» Ar Raheeq Al Mukhtum
briefly about the social, economic and ethical conditions prevalent therein.
The Arabian Society presented a social medley, with different and heterogeneous social strata. The
status of the woman among the nobility recorded an advanced degree of esteem. The woman enjoyed a
considerable portion of free will, and her decision would most often be enforced. She was so highly
cherished that blood would be easily shed in defence of her honour. In fact, she was the most decisive
key to bloody fight or friendly peace. These privileges notwithstanding, the family system in Arabia was
wholly patriarchal. The marriage contract rested completely in the hands of the woman’s legal guardian
whose words with regard to her marital status could never be questioned.
On the other hand, there were other social strata where prostitution and indecency were rampant and
in full operation. Abu Da’ûd, on the authority of ‘Aishah(May Allah be pleased with her) reported four
kinds of marriage in pre-Islamic Arabia: The first was similar to present-day marriage procedures, in
which case a man gives his daughter in marriage to another man after a dowry has been agreed on. In
the second, the husband would send his wife – after the menstruation period – to cohabit with another
man in order to conceive. After conception her husband would, if he desired, have a sexual intercourse
with her. A third kind was that a group of less than ten men would have sexual intercourse with a
woman. If she conceived and gave birth to a child, she would send for these men, and nobody could
abstain. They would come together to her house. She would say: ‘You know what you have done. I
have given birth to a child and it is your child’ (pointing to one of them). The man meant would have to
accept. The fourth kind was that a lot of men would have sexual intercourse with a certain woman (a
whore). She would not prevent anybody. Such women used to put a certain flag at their gates to invite
in anyone who liked. If this whore got pregnant and gave birth to a child, she would collect those men,
and a seeress would tell whose child it was. The appointed father would take the child and declare
him/her his own. When Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) declared Islam in Arabia, he cancelled
all these forms of sexual contacts except that of present Islamic marriage
Women always accompanied men in their wars. The winners would freely have sexual intercourse with
such women, but disgrace would follow the children conceived in this way all their lives.
Pre-Islam Arabs had no limited number of wives. They could marry two sisters at the same time, or
even the wives of their fathers if divorced or widowed. Divorce was to a very great extent in the power
of the husband.
The obscenity of adultery prevailed almost among all social classes except few men and women whose
self-dignity prevented them from committing such an act. Free women were in much better conditions
than the female slaves who constituted the greatest calamity. It seemed that the greatest majority of
pre-Islam Arabs did not feel ashamed of committing this obscenity. Abu Da’ûd reported: A man stood
up in front of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and said: “O Prophet of Allâh! that boy is my
son. I had sexual intercourse with his mother in the pre-Islamic period.” The Prophet (Peace be upon
him) said:
l“No claim in Islam for pre-Islamic affairs. The child is to be attributed to the one on whose bed it
was born, and stoning is the lot of a fornicator.”
With respect to the pre-Islam Arab’s relation with his offspring, we see that life in Arabia was
paradoxical and presented a gloomy picture of contrasts. Whilst some Arabs held children dear to their
hearts and cherished them greatly, others buried their female children alive because an illusory fear of
poverty and shame weighed heavily on them. The practice of infanticide cannot, however, be seen as
irrevocably rampant because of their dire need for male children to guard themselves against their
enemies.
Another aspect of the Arabs’ life which deserves mention is the bedouin’s deep-seated emotional
attachment to his clan. Family, or perhaps tribal-pride, was one of the strongest passions with him. The
doctrine of unity of blood as the principle that bound the Arabs into a social unity was formed
andsupported by tribal-pride. Their undisputed motto was: “ﺎﻣﻮﻠﻈﻣ وأ ﺎﻤﻟﺎﻇ كﺎﺧأ ﺮﺼﻧا
—
Support your brother
whether he is an oppressor or oppressed” in its literal meaning; they disregarded the Islamic
amendment which states that supporting an oppressor brother implies deterring him from
transgression.
Avarice for leadership, and keen sense of emulation often resulted in bitter tribal warfare despite
descendency from one common ancestor. In this regard, the continued bloody conflicts of Aws and
Khazraj, ‘Abs and Dhubyan, Bakr and Taghlib, etc. are striking examples.
Inter-tribal relationships were fragile and weak due to continual inter-tribal wars of attrition. Deep
devotion to religious superstitions and some customs held in veneration, however, used to curb their
impetuous tendency to quench their thirst for blood. In other cases, there were the motives of, and
respect for, alliance, loyalty and dependency which could successfully bring about a spirit of rapport,
and abort groundless bases of dispute. A time-honoured custom of suspending hostilities during the
prohibited months (Muharram, Rajab, Dhul-Qa‘dah, and Dhul-Hijjah) functioned favourably and
provided an opportunity for them to earn their living and coexist in peace.
