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The Beg i n n ings of Isla ( P r e - I s l a m i c A ra b i a ) Section 'Wo 1. Pre-Islamic Arabia 1.1. Social and Economic Conditions, Bel iefs a nd Customs...

The Beg i n n ings of Isla ( P r e - I s l a m i c A ra b i a ) Section 'Wo 1. Pre-Islamic Arabia 1.1. Social and Economic Conditions, Bel iefs a nd Customs The Term Jaahi/iyyah: What is Jaahiliyyah? The term Jaahiliyyah, wh ich occ u rs i n t h e Qu r'a n fou r times (3:1 54; 5 :50; 33:3 3; a n d 48:26), comes from t h e Ara bic root j - h - /, which means 'ignora nce, lack of knowledge, to ig nore, foo lish ness, q u ick temper and to be ras h'. Jaahiliyyah is not m erely ignora nce, but rather, in the extrem e sense, a state of mind that reflects the q u a l ities of knowing the truth but stu bbornly refu sing to acknowledge it. It is to deli berately act against -- - - '?".._,.... what is rig ht, com bi ned with stu b born ness, ;._..__ arg u m entativen ess, disrespect a nd tota l --- - disrega rd for people's criticism. Th us, the word jahl means ignora nce, foolish ness and stupid ity, a nd its opposite is um, or knowledge. The term is also u sed for havi ng wrong beliefs a bout something as wel l as for not doing something as it ought to be performed. Jaahiliyyah indi cates the state of things, the state of ignora nce or the Age of Ignora nce and is often used to refer  Section The Beg i nnings of Islam ( P r e - I s l a m i c A r a b i a ) to paganism of the pre-Islamic period. To was closer to being a Shaykhdom, rather than be more precise, Jaahiliyyah is the time of a kingdom. The major cities of those ti m es ignorance before the advent ofthe Messenger were Makka h, Iaa'if and Yathri b (to be cal l ed of Allah in Arabia. The most decisive thing Madeenah later). that one should rea l ize here has to do with 'Allah'. Some people pres u m e 'Al lah' to be the 1.2. Makka h : H i story i n M uslim God, but this is not true. In fact, Allah is the Ara bic word for the sa me One God: the Brief True One God of a l l. Prophet lbraaheem migrated from Jaahiliyyah is commonly translated a s I raq to Syria, then from there to Egypt, t h e 'age of ignora nce'; that is, ignorance of ca rryi ng with h i m the message of the true the Word of God. Therefore, it is relevant to One God-Allah. l braaheem was u n dersta nd the desig nation of Jaahiliyyah indeed a model. He was d utifu l to Allah. He as referring to a n age of recklessness and was a man of p u re fa ith and was not at all a n disrega rd for certain mora l, spiritual and idolater (see Soorat an-Nab./, 1 6: 1 20). H i s story socia l va lues brought by Islam. I n the Qu r'a n, of encou nter with the idols and paga ns of his the word Jaahiliyyah is used as the opposite time is wel l-known, and the Qu r'a n speaks of of Islamic teachi ngs and reforms. this in several places (See, for insta nce, Soorat The Islamic teachi ngs are based on ai-Baqarah, 2:258-260; Soorat ai-An aam, knowl edge and guidance from Allah. Allah 6:74-8 1 ; Soorat Maryam, 1 9:46-48; and Soorat is the source of a l l knowledge as He tau g ht ai-Anbiyyaa', 2 1 :5 1 -70). As for his story of Aada m 1, the fi rst h u m a n being, the na m es professing tawb_eed (Oneness of Allah) i n of a l l thi ngs. (Soorat a/-Baqarah, 2:3 1 ) I n the Ma kkah, s e e Soorat Jbraaheem, 1 4:3 7 a n d pre-Islamic period, the way of l ife a nd laws Soorat a -s_aafaat, 37:99 and 1 02. were not based on reason or revel ation but on whi ms, g uesswork a nd superstitions. However, the Qu r'an does not reject a l l good va l ues preva lent in Ara bia before the advent of Islam. Many practices were reformed a nd other good va l ues, for exa m ple, generosity and h ospita l ity were reta ined. As a m atter of fact, life i n Ara bia in the decades preced ing Islam was by no means devoid of finer elements. The Ara b civil ization was no doubt sta le and d ecadent, as it possessed no phi losophy a nd no a rt wa htsoever, with the sole exa m ple of poetry. l braaheem was accompan ied by I n Arabia, there were many towns, but his second wife Haajar (Hagar), lsmaa eel's each fol l owed its own pol itical system, which mother. His fi rst wife was childless for a time. o()5 1 0 The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( P r e - I s l a m i c A ra b i a ) Section 'Wv Hagar bore h i m the fi rst son, and h e na m ed h i m lsmaa eel. l braa heem took her and her child to a place close to where the Sacred House is under a tree a bove the Za mza m well. There was no Makka h then and no inha bita nts. There was no water either. l braa heem l eft her with a s m a l l bag conta ining some dates and a waterskin1 fi l led with water. As lbraaheem turned to leave, Hagar followed him and she asked h i m, 'Where a re you goi ng, leavi ng us i n this deserted place?' She repeated the q u estion severa l times but to see the child writhe a round i n s uffering. he wou l d not turn to her. Final ly, she asked, She cli m bed the nearest h i l l, ca l led a.s_-$_afaa 'Has Allah comma nded you to do th is?' He to see if she cou l d spot someone. Not fi nding repl ied, 'Yes: She said, 'Then, surely, He wi ll a nyone, she l ifted her robe a little and ra n not abandon us: And she returned. down across the l ength of the va lley to c l i m b l braa heem conti n ued u ntil he was a nother h i l l cal l ed a i-Marwah t o see i f s h e at a mounta i n path, from which he could not could find a l iving s o u l. She fou nd no one a nd be seen. He tu rned towa rds the p lace a nd she ra n between the hills severa l times. Alla h's prayed: Messenger has told us that this is the origin Our Lord, I have settled some of my offspring in a of the sa ee ritual in b_ajj a nd umrah. At the valley without cultivation, by Your Sacred House, end of the seventh round, angel J i breel so that they may establish prayers. So make the came down. He used eithe r his heel or wing hearts of some people incline towards them, and to track down the source of the Zamzam provide them