1 pre-islamic arabia 2015

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The Christian world before the birth ofThe Christian world before the birth ofMuhammadMuhammad (s) 570 CE(s) 570 CE

CE

Islamic History class notes - for student use only


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.Mecca

.Medina



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Theories of migration.

There are 2 major theories concerning the location

where the Arab Bedouins moved to.

1- The Winckler 18631913 Caetani 1869-1935Drop out

Theory

2- Eternal Bedouin Theory - Migration caused by

cycle of famine or overpopulation.



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Drop-out Theory

Nomadic life was a later development in Arabia.

First nomads were drop-outs from the settled

population from the north in the Fertile

Crescent forced by over population.

Winckler 18631913 Caetani 1869-1935 Theory



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Winckler 18631913- Caetani(1869-1935) Theory

Eternal Bedouin Theory

Migration caused by cycle of famine or

overpopulation.



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Drop-out theory

Drop-out theory



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Population of Arabia

Original Arab(Qahtani) andArabised Tribes (Adnani)

Original Arab = Bedouins. Nomadic peoples.

Descendent of Qahtan. Settled in the reach and fertile

Yemen

The Adnaniyan Arabs = Descendent of Adnansettledin the central regions

Language = Sabaic. Related to Semitic language

Socio-economic institutions.

The Tribe (Qabila) divided into Clans

( Qawm-s)

-Clans consisted of a number of nuclearfamilies living in separate tents.

-Clan main focus of Bedouins loyalty.

-Survival subject to adherence to the principle

of all for one and one for all.



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Arabs ideals

The Concept of group solidarity

asabiyya.

Generosity Karam

Hospitality dayf

Honour 'ird

The Tribe Cycle

Optimal size 600 individuals

When too big the tribe breaks into components

(Clans) that become separate from the tribe.

The tribe disintegrates from the top because of

splitting into clans

Clans begin to grow becoming themselves new

tribes.



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Identity

-Each tribes remembers the identity of its

brother tribes and cousin tribes.

-Importance of knowing their origins and

descents.

-In order to maintain purity of the tribal

bloodline, marriage were conducted

among closely related tribes.

The institution of the Mawali (Clients)

In accordance with the ideals of hospitality

(dayf) outsiders were sometime accorded

refuge and protection from a tribe otherthan their own.

Mawali were however like second class

citizens and often barred from marrying

into the tribe itself.



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Economic Activity

Breading and herding: sheep, goats, donkeys, horses,and camels used for food, clothing, shelter, fuel, andtransport.

Arabs used specific areas for grazing. Around May orJune the tribe would return to its summer quarters locatedmost of the time near a water well.

Depending on the amount of rainfall the tribe wouldchange location several times during the Winter andSpring.

Weekly market trading (suq) specially during the summermonth. And annual trade fairs within entire regions.

The Camel a socio economic revolution



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Camel introduced in Arab society ataround 1000 B.C.

Superb riding animal. Three times as fastas horse on long distance

Splendid beast of burden. Carrying up to160 kg

Travels 40 Km daily, for 8 days withoutwater in temperatures of 57 degreecentigrade.

Other benefits: Meat, milk, hair and skinfor clothing, dung for fuel.

Acquisition of Wealth

Due to scarcity of resources and water

rivalry was endemic in Arabia.

In difficult situation tribes would depart for

greener land. But for those who remained

warfare among tribes was common. This

would happen because of livestock and

natural resources.



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Ghazw (Razzia-Raid)

Raiding was not considered illegal or immoral.Rather raiding for booty and for the capturefollowed by the ransom of prisoners was alegitimate form of economic enterprise.

B ravery in action either in defense or attackwas considered an other important Bedouinideal.

Raids were conducted against rival tribes,

sedentary villagers or camel caravan thattransported goods from the south of Arabia tothe Fertile Crescent.



