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Emerging
Light in Seventh Century Arabia Note: The purpose of this article is not to review world history at the time of the advent of Islam, therefore my comments here are necessarily broad and sweeping in character. The seventh century appears to have been a time of world wide moral
confusion and decay. Christianity had divided into various factions and
controversies surrounded the personalities of Jesus The Arabian Peninsula, with the exception of Yemen, which was on the caravan route, was in darkness; Little was known about it to the outside world. Polytheism and idol worship were rampant in Arabia, as was tribalism and unrestrained pursuit of wealth and power. Most Arabs were nomads, who felt assured by tribal security. This stability was based largely on the tradition of "blood vengeance," which invariably resulted in an endless cycle of revenge. Society seemed even harsher in the cities. At the time, there were only a few cities like Makkah and Ta'if. A small number of rich and controlled the economy. Many of the poor were entangled in a web of usury riba. This system of riba turned them into virtual slaves, Slavery itself was commonplace. Women's status was also extremely deplorable and they were treated largely as chattel, which was essentially another form of slavery. Marriage, inheritance, and divorce laws reflected the chauvinistic attitudes prevalent in the society. For example, unlimited polygamy was widespread; primogeniture was the rule and Sons often inherited their fathers' wives. A husband could stop conjugal relations with his wife and abdicate all responsibilities toward her without divorcing her and letting her go free. This cruel treatment of wives called zihar (turning your back on something) was widely practiced. Although females were oppressed and abused routinely (female infanticide was commonplace, and male progeny was a source of pride and status in society), the majority of deities were female. The three major deities, al-Lat, al-'Uzza, and alÂManat were considered the daughters of Allah. Have you seen al-Lat and al-Uzza and
the third Manat? The Qur'an refers to the practice of burying alive infant girls by posing this poignant question; When the female infant buried alive These injustices, inequities, and cruelties weighed heavily on the shoulders of at least some of the individuals living in Arabia. In spite of rampant polytheism and idol worship, some did have a concept of a transcendent God whom they called Allah.1 The Qur'an refers to this in the following verses: If indeed thou ask them who has
created the heavens the Ibn Ishaq records that there were at least four individuals in Makkah who had
turned away from idol worship and polytheism and had adopted the monotheism of
Prophet Ibrahim Born in 570 C.E. Muhammad He proved himself a conscientious and successful businessperson and caravan
leader. This business acumen and his widely known reputation of
trustworthiness, thoughtfulness and gentility attracted the attention of
Khadijah. An exceptional woman, Khadijah was a prominent businesswoman in a
misogynist society. She had been married twice before and was a widow. Her
marriage to Muhammad Although married to a wealthy woman, the Prophet It is difficult to resist drawing analogies between the seventh century world and the state of the human morality in today's world at the turn of the new millennium. The nuclear man-woman, two-parent family, as a core unit of society has eroded seriously in the West. Brazen sexual exploitation in the media is commonplace and illicit sex condoned and even accepted. Violence at home, against women, children, and violence in the streets, is frightfully routine. Substance abuse is widespread, with United States as the largest consumer of drugs in the world. Alcoholism is rampant, especially among college students, with only feeble attempts being made to address the problem. The lessons from the AIDS epidemic are being swept under the rug of political correctness. African-Americans have been liberated as slaves for a century and a half, yet many are still trapped in an unending cycle of poverty and discrimination, which is a form of economic slavery. Because of a system that allows unrestrained growth of wealth without encouraging proper redistribution, economic disparities and injustices continue to grow at an alarming rate. However, there are many excellent characteristics in Western societies, especially in the US, particularly freedom of thought, speech and assembly, a tolerant attitude toward eccentricities in human nature and an ambition to be a just and compassionate society. Many of these qualities, especially freedom of speech, thought and pluralism, are sadly lacking in many Muslim societies. Nevertheless, the moral and socioeconomic scene of today's world is uncannily similar to seventh century Arabia before the advent of Islam. The unraveling of the moral fabric in today's society must weigh heavily on
the minds of individuals with insight. They can draw personal solace and
inspiration from the Prophet's Those who are receptive to learning from Muhammad's If the thoughtful analyst is successful in this attempt at understanding the
core values of the Prophet's
Notes: 1. The use of the word Allah by the pre Islamic Arabs did not imply a monotheistic philosophy. Rather it referred to one superior God in panoply of multiple Gods. It is very similar to the Param Ishwara or the God of Gods concept in Hinduism. Nevertheless it is important to note that the word Allah itself was in common usage before the advent of Islam. 2. Alfred Guillame. The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of lisa Ishaq's "Sirat Rasul Allah" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1982) pp. 98-100. 3. An excellent discussion of this issue may be found in Abdul Hamid A. Abu Sulayman's book The Crises in the Muslim Mind 1st ed. (Herndon, Virginia: International Institute Of Islamic Thought, 1993), Javeed Akhter, is the Executive Director of the Chicago based International Strategy and Policy Institute and he is the author of the book "The seven phases of Prophet Muhammad's Life," Click Here to read book review of The seven phases of Prophet Muhammad's Life http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Articles.asp?ref=IC0803-3547 |
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and his mother, Mary. The Roman Catholic and
Eastern Orthodox churches exhibited deep prejudice and intolerance against each
other. In Persia, absolutism of the monarchical system influenced and
controlled most aspects of the society. Zoroastrianism was also unraveling. In
addition to the internal turmoil, Christianity and Zoroastrianism were in a
constant state of friction. India and China were similarly morally adrift.
India had thrown out Buddhism out of its birth land, and the old polytheistic
practices were resurgent. The oppressive caste system, which Buddhism had
revolted against, was as entrenched as ever. In China, at the same time as a
great flowering of the arts, music and dance was occurring, there was a general
sense of moral confusion. Many Chinese individuals claimed to be the followers
of all of the three prevailing traditions: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.
Buddha had been turned into an object of worship and huge statues depicting his
likeness were commonplace. This was a surprising turn of events for a
non-theistic religion whose founder had never claimed divinity, or prescribed
idol worship.
Prophethood. These people were called the
Hanifs (the upright men or those who turn away [from idol worship]).2