with fruits so that they may give spring and dug u nti l the water began to g ush thanks. (Soorat lbraaheem, 1 4:37) out. Haajar bega n to put a hedge a round the g ushing water with some sand. As the water­ The place is sti l l ba rren as it was fou r l evel rose, she c u pped her hands to col l ect it thousand yea rs ago. No trees bear a ny fru it in her waterskin. The water kept g ushing out there. All the fru its fou n d i n the city a re steadi ly. She dra n k from it and conti n u ed to brought to it from outside. This clearly shows n u rse her chi ld. The angel told her, 'Do not be that Prophet l braa heem's suppl ication was afra id of being a ba ndoned. This is the House accepted. Conseq uently, we see the a mazing of the Lord, which the child a nd his father will spectacle that the Ma kka n markets a re always build. Allah does not a ba ndon his serva nts: l aden with fruits of a l l varieties. While she held to the place, one of the It was not too long before the water fa mil ies of J u r h u m tribe from the Qa htaan was exhausted. Both Hagar a nd her child of the Yemen happened to pass by. Fi nding were thi rsty. It was especia l ly pa infu l for her that water was available there, they sought 1- A waters k i n i s a contai n e r o f s k i n for hold i n g water. her permission to settle down. She placed if)5 1 1  Sectio n The Beg i n n i ng s of Islam ( P re - I s l a m i c A r a b i a ) t h e cond ition that t h e spring of water wou ld 1.3. Social Con d itions remain her property though they could d raw in Arabia during the Ti me of from it. They a g reed and later sent for the rest of the tribe to come and join them. I g nora nce The never ceasing flow of Zamza m has n ever fa iled right up to this day, when m i l l ions I n pre-Islamic Ara bia com m u n ities took of gal lons of water a re drawn every day the form of a n u m ber of groups or tri bes who with the help of severa l large power-d riven were held together by loya lty to a leader or p u m ps. The Za mza m is both water and food by descent from a com m on successor. The at the same time. It is good for whatever it is fa m i ly u n its that made up the tri bes were d ru n k for. If you dri n k it agai nst thi rst, Allah eq ual in status to each other. The ch ief of will slake yo ur thirst. If you consider it food, each fa mily had power to select the triba l Allah will satiate you. If you seek to be c u red ch ief or shaykh, who normally ca me from with it, Allah will certa i n ly cure you. certa i n fa m i l ies. Sl avery was com m onp lace. Haaja r's child g rew i nto a handsome Before the Prophet's time, slaves were either young man and learnt Ara bic from mem bers war ca ptives or children of slaves or taken in of Jurhum tribe. Soon they gave h i m one of ra ids i n hosti le territory. their daug hters i n ma rriage. l braa heem WI Apart from a few oases and trading visited them severa l ti mes. I n one of these centres, the peninsula was desert and the way visits, he asked lsmaa eel WI to help h i m i n of l ife was nomadic or pastora l. Desert life was building t h e House that A l l a h h a d ordered h i m very harsh and u ncompromising. It was often to bui ld. The House was built on a raised spot accom pan ied by grinding poverty. There close to Za mza m, and lsmaa eel conti nued to was a strong tem ptation to l ay hand on the l ive next to it, by the side of his i n-laws, the belongings of others who were a p parently Jurhum among whom he had married. He wea lth ier. Th is u sua l ly took the form of ra ids was a truthfu l person as wel l as a m essenger i n which there were strict rules laid down a nd a prophet (Soorat Maryam, 1 9:54). He had by the custom. Where possible, possessions twelve sons. When he died, he was buried in were seized without loss of life. Ki l l i ng carries the H ij r a rea by the side of h i s mother's grave. It severe pena lties according to the tradition of is said that he l ived for 1 37 yea rs. It might a lso the desert. The free Ara bs were bound by no be poi nted out that the l braa h ee m ic period written law. N o authority existed to enforce is considered to be 1 900 years before the advent of Prophet Eesaa (Jesus) WI. The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( P r e - I s l a m i c A r a b i a ) Section 'Wo law a n d order. Therefore, the only protection slaves and fa l len women who forn icated; free for any person's l ife was the fact that it wou ld women were rarely g u i lty of that crime. be bought dearly. Blood m u st be paid by Some of the marriage p ractices blood: a l ife for a l ife. Retribution or vendetta preva lent among the com mon people were was one of the pillars of Bedouin society. not much different from prostitution. Four I n terms of culture, the Arabs admired kinds of ma rriages were preva l ent a mong the people who possessed eloq uence a nd who pre-Islamic Ara bs. One of them was similar to cou l d a rgue their point of view in the tribal the one com monly preva lent. Another was cou ncil. Wise men were hig h ly respected, but lending one's wife. In this system a man had poets were va l ued even more. The poets sang sex with a woman who had had no sex with of love, grief, joy and sorrow. Contests were her h usband between two m enstrua l cycles. held in which each pa rticipant boasted of his Fo l lowing that, the h usband would not go own tri be a nd mocked those of h is riva ls. near her u ntil he was sure whether or not she Si nce the rel igion of the Ara bs was idol­ was preg nant from the person with whom wors h i p, which is agai nst human natu re, she had sex. There was the g roup marriage in reason and logic, it was bou n d to create a social which a group of people, normally l ess than l ife that was essentia l ly against the demands ten, assem bled a nd had sex with a woman. of natu re, reason and logic. Excesses of all When she becam e preg nant and del ivered sorts were widespread: d ri n ki ng, g a m b l i ng, the chi ld, she wou l d send fo r them and u n l i m ited spouses, i