We may sum up the social situation in Arabia by saying that the Arabs of the pre-Islamic period were
groping about in the dark and ignorance, entangled in a mesh of superstitions paralyzing their mind and
driving them to lead an animal-like life. The woman was a marketable commodity and regarded as a
piece of inanimate property. Inter-tribal relationships were fragile. Avarice for wealth and involvement
in futile wars were the main objectives that governed their chiefs’ self-centred policies.
The economic situation ran in line with the social atmosphere. The Arabian ways of living would
illustrate this phenomenon quite clearly. Trade was the most common means of providing their needs of
life. The trade journeys could not be fulfilled unless security of caravan routes and inter-tribal peaceful
co-existence were provided – two imperative exigencies unfortunately lacking in Arabia except during
the prohibited months within which the Arabs held their assemblies of ‘Ukaz, Dhil-Majaz, Mijannah and
others.
Industry was alien to the Arabian psychology. Most of available industries of knitting and tannage in
Arabia were done by people coming from Yemen, Heerah and the borders of Syria. Inside Arabia there
was some sort of farming and stock-breeding. Almost all the Arabian women worked in yarn spinning
but even this practice was continually threatened by wars. On the whole, poverty, hunger and
insufficient clothing were the prevailing features in Arabia, economically.
utterly rejected by reason, were rampant amongst the pre-Islam Arabs, but this could never screen off
the surprise-provoking existence of highly praiseworthy virtues, of which we could adduce the
following:
1.Hospitality: They used to emulate one another at hospitality and take utmost pride in it. Almost
half of their poetry heritage was dedicated to the merits and nobility attached to entertaining
one’s guest. They were generous and hospitable on the point of fault. They would sacrifice their
private sustenance to a cold or hungry guest. They would not hesitate to incur heavy bloodmoney
and relevant burdens just to stop blood-shed,and consequently merit praise and eulogy.
2.In the context of hospitality, there springs up their common habits of drinking wine which was
regarded as a channel branching out of generosity and showing hospitality. Wine drinking was a
genuine source of pride for the Arabs of the pre-Islamic period. The great poets of that era never
forgot to include their suspending odes the most ornate lines pregnant with boasting and praise
of drinking orgies. Even the word ‘grapes’ in Arabic is identical to generosity in both
pronunciation and spelling. Gambling was also another practice of theirs closely associated with
generosity since the proceeds would always go to charity. Even the Noble Qur’ân does not play
down the benefits that derive from wine drinking and gambling, but also says,
“And the sin of them is greater than their benefit.” [2:219]
3.Keeping a covenant: For the Arab, to make a promise was to run into debt. He would never
grudge the death of his children or destruction of his household just to uphold the deep-rooted
tradition of covenant-keeping. The literature of that period is rich in stories highlighting this
merit.
4.Sense of honour and repudiation of injustice: This attribute stemmed mainly from excess
courage, keen sense of self-esteem and impetuosity. The Arab was always in revolt against the
least allusion to humiliation or slackness. He would never hesitate to sacrifice himself to maintain
his ever alert sense of self-respect.
5.Firm will and determination: An Arab would never desist an avenue conducive to an object of
pride or a standing of honour, even if it were at the expense of his life.
6.Forbearance, perseverance and mildness: The Arab regarded these traits with great admiration,
no wonder, his impetuosity and courage-based life was sadly wanting in them.
7.Pure and simple bedouin life, still untarnished with accessories of deceptive urban appearances,
was a driving reason to his nature of truthfulness and honesty, and detachment from intrigue
and treachery.
Such priceless ethics coupled with a favourable geographical position of Arabia were in fact the factors
that lay behind selecting the Arabs to undertake the burden of communicating the Message (of Islam)
and leading mankind down a new course of life.
In this regard, these ethics per se, though detrimental in some areas, and in need of rectification in
certain aspects, were greatly invaluable to the ultimate welfare of the human community and Islam has
did it completely.
The most priceless ethics, next to covenant-keeping, were no doubt their sense of self-esteem and
strong determination, two human traits indispensable in combatting evil and eliminating moral
corruption on the one hand, and establishing a good and justice-orientated society, on the other.
Actually, the life of the Arabs in the pre-Islamic period was rich in other countless virtues we do not
need to enumerate for the time being.
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ASPECT OF PRE-ISLAMIC ARABIAN SOCIETY
After the research we have made into the religious and political life of Arabia, it is appropriate to speakbriefly about the social, economic and ethical conditions prevalent therein.
