Read my previous article on ‘Why Study Seerah?’ here

To understand the Seerah, it important to understand and appreciate the circumstances at that time in Arabia. It provides beneficial context to help us understand why the Prophet ﷺ was sent to the region. Many Islamic scholars refer to this time period as the ‘jahiliyyah’ which means ‘the age or condition of ignorance.’

Tribes

The Arabs can be divided into three groups, according to lineage:

1) Perished Arabs: The descendants of ‘Ad and Thamud who were destroyed in the punishments sent down by Allah.

2) Pure Arabs: They were the people of Yemen who are also known as Qahtanian Arabs.

3) Arabized Arabs: The progeny of Prophet Ismail. Through the marriage of Ismail to a woman from the tribe of Jurhum, the language of Arabic was ingrained into the culture of Makkah.

In Makkah, the dominant tribe was Quraysh who inhabited and controlled Makkah and the Ka’bah. Over time, Quraysh subdivided into several small clans such as Banu Hashim, Banu ‘Adi, Banu Makhzum, Banu Taym etc. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born into the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe. Quraysh’s tribe primary source of finance was from trade. The Ka’bah was a source of significant income as people would travel from all over the world in order to make pilgrimage. Merchants and traders would also embark on trade journeys to the wider Arab world in order to make profit.

In the city of Yathrib (Medina), the dominant tribes were the Arab tribes of Aws and Khazraj and the main Jewish tribes of Banu Nadir, Banu Quraydha and Banu Qaynuqa’.

Traditions

Like any society, there were both positives and negatives to life in Arabia. Positive characteristics of the Arab people included their generous hospitality, being true to their word, having a great respect for genealogy as well as excellent memory. Some of their negative traits included a culture of superstition, gambling, drinking, fornication and adultery. Most notably, the treatment of women in this period was abhorrent. Women did not have the right to inheritance or divorce, especially those who belonged to lower classes. Furthermore, female infanticide was a common practice as families sought it is a means to prevent poverty and it was seen as a solution for the liability of a female child. Female newborns would be buried alive almost instantly after their birth.

Poetry, known as a ‘qasidah’, was a pastime enjoyed by many which was transmitted and preserved orally until years later, when Arab scholars began to collect and record such verses. Poets would often recount incidents from their own life or that of their tribe.

Theology

Religion in pre-Islamic Arabia was a blend of polytheism, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. It was the influence of Abyssinian and Roman colonists that resulted in Christian communities settling in Arabia. Meanwhile the migration of Jews from Palestine to Arabia was triggered by the destruction of their temple by King Bukhtanassar and with the Roman occupation of Palestine in 70 CE. Arab polytheism was perhaps the most dominant of them all. Though they did accept Allah to be the supreme God, idols were constructed and were considered to have their own levels of influence as intermediaries. Shrines were established with idols at their centre. Soon, idols were placed within the Ka’bah too and it is estimated that at one point there were around 360 idols within it. Although Arab polytheists retained some Abrahamic traditions, such as tawaf (circumambulation), they had introduced innovations such as doing tawaf naked.  

Although polytheism was widespread in pre-Islamic Arabia, there remained a few people who followed the religion of Prophet Ibrahim. These people were known as the ‘Hunafa.’ The singular form ‘Haneef’ means to ‘focus constantly.’ The Hunafa rejected idolatry and the deviant practices of the pagan Arabs and were determined to follow the true, monotheistic religion that Ibrahim had practised.

Two of the most notable Hunafa include:

1) Zayd ibn Amr bin Nufayl: He was known to challenge Quraysh in public for their pagan practises which also meant he faced physical and verbal abuse from his own family members. He travelled outside Arabia in a search for the truth but was advised to return to Makkah as soon a man from amongst them will emerge and revive the religion of Ibrahim. He detested female infanticide and was known to rescue infant girls from being buried alive by bringing them up in his own house. Unfortunately, he died before the Prophet ﷺ received revelation. However, the Prophet ﷺ is narrated to have said that on the Day of Judgement, Zayd will be resurrected as a nation by himself.

2) Waraqa bin Nawfal: He also travelled with his companion Zayd ibn Amr bin Nufayl to find the truth. He was considered a Christian priest. He was the cousin of Khadija رضي الله عنهما, the Prophet’s first wife. Waraqa was the person consulted after the Prophet ﷺ first received revelation, he was the first to confirm the Prophethood. Waraqa proclaimed his belief but passed away soon after.