nfa nticide from fea r of desig nate one of them as the c h i ld's father. A or as a result of poverty, ki lling of female fou rth marriage was one i n which a woman children for reasons of a fa lse sense of honour h oisted a flag on her house. A lot of people and eru ption of wars for petty reasons! All went to her and had sex with her. When she these led to anarchy. del ivered a chi ld, they h i red a tracke r who I n many ways, the Ara bs of the pre-Islamic declared one of them nea rest in resem blance times were loathsome in their man ners and to the child as the child's father. When Islam mora l s. They consu m ed g reat q ua ntities of came, it declared all these practices u n lawfu l a l cohol, gam bled freq uently and wou l d shed except the fi rst one. blood for the most trivial reasons. They wou ld In those days, people wou l d ta ke i nto d evour the wea lth of orphans, stea l, forn icate m arriage two rea l sisters at a ti m e. A man and deal in usu ry. However, it was the female wou ld also ma rry the wives of h is father at his death or when he divorced them. Divorce had no l i m it. Men wou ld d ivorce a ny n u m ber of times, but Islam abolished this wrong p ractice. (See Soorat ai­ Baqarah, 2:229)  Section The Beg i n n i ng s of Islam ( P re-I s l a m i c A r a b i a ) Ad mittedly thou g h, a s we have poi nted and fa mous Ancient House. They managed out above, l ife in Ara bia preced ing Islam was to keep the custodianship of the Ka ba h fo r by no mea n s devoid of fi ner q u a l ities. There three hundred to five h u n d red yea rs, but they were, of cou rse, some g ood characteristics proved to be evi l custod ians. For it was d u ri ng among the Ara bs. their time that idol-worship entered the The minds of the Ara bs of those times Arabian Peninsu la. One of thei r chiefs cal led were l i ke clean slates, ready to record and Amr Luhay had travel l ed to Syria, where he reta i n the right ideas. The m i nd's freedom fou n d people wors h i pping idols. When he from ideas a l lowed a powerfu l memory. i n q u i red a bout the ro le of those idols, he was Another characteristic was that Ara bs greatly told that when they supplicated to them for va l ued freedom and i ndependence. Th ey ra i n or sought other help, they would receive wou l d not bend down to a nyon e except their the ra in and the help they had soug ht. So h e leaders who comma nded their respect by asked them to donate a n idol to him. They displaying the q ualities that they approved gave him H u bal which he brought down to of, such as, chiva l ry, patience and fortitude. Ma kkah and persuaded people to offer their Mo reover, despite their worship of idols, they devotions to it. d id not deny God's existence. From then on whenever Ba n u lsmaa eel (the Children of lsmaa eel) travelled, they 1 4.. Rel ig ious Con d itions: took a stone from the Holy Sanctuary with them, pitching it wherever they encam ped Beliefs and Customs and went rou nd it in the manner pilgrims The a n cestry of the Qurays h goes back now go rou n d the Sacred House to wors h i p to lsmaa eel, son of l braa heem. The name Allah. This practice l ed t h e masses t o choose Q u raysh is said to have been a nickname for the best shaped stones a round for wors h i p. one of the a ncestors of the Pro ph et. The This is how those who were on the religion of Qu raysh lived i n Ma kkah a round the Ka bah, Prophet lbraaheem which they honoured and maintained. As a OOJ\ ended up resu lt of their cu stodianship of the Ka ba h, turning idol- their honour, status a nd reputation g rew. worshi ppers. Every Then a new tri be migrated to Makka h major tribe had its from Yemen. The reason for the migration own stone god. seems to have been the bu rsting of the Ma'ri b These were the Da m (also ca l led a i- Arim Dam), w h i c h resu lted very same idols in a major flood a nd a g reat loss of crops. The that the people dam was i n Yemen. The newcomers were the of Prophet fa mous tri be of Khuzaa ah. The Khuzaa ah Nooh l bruta l ly unseated the Qu raysh and esta blished h a d themselves as the principal occupa nts of the w o rs h i p ped, va l l ey and the new cu stod ians of the va lua ble as mentioned in the 14 The Beginnings of Islam ( P r e - Is l a m i c A ra b i a ) Section 'Wo Qur'a n (Soorat Noo 7 1 :23-24). the co-s harers of Allah i n the practica l control Each tri be, city, and loca lity had its own of the world. The tri be of Ba nu Maleeh god, a nd every household in Ma kka h had wors h i p ped the jinn; the tribe of H i mya r its own idol. When a Ma kkan set out on a worshi pped the sun; the tribe of Ki naanah journey, their l ast act at home was to seek worshi p ped the moon, the Iay' tribe the blessings of the fa m i ly deity, and the worshi p ped J u p iter; while the Ba n u Asad fi rst thing they did on thei r return was to pay wors h i p ped Mercury. res pect to it. The Quraysh had named deities that People used to compete with each other were special for them, such as lsaaf and in col lecting idols and setting up tem ples. Naa'ilah. Aa'ishah narrated, 'We had Those who could afford this pla nted a slab of always hea rd that the pair lsaaf a nd Naa'ilah stone in fro nt of the Ka ba h and performed com m itted fornication i n the Sacred House the ritua l of going rou n d it (tawaaf). Such and were turned to stones: (Mahdi Rizq u llah stones were ca l led an aab. I n the words Ahmad, Tr. by Iqbal Dha heer, A Biography of of Abu Rajaa' al utaa ridee, as reported in the Prophet of Islam) S.afleefl ai-Bukhaaree, 'We wors h ipped stones. When we fou nd a better stone than the one we had, we took it and threw away the old The Prophet once said, one. Where no stones were available, we I saw 'Amr ibn 'Aamir of Khuzaa'ah (that is to erected a sand-mou nd, m i l ked a g oat over say, 'Amr bin Luhay) dragging his intestines it and worshi pped it: When a traveller ha lted in the Fire. He was the one who introduced at the place, he would col l ect fou r stones, idol-worship. ( Reported by