SOCIAL LIFE OF THE ARABS:
The Arabian Society presented a social medley, with different and heterogeneous social strata. The
status of the woman among the nobility recorded an advanced degree of esteem. The woman enjoyed a
considerable portion of free will, and her decision would most often be enforced. She was so highly
cherished that blood would be easily shed in defence of her honour. In fact, she was the most decisive
key to bloody fight or friendly peace. These privileges notwithstanding, the family system in Arabia was
wholly patriarchal. The marriage contract rested completely in the hands of the woman’s legal guardian
whose words with regard to her marital status could never be questioned.
On the other hand, there were other social strata where prostitution and indecency were rampant and
in full operation. Abu Da’ûd, on the authority of ‘Aishah(May Allah be pleased with her) reported four
kinds of marriage in pre-Islamic Arabia: The first was similar to present-day marriage procedures, in
which case a man gives his daughter in marriage to another man after a dowry has been agreed on. In
the second, the husband would send his wife – after the menstruation period – to cohabit with another
man in order to conceive. After conception her husband would, if he desired, have a sexual intercourse
with her. A third kind was that a group of less than ten men would have sexual intercourse with a
woman. If she conceived and gave birth to a child, she would send for these men, and nobody could
abstain. They would come together to her house. She would say: ‘You know what you have done. I
have given birth to a child and it is your child’ (pointing to one of them). The man meant would have to
accept. The fourth kind was that a lot of men would have sexual intercourse with a certain woman (a
whore). She would not prevent anybody. Such women used to put a certain flag at their gates to invite
in anyone who liked. If this whore got pregnant and gave birth to a child, she would collect those men,
and a seeress would tell whose child it was. The appointed father would take the child and declare
him/her his own. When Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) declared Islam in Arabia, he cancelled
all these forms of sexual contacts except that of present Islamic marriage
Women always accompanied men in their wars. The winners would freely have sexual intercourse with
such women, but disgrace would follow the children conceived in this way all their lives.
Pre-Islam Arabs had no limited number of wives. They could marry two sisters at the same time, or
even the wives of their fathers if divorced or widowed. Divorce was to a very great extent in the power
of the husband.
The obscenity of adultery prevailed almost among all social classes except few men and women whose
self-dignity prevented them from committing such an act. Free women were in much better conditions
than the female slaves who constituted the greatest calamity. It seemed that the greatest majority of
pre-Islam Arabs did not feel ashamed of committing this obscenity. Abu Da’ûd reported: A man stood
up in front of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and said: “O Prophet of Allâh! that boy is my
son. I had sexual intercourse with his mother in the pre-Islamic period.” The Prophet (Peace be upon
him) said:
l“No claim in Islam for pre-Islamic affairs. The child is to be attributed to the one on whose bed it
was born, and stoning is the lot of a fornicator.”
With respect to the pre-Islam Arab’s relation with his offspring, we see that life in Arabia was
paradoxical and presented a gloomy picture of contrasts. Whilst some Arabs held children dear to their
hearts and cherished them greatly, others buried their female children alive because an illusory fear of
poverty and shame weighed heavily on them. The practice of infanticide cannot, however, be seen as
irrevocably rampant because of their dire need for male children to guard themselves against their
enemies.
Another aspect of the Arabs’ life which deserves mention is the bedouin’s deep-seated emotional
attachment to his clan. Family, or perhaps tribal-pride, was one of the strongest passions with him. The
doctrine of unity of blood as the principle that bound the Arabs into a social unity was formed
andsupported by tribal-pride. Their undisputed motto was: “ﺎﻣﻮﻠﻈﻣ وأ ﺎﻤﻟﺎﻇ كﺎﺧأ ﺮﺼﻧا
—
Support your brother
whether he is an oppressor or oppressed” in its literal meaning; they disregarded the Islamic
amendment which states that supporting an oppressor brother implies deterring him from
transgression.
Avarice for leadership, and keen sense of emulation often resulted in bitter tribal warfare despite
descendency from one common ancestor. In this regard, the continued bloody conflicts of Aws and
Khazraj, ‘Abs and Dhubyan, Bakr and Taghlib, etc. are striking examples.
Inter-tribal relationships were fragile and weak due to continual inter-tribal wars of attrition. Deep
devotion to religious superstitions and some customs held in veneration, however, used to curb their
impetuous tendency to quench their thirst for blood. In other cases, there were the motives of, and
respect for, alliance, loyalty and dependency which could successfully bring about a spirit of rapport,
and abort groundless bases of dispute. A time-honoured custom of suspending hostilities during the
prohibited months (Muharram, Rajab, Dhul-Qa‘dah, and Dhul-Hijjah) functioned favourably and
provided an opportunity for them to earn their living and coexist in peace.