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Political InstitutionsPolitical Institutions

"tribal autonomy"do not obeyed any political authority above or beyond it.

council or majl is

The shaykhspokesman ,primus inter pares("first among equals)

Power

The Bedouin tribe was not a "state." (Dawla)

Legal tradition urfor customary law

counter-vengeance leading ultimately to a blood feud

Arab tribesman, he or his nearest kinsman assumed, on a unilateralbasis, the responsibility for seeing that "justice or vengeance wasdone

counter-vengeance leading ultimately to a blood feud



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Cultural InstitutionsCultural Institutions

Ibn Khaldun (d. 1406) explained that the principal differenceIbn Khaldun (d. 1406) explained that the principal differencebetween settled and nomadic populations was that the former,between settled and nomadic populations was that the former,

while lacking "solidaritywhile lacking "solidarity(( asabiyya), developed states andasabiyya), developed states and

possessed "civilization,"whereas the latter possessed solidaritypossessed "civilization,"whereas the latter possessed solidarity

but lacked any real civilization.but lacked any real civilization.

"Arabia, at the rise of Islam, does not appear to have possessed"Arabia, at the rise of Islam, does not appear to have possessed

anything worthy of the name of architecture. Only a small portionanything worthy of the name of architecture. Only a small portion

of the population was settled, and these lived in dwellings whichof the population was settled, and these lived in dwellings which

were scarcely more than hovels (p.were scarcely more than hovels (p. 1).1). K. A. C. CresswellK. A. C. Cresswell

Poetry- Competition during the festifal of Ukaz

The Muallaqt

the suspended Poetry

Qasida (long ode)

ReligionReligion

Paganism, polytheism, fatalismPaganism, polytheism, fatalism

belief in the jinnbelief in the jinn..

Soothsayer (Kahin)Soothsayer (Kahin)

Existing Religions in the AreaExisting Religions in the Area

JudaismJudaism

ChristianityChristianity (various branches)(various branches)

ZoroastrianismZoroastrianism



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AArab kingdomsrab kingdoms



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Kingdom of Palmyra:This state was in the Syro-Arabian desert.

Odenathus, or Volhaina, was made the first king by Emperor Gallienus

in 265 CE. as a reward for his assistance against the Persians. He wassucceeded by his wife, Zenobia (Zainab), who claimed her son,

Athenodorus (Wahballat) was Caesar Augustus. This probably led to

Emperor Aurelian's conquering of the kingdom in 273 C.E.; Zenobia

was captured.

Kinda

A former vassal of the Himyarites, this state lasted from about 480-550

CE. During this brief time, there was a rise in the quality and amount ofliterature produced by the Arabs, especially poetry under the reign of

king Imr'ul' Kais, who himself was a great poet.

Lakhmids

These people were employed by the Persians, ca. 300 CE to fend off

Bedouin raids on thier borders.

GhassanidsThese were descendants of the Nabteans; Harith ibn Jabala, aka Areta,

was given his title by Justinian in 529 CE after the defeat of some Arab

vassals of Persia. The Ghassanids were crushed in 584 by the Persians.

Hira

This was a Christian state, a vassal of the Persian Sassanid dynasty,

located on the border of Persian Iraq.



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The Emergence of Mecca

Mecca had grown by the 6th century into one of the most

significant trade and cultural centers in Arabia. It was

primarily ruled by the Quaraysh tribe, which itself was

made up of smaller clans such as the Hashimites (Prophet

Muhammed's clan, which was in economic decline ) and

the Umayya (the richest mercantile clan). The clan ethic

had been declining as mercantilism rose.

Birth of Mohammad (S)

Muhammad was born sometime between 570 and 580 CE

tradition has it he was born in 570, the Year of the

Elephant , to the clan Banu Hashim. His name meant

'worthy of praise', and he bore the nickname al -Amin the

honest one. His father, Abdallah, died before he was born,

and his mother died when he was only six. He was first

raised by his grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib and then by his

uncle, Abu Talib, who was also head of the Hashim clan.



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Murra

Kilab

Amr

Sheyba

Uthman


1 pre-islamic arabia 2015

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