The Arabian Peninsula Before Islam

If we want to understand Islam and the greatness of its guidance the Holy Prophet Muhammad (p.b.h) , who saved the humanity by his kindness and put it on the way of civilization and straightness behavior , starting from Arabs who were close to him. We should know first the Arab situation before Islam , in order to know the conditions in which the Islamic mission has started. The best one who described these conditions was the scholar Tabataba’e (mercy upon him ) , he said : “ Qur'an calls Arabs before Islam (pre-Islam or State of ignorance ) to show that the ignorance was the ruler of that community not the science , and the injustice was controlling them not the right  ” . Qur'an also describes them in the same way: “ they entertained about Allah thoughts of ignorance quite unjustly, saying : We have no hand in the affair ” [4]

And said : “ Is it then the judgment of (the times of ) ignorance that they desire? And who is better than Allah to judge for a people who are sure ? ” [5]

And said : “ When those who disbelieved harbourd in their hears (feeling of ) disdain , the disdain of (of the days of ) ignorance , but Allah sent down his tranquility on His Apostle and on the believers and made them keep the Word of guarding , and they were entitled to it and worthy of it ; and Allah is Cognizant of all things   ”[6]

And said : “ And stay in your houses and do not display your finery like the displaying of the ignorance of yore ; And keep up prayer , and pay the poor-rate , and obey Allah and His Apostle ” [7]

The previous verses are the best mirror that reflexes the situation and the conditions of Arabs. There was not any civilization in the   Arabian community especially Hijaz region , or maybe there were civilization but they had been vanished before Islam rising.

Here we mention some of the traditions and habits that prevailed in that time:

1.     Polytheism , they were worshiping idols , images , and stars.

2.     Denying the Hereafter , which means returning to the life in the after word .

3.     Fables hegemony, fables were controlling the minds of people in that time which became the main reason for their retardation and an impregnable barrier in the way of Islamic mission later, the matter which made the Prophet (p.b.h) works with great effort to remove the effects of the state of ignorance and to erase the fabulous thoughts and beliefs.

4.     Immorality, like spreading adultery , gambling , wine , sodomy and prostitutions.

5.     Burying alive (a newborn girl ) , it is so bad custom which Qur'an considered as Abouminable crime that never pass in the Day of Judgment without punishment.

Allah the Almighty said : “ When a daughter was announced to one of them his face becomes black and he is full of wrath. He hides himself from people because of the evil of that which is announced to him . Shall he keep it with disgrace or bury it (alive) in the dust ? Now surly evil is what they judge   ” [8]

And said : “ And when the one buried alive is asked . For what sin she was killed” [9]

So that , the woman was forbidden from all the social rights even the right of inheritance. The man had the right to merry the wife of his father after his death or when he divorces her , and sometimes the sons take turn on the wife of their father. And they were inheriting  women as they were inheriting the stuffs, over and Abouve , they were bequeathing  males and excluding females.

6.     They were eating blood ,  dead animals , and pigs . And they were killing animals with severity.

7.     Usury, it was the backbone of their economy.

8.     Looting , it was one of the intense customs , they ride and kill each other , and  they were proud of doing such things.

9.     As for the cultural and scientific side , people of Hijaz were described “ ignorant ”  . Pre- Islam , those who know reading and writing didn’t exceed seventeen persons in Mecca .

I conclude by the description of Ja’far bin Abi Talib describing  the situation of pre-Islam saying in his speech before the king of Habasha , Al Najashi  : “O king , we were such ignorant people , we were worshiping idols , eating dead animals , committing sins , cutting the kinship , mistreating the neighbors , the strong eats the weak  ” 

This is the fact of Arabs before Islam.

[4] Al Omran 154

[5] al Ma’edah 50

[6] al Fat  h 26

[7] al Ahzab 33

[8] al Nahl 58- 59

[9] al Takweer 8-9