ai-Bukhaaree) wors h i p the most beautifu l of them and Th ree hundred and sixty idols had been used the other th ree on which to insta l led i nside the Ka ba h and its cou rtyard ­ rest his pot for cooki ng. the Hou se built by Prophet l braa heem for the The a ngels, they believed, wors h i p of the true God-Al lah. were the daug hters of Allah, N othing but the traces of the rel igion of and thus they Prophet l braa heem had remai n ed, such as begged them respect a nd the tawaafrou n d the Ka bah,flajj, to i ntercede umrah stopping at Arafa h and M uzda l ifa h with H i m on and sacrifice. The creed of tawfleed (Oneness thei r behalf. of Allah) tau g ht by l braa h ee m had not, The jinn were however, d ied com p l etely. A few a d hered to it, rega rded as d issatisfied with idol-worsh i p. They believed i n the Oneness of Allah, both i n His Divin ity as wel l as His Lordship, a nd were waiti ng for the next prophet to come. They were known as ai-Hunafaa'. o/j5 1 5 (  Section 1 5.. Cha racteristics of the Pre-Islamic Arabs Life in t h e desert is such that it produces people whose promine nt characteristic is that of tou g h fig hters. The outsta nding features of their l ife are: 1. I m moderate sea rcity of food, 2. The exceptional effort required to prod uce it, 3. The need to underta ke lengthy travels in the desert and the need of the Bedouins to be their own g u id e on these a. Naturallntelligence travels, and 4. The need to provide for their own Natura l i ntelligence took on different protection and secu rity. forms. Fi rstly, they had a very strong memory. Consider the vastness of their lang uage. Of these promi nent cond itioning influences on the character of the Bedouin, I n Ara bic, there are 80 words for honey, 90 the sca rcity of food is perhaps the u ppermost. for fox, 500 that mean lion, 1 000 that mea n It resulted in a healthier body and a stronger camel, and 1 000 that denote sword. To be physique. Although the Bedoui n's meal is sure to be a ble to memorize all those words, sma l l in qua ntity, it is not lacking i n proteins­ the Ara bs had to have stro ng memories. They consisting as it does of m i l k, m eat (som etimes) were u n l ettered, but they loved poetry, as and dates. Cereals are a luxury. Sweets are much as, or even more than a ny other l iterate al most u n known. and civil ized people. B ut i n order to preserve It is i m portant to realize that the poetry, and i n order to pass it down to the Ara bia n Jaahiliyyah was a state of moral next generation, they had to rely on verbal ignora nce, which demonstrated itself i n com m u nication and on powerfu l m emories. practical behaviour a n d attitudes. It does Therefore, one should not be su rprised to not necessa rily denote i n herent bad ness of learn that many of the Prophet's Companions cha racter. memorized the Qur'a n and that some To be fa ir, the Ara bs had many good in divid uals a mong them had com m itted to qua l ities as wel l, which made them wel l­ memory h u n d reds, a nd even thousands in prepa red for the d uty of ca rrying the ban ner of some cases, of fladeeth na rrations, which they Islam. Here a re some of these good qual ities: conveyed to the next generation of M u sli ms.  Section Wo c. Bravery The Ara bs wou ld praise men for having died on the battlefield and would criticize a nd ridicule those who d i ed peacefu l ly on their beds. Nothing meant more to the Ara bs than individual honour and the honour of one's clan a nd tribe. If a nyone dared to attack their honour, they would defend it with their lives to the last d rop. They wou l d consider it a blemish on their character if they did not help the oppressed who ca m e to them seeking their help and protection. A second q u a l ity which the Ara bs possessed was innocence that d. Love for Freedom cou l d be descri bed as ignora nce The vast desert of the Pen i nsula was the home of fa lsehood. The Arabs were thus of the Arabs who loved freedom and were not under natu ra l ly prepared to receive the truth the direct control of a ny king or ruler. Their honour - the Message of Islam. m ea nt more to them than their very l ives. If a nyone dared to h u m i l iate them, they wou l d not t h i n k twice b. Generosity a bout killing h i m. The quality of generosity was e. Truthfulness, Honesty and Keeping deeply rooted a mong the Ara bs who Promises had always been and sti l l a re to the present day a g ood exa m p l e of this I n genera l, the Arabs avoided lying. This rea l ity virtue. If a n Ara b owed noth ing except is perhaps best highlig hted in the story involving a ca m el, and if a g u est ca m e to visit Abu Sufyaa n. Stil l a polytheist and a bitter enemy h i m, he wou ld, without giving the of Islam, Abu Sufyaa n travel led a broad and met matter a second thoug ht, slaug hter Heraclius, the l eader of a foreign empire. H eraclius the ca mel and feed its m eat to their beg a n to ask q uestions a bout the Prophet and g uest. It was perh a ps Haatim a1-Iaa'ee a bout the new fa ith i n Makka h. Abu Sufyaan could who was most widely renowned for have best served his pu rpose by lying a bout the his generosity: stories of his generous Prophet 1;, but h e did not do so. I nstead, h e spoke acts were spoken of and lauded i n truthfu l ly a bout the Prophet and h is good gatheri ngs a l l over Arabia. cha racter. 