We may sum up the social situation in Arabia by saying that the Arabs of the pre-Islamic period were
groping about in the dark and ignorance, entangled in a mesh of superstitions paralyzing their mind and
driving them to lead an animal-like life. The woman was a marketable commodity and regarded as a
piece of inanimate property. Inter-tribal relationships were fragile. Avarice for wealth and involvement
in futile wars were the main objectives that governed their chiefs’ self-centred policies.
THE ECONOMIC SITUATION:
The economic situation ran in line with the social atmosphere. The Arabian ways of living would
illustrate this phenomenon quite clearly. Trade was the most common means of providing their needs of
life. The trade journeys could not be fulfilled unless security of caravan routes and inter-tribal peaceful
co-existence were provided – two imperative exigencies unfortunately lacking in Arabia except during
the prohibited months within which the Arabs held their assemblies of ‘Ukaz, Dhil-Majaz, Mijannah and
others.
Industry was alien to the Arabian psychology. Most of available industries of knitting and tannage in
Arabia were done by people coming from Yemen, Heerah and the borders of Syria. Inside Arabia there
was some sort of farming and stock-breeding. Almost all the Arabian women worked in yarn spinning
but even this practice was continually threatened by wars. On the whole, poverty, hunger and
insufficient clothing were the prevailing features in Arabia, economically.
ETHICS:
We cannot deny that the pre-Islam Arabs had such a large bulk of evils. Admittedly, vices and evils,utterly rejected by reason, were rampant amongst the pre-Islam Arabs, but this could never screen off
the surprise-provoking existence of highly praiseworthy virtues, of which we could adduce the
following:
1.Hospitality: They used to emulate one another at hospitality and take utmost pride in it. Almost
half of their poetry heritage was dedicated to the merits and nobility attached to entertaining
one’s guest. They were generous and hospitable on the point of fault. They would sacrifice their
private sustenance to a cold or hungry guest. They would not hesitate to incur heavy bloodmoney
and relevant burdens just to stop blood-shed,and consequently merit praise and eulogy.
2.In the context of hospitality, there springs up their common habits of drinking wine which was
regarded as a channel branching out of generosity and showing hospitality. Wine drinking was a
genuine source of pride for the Arabs of the pre-Islamic period. The great poets of that era never
forgot to include their suspending odes the most ornate lines pregnant with boasting and praise
of drinking orgies. Even the word ‘grapes’ in Arabic is identical to generosity in both
pronunciation and spelling. Gambling was also another practice of theirs closely associated with
generosity since the proceeds would always go to charity. Even the Noble Qur’ân does not play
down the benefits that derive from wine drinking and gambling, but also says,
“And the sin of them is greater than their benefit.” [2:219]
3.Keeping a covenant: For the Arab, to make a promise was to run into debt. He would never
grudge the death of his children or destruction of his household just to uphold the deep-rooted
tradition of covenant-keeping. The literature of that period is rich in stories highlighting this
merit.
4.Sense of honour and repudiation of injustice: This attribute stemmed mainly from excess
courage, keen sense of self-esteem and impetuosity. The Arab was always in revolt against the
least allusion to humiliation or slackness. He would never hesitate to sacrifice himself to maintain
his ever alert sense of self-respect.
5.Firm will and determination: An Arab would never desist an avenue conducive to an object of
pride or a standing of honour, even if it were at the expense of his life.
6.Forbearance, perseverance and mildness: The Arab regarded these traits with great admiration,
no wonder, his impetuosity and courage-based life was sadly wanting in them.
7.Pure and simple bedouin life, still untarnished with accessories of deceptive urban appearances,
was a driving reason to his nature of truthfulness and honesty, and detachment from intrigue
and treachery.
Such priceless ethics coupled with a favourable geographical position of Arabia were in fact the factors
that lay behind selecting the Arabs to undertake the burden of communicating the Message (of Islam)
and leading mankind down a new course of life.
In this regard, these ethics per se, though detrimental in some areas, and in need of rectification in
certain aspects, were greatly invaluable to the ultimate welfare of the human community and Islam has
did it completely.
The most priceless ethics, next to covenant-keeping, were no doubt their sense of self-esteem and
strong determination, two human traits indispensable in combatting evil and eliminating moral
corruption on the one hand, and establishing a good and justice-orientated society, on the other.
Actually, the life of the Arabs in the pre-Islamic period was rich in other countless virtues we do not
need to enumerate for the time being.
Previous Chapter
Index
Next Chapter
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