable. A camel can travel distance up to 160 km a day even at the high temperature of 57°C. A camel can carry a load upto 300 kilograms. A camel can survive without water for several days. It is the main source of transportation for the Bedouins. People drink the milk of she-camel, eat its meat, make tents of camel's skin and its dung-cakes are used as fuel. Its urine is used for medicinal purposes. It is reckoned as a sign of Sheikh's prosperity. The Bedouins gave camels in dowry. Caliph Umar, while writing in regard to the importance of a camel, has said,

"The Arab prospers only where the camel prospers.”

According to a famous historian P. K. Hitti,

"Without it the desert could not be conceived of as a habitable place. The camel is the nomad's nourisher, his vehicle of transportation and his medium of exchange."

   The Arabian horses are known throughout the world for their superior breed. They are reckoned as the token of wealth. Horses have their own importance in the life of Bedouins. The horses play an important role in the invasions undertaken by them. The horses can swiftly move from one place to another. The horses were also used for hunting expeditions. The Arabs also domesticated sheep and goats for obtaining milk and meat. They also obtain wool from sheep.

iii) Trade:

 Prior to the rise of Islam, the internal as well as external trade of Arabia was not much developed. There were four reasons responsible for it. Firstly, the Bedouins had always indulged in loot and plunder, thus causing anarchy throughout the country. Secondly, the trade routes were not safe. Thirdly, there had been no industrial development in Arabia. Fourthly, the means of transport as had not been developed.The Arabians used to procure the items of necessity from the nearby urban markets. They obtained eatables and animals from these markets Some rich merchants used to trade with Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt and Ethiopia.They use to export camels, horses, fruits and wine to these countries.

3. Religious Life

The pre-Islamic people of Arabia were religiously very backward. They worshipped several gods and goddesses. People of one tribe use to look down upon the gods and goddesses of other tribes and vice-versa. In fact, each considered their respective deities to be most superior. In memory of their deities each tribe constructed large mosques and kept their idols, Mecca was the holiest shrine of Arabia. It had 300 idols of different deities. Every year, people from across Arabian Peninsula gather here in large numbers on the occasion of the Ukaj festival. The people of Arab believed in offering animal sacrifices to please their deities. At times, human sacrifices were also offered. Hubal was the god par excellence for the Arabians, al-Uzza, al Lat and al-Manah were believed to be the three daughters of Allah. Thus, they were especially revered. According to Prof. Joseph Hell,

"The numerous names of gods inscribed in the Arabian inscriptions might indicate great importance attached to religion there."

     Several kinds of superstitions were rampant among the Arabians. They used to worship sun, moon, stars, stones and trees. They also believed in evil-spirits. They also believed in life after death and theory of karma and re-birth.

4. Political Life

  Prior to the rise of Islam, the political life of the people of Arabia was also quite primitive. They had no organised political institutions. The principle of might is right prevailed due to the lack of any established central authority. The Arabians fought tribal wars for securing animals, pastures, land and water. The Bedouins remained fully engrossed in loot and plunder. Prof. K. Ali, has aptly remarked,

"Attack, counter-attack, loot and plunder are the evils inherent in the very system of Bedouin life. They do not like to sit quietly for a long time. If a Bedouin cannot find any enemy to deal with he gives an outlet to his irresistible urge for fighting by falling upon his own people."

    At that time the Arabs were divided into several warring tribes. Each tribe was politically independent. Tribe and clan loyalties were supreme and spirit of nationalism was yet to evolve. Each tribe had its own leader called-Sheikh'. He was elected on the basis of his courage, intelligence, loyalty and magnanimity. The people of the tribe use to reveral their leader and looked up to him for their welfare and settlement of their disputes. Each tribe had its own set of laws and there was no uniform system of law in force in the country. The savage law of blood for blood' was much in vogue. The 'Sheikh' wielded power subject to the will of the people.

Conclusion 

 From the above description, it may be clear that prior to the rise of Islam, people were quite primitive socially, politically, religiously and economically. This definitely paved the way for rise of Islam in Arabia.