17  Section The Beg i n ni ng s of Islam ( P re - I s l a m i c A ra b i a ) f. Patience in Hard Times and 1 6.. Economic Cond itions Contentment with the Bare and Com mercia l Life in Pre­ Necessities Islamic Arabia Due to the excessive sca rcity of food, the Ara bs consu m ed food i n moderate q u a ntities. In p re-Islamic They looked down u pon those who ate too Ara bia, M a kka h m uch and used to say: G l uttony does away was a p rosperous with i ntel l igence. The Ara bs had a natura l c o m me rcial centre ability t o endure hardshi ps, a q u a l ity that whose powe r and they proba bly developed thro u g h living i n i nfl uence was t h e h a rsh desert for many generations. Low g rowi ng. The va l l ey of su ppl ies of food and water, the winding rocky M a k ka h was ba rren, mountain pathways, the extrem e heat of the with no cultivation desert: nothing seem ed to perturb them. w h a t s o e v e r. Once they embraced Islam, they had to be Therefo re, the more patient than ever before; i n hard times, Ma kka ns u n d e rtook one of them would go days with a small two business j o u rneys n u m ber of dates and some d rops of water. eve ry yea r, one in wi nter a n d t h e oth e r g. Showing Mercy when Revenge was one i n s u m mer. I n with in One's Grasp wi nter, they used The Ara bs did not back down from to send their trade fig hti ng their enem ies. However, it frequently carava n s to Yemen ha ppened that, at the very moment when and i n s u m me r to ash­ one of them had the u p per hand agai nst Shaa m2, which was a their enemy and had the a bil ity to pounce ferti l e and prosperous upon them, they wou l d forg ive them and cou ntry. Bei ng the leave them alone. The Ara bs were also known custod ians of the to show mercy on the battlefield. They wou l d Ka bah, the Q u raysh were treated wel l by never kill their wou nd ed opponent. eve ryone. Peo ple wou l d serve them a n d genera l ly not pose a ny th reat t o t h e i r l ife These a re just some of the good q u a l ities and property. They earned a g ood p rofit i n that the Ara bs possessed d u ring the days of t h e i r busi ness dea ls. Mo reover, accord ing to ignora nce. a p re-I s l a m i c custom preva l ent in Ara bia, the months of Mub_arram, Rajab, Dhu/-Qa dah and Dhui-Hijja h (the fi rst, seventh, eleventh 2 - The traditional Arabic term Ash-Shaam i s a name for the whole "Greater Syria" region that today comprises Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine. o/;2 1 8 The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( P r e -Is l a m i c A r a b i a ) Section a n d twe lfth months of t h e l u n a r calendar) fro m Ya m a a m a h. Li kewise, cloth a n d shoe were co nsidered 'sacred' i n the sense that stores had sepa rate q u a rters a l l ocated to a l l tri bal wa rfa re had to stop d u ri n g these them i n the m a rket-place. m onths. Ma kka h had a l so a few m eeti n g p laces, D u ri n g these months, the a rea a round where ca refree you n g men used to gather the p recinct of the together for recreation and pastime. Those Sacred House in who were wea lthy and accustomed to a Ma kka h and the open l uxurious style of l iving wo u l d spend wi nter space beside it were in M a kka h and s u m mer in Iaa'if. There were uti l ized as a trade even some smart you n g men known fo r centre to which peo ple their expen sive a n d trim d resses costing from d i stant p l aces h u n d reds of dirhams (si lver coi n s of that ca m e for tra d i n g. A l l period). t h e essential t h i n g s Ma kka h was the centre of a wea lth­ req u i red for l iving prod ucing trade on a l a rge sca le. I ts were readily ava i lable mercha nts sent tra d i n g carava ns to d ifferent in the ma rket of cou ntries in Asia a n d Africa and i m ported Makka h. The sto res a l most everyt h i n g of n ecessity a n d costly fo r the sale of va rious wares m a rketa ble in Ara bia. They u s u a l ly com m od ities, located b ro u g ht res in, ivory, gold a n d e bony from in d ifferent l a n es and Africa; h i de, i n cen se, fra n ki ncen se, sp ices, ave n u es mentioned sandal-wood and saffro n from Yemen; by h i storians, tend to d iffe rent oils a n d food-g ra i n s, a r m o u r, s i l k show the economic and wines fro m Egypt a n d Syria; cloth fro m and cultura l g rowth of I raq; a n d gold, tin, p recious sto nes and Makka h. The vendors ivory from I n d i a. The wea lthy mercha nts of of pe rfu mes had their Ma kka h someti m es presented the p roducts sta l ls i n a sepa rate of their city, of which the most va l u ed were a l l ey, a n d so were the l eather p roducts, to the kings a n d n o bles shops of fru it-se l l ers, g rocers, barbers, fresh of other cou ntries. When the Qu rays h sent dates and oth er wa res and trades that stood Abd u l l a a h ibn Abu Ra bee ' a h and Am r in d iffe rent q u a rters. ibn a i- Aa to Eth iopia (Abyssinia) to bring A n u m be r of these ma rkets were back the M u s l i m e m i g ra nts, they sent with spacious enough, as for exa m p le, the m a rket hem l eather goods of Makka h as g ifts to the set a p a rt for food g rains was wel l -stocked Negus a n d his g e ne ra l s. with wheat, g hee (clarified b utterL h o ney Women a l so took part i n co m me rcia l and s i m i l a r com m od ities. A l l these vita l u n d erta kings a n d sent out trading ca rava ns goods were bro u g ht by trading caravans. bou n d fo r Syria and other cou ntries. For exa m p l e, wheat was b ro u g ht to Ma kka h Khadeejah ' the daug hter of Kh uwwayl id, 19  Section The Beg i n n ings o f I s l a m ( P re - I s l a m i c A ra b i a ) was a fa mous m erch a nt wom a n of d i g n ity d i g n ity of Ma kka h a s a rel igious centre and a n d wea lth. Like other adva nced nations contri b uted g reatly to the prosperity of the of the then wo rld, the com m ercia l ly city. Everything req u i red by the peo ple of m i n ded citizens of M a kka h had based their Ma kka h, whether a n ecessity or a l uxu ry, economy on commerce fo r which they sent reac h ed their hands beca u se of the city's out ca rava ns in differe nt directions; they com m ercial i m porta nce. Th is fact finds a a l so org a n ized stock m a rkets a n d created refere n ce i n these verses of the Qu r'a n: favou ra b l e conditions in the h o m e market So let them worship t h e Lord of t h is House, Who for the visiting tou rists a n d traders. has fed them against h unger and has made them Th i s h e l ped to i n crease the fa m e a n d safe from fear. (Soorat Quraysh, 1 06:3-5) 1.7. Weig hts a n d Measures Ma kka h was the c h i ef centre of big c u rrencies, known as dirham a n d deenaar busi n ess i n Ara bia a n d its citizens were (co m monly spelt dinar), were i n genera l use prospero us and wea lthy. The ca rava n of i n Ma kka h a n d other pa rts of the Pen i ns u l a the Q u rays h, which was the cause fo r the a n d were o f two kinds: one was a n I ranian Battle of Badr w h i l e returning from Syria, coin known to the Ara bs as baghliyah, a n d consisted of a thousa nd camels and carried the other was a Roma n coi n, which was mercha ndise worth 50,000 dinars (gold coi n s cal led tabriyah. These were si lver coi n s of that period). a n d t h u s i n stead of u s i n g t h e m as u n its of Both the Roman and Sa ssa nian3 coin age, the Ara bs rec koned their va l ues accord i n g to their wei g hts. 3- The Sassanid Em p i re (also s p e l l ed Sassanian Empi re) was the l a st pre-Is l a m i c Pers i an Empi re, ruled by the one of the two m a i n powers in Western A s i a and Europe, Sassanian Dynasty from 224 to 651. The Sassanid Empi re, along s i d e the Roman Em p i re and later the Byzantine which succeeded the P a rthian Empi re, was recognized as Em p i re, for a period of m o re than 400 years. The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( P r e - I s l a m i c A ra b i a ) Section The coi n s i n use d u ring t h e time of the Pro p h et :I we re genera l l y si lver coins. The deenaar was a gold coi n fa m i l i a r t o t h e Ara bs as the R o m a n coi n i n circu lation i n a s h-Shaam (G reater Syria) and Ara bia d u ri n g the p re-Islamic a n d early I s l a m i c period. It was m i nted i n the Rom a n E m p i re with the i ma g e and n a m e of the E m peror i m p ressed on it. The weig hts a n d measu res in gen era l use in those days were saa , mudd, rat/, ooqiyyah, mithqaal, wasaq, a n d so on. Accord i ng t o M u s l i m scholars, the m etric equ iva lents of the I s l a m i c weig hts and m eas u res a re as fo l l ows. 1 Dirham= 3. 1 7 1 gra ms 1 Deenaar= 4.25 g ra m s 1 Mithqaa/= 4.25 g ra m s 1 Rat/= 408 g ra m s 1 Mudd= 0.5 1 l itres 1 Saaa = 2. 1 76 kg, o n e Sa' of wate r= 2.75 l it res 1 Ooqiyyah = 1 27 g ra m s 1 Wasq= 1 3 0.67 kg, o r 1 65 l itres. (Th is d eta i l concern i n g the I s l a m i c weig hts a n d m ea s u res is largely based o n Mu'jam Lughat ai-Fuqahaa' (Dictionary of Islamic Legal Terminology) by Dr. M uha m m a d Rawaas Q a l a h Jee, D r. Haa m i d aadiq Q u n aybee, D a a r a n ­ Nafaa'i s, Bei rut, 1 408 AH/1 988. o/}5 2 1  Section The Beg i n n ings of Isla ( L i fe of t h e L a s t P r o p h e t ) 2. Life of the Last Prophet 2. 1. The Prophet's B i rth: 'The Yea r of the Elepha nt' The Messenger of Alla h was born i n Ma kka h elephant. His a rmy included between nine to on M onday morni ng, the 1 2th of Rabeee ai­ thirteen elephants. When Abra h a h reached Awwal, i n the Yea r of the Elepha nt, 5 7 1 CE, a i-M uhassi r Va l ley, between M uzda l ifa h and some fifty-five days after the u nsuccessfu l M i na, the elephant knelt down to the g round. expedition of Abra h a h agai nst Makka h. Abra ha's soldiers did everything they possibly Yemen a t that t i m e was u nder t h e ru l e could to bring it to its feet, but it stu bbornly of Eth i opia, and Abra h a h was its governor. H e refu sed to move. Whenever they d i rected b u i lt a g rand cathedral i n Sa ne aa: hoping to it towa rds the north, south or east, the m a ke it take the place of M a kka h as the great elephant would move q u ickly, but whenever place of pilgri m age for a l l Arabia. A man from they d i rected it towards Makka h it wou l d Ki naanah, a large tribe of western Sa udi kneel down. Th is was t h e clea rest of Ara bia in H ijaz, understood forewarnings for the a rmy not to move one step forwa rd, went to Sa n eaa' with the but Abra h a h was bl inded deli berate i ntention of by his a m bition for the defi l ing the c h u rch, sanctuary he had b u i lt which he did one and his d etermi nation to destroy the Ka e bah. Had he and his a rmy tu rned back, they wou ld perhaps have escaped the g reat disaster. But it ground i n revenge. was too late. Having made his prepa rations, h e set Suddenly the off for Makkah with western sky g rew a large a rmy of sixty da rk, and a strange thousa nd warriors, sound was heard in the front of which i n the dista nce. Its he placed a colossal vol u me g radually The Beg i n nings of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h e t ) Section Wo i ncreased. A great wave of da rkness a rrived upon the a rmy fro m the direction of the sea, and the air a bove them was fu l l of birds which were very m uch l i ke spa rrows a nd swa l l ows. Each bird had three pebbles the size of d ried peas, one in its beak a nd each one of the other two between the claws of each foot. They swooped to and fro over the a rmy, pelting them as they did so. The pebbles were hard and they landed with such ra pid ity that they even pierced coats of mail. Every ston e fou n d its mark. Every pebble killed its man. As soon as a soldier was h it, his flesh wou ld beg i n to rot. A large n u m ber of Abraha h's soldie rs were killed in this way. Many others, Abra h a h incl uded, d ied soon after their return to a n aa: The Ara bs attached g reat i m porta nce to this event. They dated their ca lendar from it, sayi ng, 'Th is occu rred i n the Yea r of the Elephant: 'so-a nd-so was born in the Yea r of the Elephant' or 'th i s ha ppened so many lbraaheem yea rs after the Yea r of the Elepha nt'. According to many schola rs, this event took p lace in the yea r 5 7 1 2.2. The Prophet's Li neage and of t h e C h ristian Ca lendar. Accord i n g Ancestry to others, however, i t occu rred i n the yea r 570 CE. There is a d iffe rence of The Prophet's father was Abd u l l aah, and his opinion among schola rs concern i ng mother was Aa minah, daughter of Wa h b ibn Abd the exact date of the bi rth of the Manaaf. Abd u i-M utta l i b was his gra ndfather, and Abu Prophet. Some scholars m a intain Iaa l i b was one of his uncles. The Prophet was born that he was born on the gth Rabee a mong the best of tri bes on earth and was of the best ai-Awwal in the Yea r of the Elephant. of li neage. H i s a n cestry can be traced back to Prophet  Section The Beg i n n i ng s of Islam ( L ife of t h e L a s t P ro p h e t l 2.4. l braa h eem \. As soon a s h e was born, his mother sent word to his g ra ndfather, Abd u i ­ C h i ld hood M utta l i b, i nforming h i m of t h e birth of a boy The fi rst woman who suckled him after and asking h i m to come to see h i m. ' Abdui­ his mother was Th uwayba h, the freed female M utta l i b came, took h i m i n his arms and slave of Abu La hab, with her son, Masruh. Abu carried h i m to the Ka ba h, where he voiced, i n La hab was one of the Prophet's u ncles. The a passionate m a n ner, a n ela borate i nvocation rea l name of this uncle was Abd ai-Uzzaa. He of thanks and g ratitude to Allah for this g ift. was popularly n ickna m ed Abu La hab, l itera l ly Then h e brought h i m back to his mother a nd 'father of the fla me' on account of his bea uty na med h i m M uha m mad. The Ara bs were which was most nota bly expressed in his not fa m i l iar with this name and were rather g lowing face. It was the genera l custom of the s u rprised by it. Ara bs l iving i n towns to send their children away, soon after their birth, to Bedouin wet n u rses so that they m i g ht grow u p in the 2.3. The Short-Lived free and hea lthy surroundi ngs of the desert. Thereby they wou ld develop a strong body eAbd u l laah and acq u i re the pure speech and manners of the Bedouins. They were noted both for pu rity of their language and for being free from We possess only scant i nformation those vices which usually develop i n i nactive a bout Abd u l laah, the father of the Prophet societies.. He was the favou rite of his father, the Some of the tribes had a high reputation celebrated Abd u i-M utta l i b. He was ma rried for n u rsing and rea ring children. Amongst to Aaminah, the daughter ofWa h b, who was a these were the Ba n u sa d ibn Bakr, a n outlying noble l ady from Ba nu Zu h ra h of the Qu raysh. branch of Hawaazin, whose territory lay to T h e ma rriage w a s extre mely s hort-l ived. the southeast of Ma kka h. The Prophet was Abd u l la a h set out on a trading expedition entrusted to Ha leemah, the daug hter of Abu to Syria, leaving Aa m i n a h expecti ng his Dh u'ayb. She was from Ban u Sa'd ibn Ba kr. Her child. He never return ed. Abd u l la a h died in husband was ai-Haarith ibn Abd ai- Uzzaa, Madeenah on his return trip from Syria. When cal led Abu Ka bshah, from the same tribe. news of his death reached Ma kka h, Ba n u Traditions descri be h ow Haleemah Haashim, a n d especia l ly Aaminah, were g rief­ and all her household were favou red by stricken. Alla h's Messenger ;I was not yet successive strokes of good fortune while the born. Abd u l l aa h had no children except the child M uha m mad l ived u nder her ca re. It future p rophet, nor had Aam i n a h a ny other is na rrated that Ha leemah d escribed in after­ child. Abd u l l aa h was bu ried in Madeena h. yea rs that she, along with her husband and He was twenty-five w h e n he d ied. Alla h's a recently born son of their own whom she Messenge r was born shortly after the death was n u rsi ng, set out from her vi l lage in the of his father. com pa ny of some women from Ban u sa d ibn The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h e t ) Section 'Wo Bakr in q uest of n u rselings to suckle. She said, It was a year of drought. We had nothing left. I set forth on a grey female donkey of mine and we had with us an old she-camel which could not yield one drop of milk. We were kept awake all night by our son who would keep crying all night because of hunger, for I had not enough in my breast to feed him. At length, we reached Makka h and set about looking for nurselings. Aaminah offered her son first to one and then to another, until she had tried them all and they had all refused. That was because we hoped for some favours from the boy's father. "An orphan!" we said, "what will his mother and grandfather be able to give us?"We had fixed our eyes on the reward that we would get from the child's father. Every nurse who had come with me got a baby, and when we were about to depart, I said to my husband, "I hate to return in the company of my friends without having taken a baby to suckle. I shall go to that orphan and take him:' So I went and took him for no reason except that I could find none but him. I carried him back to where our mounts were stationed, and no sooner had I put him in my bosom than my breasts overflowed with milk for him. He drank his fill, and his foster-brother also drank his fill. Then they both slept, although my baby had not been able to sleep the previous night at all. My husband went to that old she-camel of ours and he found her udders full. He milked her and drank of her milk. I also drank with him until we could drink no more. Our hunger was satisfied. We enjoyed a sound sleep during the night, and in the morning my husband said to me, "By Allah, tlaleemah, you have taken a blessed child:' Then we set out. I carried him and rode my donkey which outstripped the whole troops of fellow-travellers so much so that none of their donkeys was able to keep pace with her. We reached our dwellings in Banu Sa' d. It was a barren place. But when we brought Muhammad to live with us, the barren land soon sprouted lush grass. My flock would come fully satisfied at every evening full of milk. We continued to enjoy this increase and bounty from Allah. The baby was growing well. None of the other boys could match him for growth until the baby's two years had passed, and I weaned him. By the time he was two-yea rs old, Haleemah took him again to his mother although she was eager that he should stay with her for the blessings he had brought her and her fa m i ly. The Prophet's mother gave him once more i nto her keeping and Haleemah brought h i m aga in to her home. The Prophet ;i stayed with them u ntil he was fou r or five years old. r/55 2 5  Section The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( L ife of t h e L a s t P r o p h e t l 2.5. While the Prophet was staying i n Ha leema h's house, a very stra nge i ncident Aa minah and ('Abd u i­ took place. An a ngel ca me, split open his chest Mutta l i b Pass away and removed a blood clot from his heart and th rew it away. Then he clea nsed his heart and After this i ncident, Haleemah was so replaced it. M uslim has recorded this i ncident worried a bout the boy that she took h i m i n his S_ab_eeb_ on the authority of Anas ibn once more to Makka h and retu rned h i m to Maa l i k who said, 'Wh i l e the Prop het was his mother. He was six yea rs old then. The playing with some boys, Jibreel came to boy l ived happily with h is mother i n Ma kka h h i m, took h i m, laid h i m on the g ro u nd and for some time, winning t h e affection of h i s split open his chest. Jibreel extracted his grandfather a nd h i s u ncles and a u nts, and his hea rt, removed from it a black clot and said, many cousins with whom he played. "Th is is the portion of Sata n i n you :' He then The reu n ion of orphan M uha m mad :i washed the hea rt with Za mza m water i n a with his rea l mother was destined to be short­ basin made of gold, joined the heart together l ived. When he was six yea rs old, his mother and retu rned it to its place. The children ra n decided to ta ke him on a visit to his maternal u p to their mother and said, "Muha m mad has uncles in Madeenah. She was i n her early been m u rdered:' They h u rried o n ly to fi n d twenties then. She set o ut to cover a jou rney h i m standing alone, pa le a n d shaken: Anas of a bout 500 kilometres with her orphan boy added, 'I have seen the stitch ma rks on h i s and her female serva nt U m m Ayman. She c hest: spent a month there This i ncident certa i n ly deserves more and then decided than a passing thought or mention. What to go back ha ppened on that day was one of the to Makka h. signs of Prophethood. It was a clear proof H owever, not long that Allah had chosen M uha mmad for a after they had set o u very i m porta nt message. Pu rifi cation from on t h e i r return journey, Sata n's i nfl uence was in fact preparation for Aa minah fel l ill. protecti ng the Prophet from evi l of every After some days, sort. Although idol-wors h i p and evi l deeds she d i ed at ai­ were practised on a large sca l e among the Abwaa: on the Q u rays h, the Prophet never ever bowed road between Makka h and down to an idol, nor com m itted a sin. The and she was bu ried there. remova l of the b lood-clot from his heart U m m Ayman broug ht the boy back certa i n ly purified him from every i m matu rity to Ma kka h and she did a l l she possi bly and recklessness of youth. The i ncident a lso cou l d to comfort him now t t he had shows u s the degree to which Allah protected lost both his father a nd m other. H i s the Prophet a nd prevented Sata n from g ra ndfather 'Abd u i-M uttalib having a ny i nfl ue nce whatsoever over him. took complete charge of h i m. It -- --- -------- -- - o/)5 26 The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P ro p h et ) Section Wo soon beca me clear that his specia l fond ness died. When he was dying, A bd u i - M u tta l i b for 'Abd u l laah had been transfe rred to entrusted his g ra ndson to Abu iaalib, who was Abd u l laa h's son. a fu l l brother of young M uha m mad's father. Abdu i-M utta l i b was the foremost chief Abu Iaa l i b conti nued the love and the of Ma kka h and the u ndisputed leader of Banu kind ness that his nephew had received from Haash i m. He was the most handsome among the old man. Henceforth he was as one of the Qu raysh men. He was very ta l l, kind­ h is own sons, and h is wife Faa1i m a h d id a l l hea rted a nd generous and enjoyed g reat s h e possibly c o u l d to ta ke t h e place of h i s character. He was held in high esteem, and no mother. After many yea rs, Alla h's Messenger ruler had ever met him but would show him u sed to say of her that she wou ld let her respect and hold h i m in awe. He had been the own children go h u n g ry rather than him. Like leader of the Quraysh u ntil his death. h is father, Abu Iaa l i b was dignified, honoured Abd u i-M utta l i b was very fond of h is and g reatly respected by his people. grandson, and their inti mate relationship grew even stronger as time passed. Every 2.6. Muhammad's Ea rly day, he would spread a couch in the shade of the Ka'ba h, and out of respect for their father Occu pation none of his sons wou l d ventu re to sit on it, M uha m mad did what he cou l d in his but he would seat h i mself beside the Prophet early youth to earn his l iveli hood. In fact, on the couc h and stroke his back. Almost he tended sheep and goats for a wage and everyday they wou ld be seen together. But, wou l d thus spend day after day a lone in the a las, h i m too M uha m mad was d estined to h i l l s a bove Ma kka h or on the sl opes of the lose very soon. va l l eys beyond. When M uha m mad was eight years, two months and ten days old, his g randfather passed away in Ma kka h. U m m Ayma n reported that she had seen the youthfu l M uha m mad weeping as he q u ickened his steps to follow the coffi n of his gua rdian and protector. The pri ncely patria rch died at the age of eighty-two, according to the most rel iable sou rces. Some scholars put his age at over a hundred yea rs when h e  Section The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e La st P r o p h e t ij ) When M uha m mad was sti l l yo u ng, Abu very q u a l ities that the Prophet needed to Iaa l i b was going through a fi nancial crisis. He l ead his com m u n ity to the truth. Some of had many mouths to feed, and his busi ness these q u a l ities i ncl ude patience, h u m bleness, was not going so well. To help his uncle bravery, mercy and com passion, a nd a bove get through these hard times, M uha m mad a l l the love of ea rning one's living through worked as a shepherd. In a n authentic lawfu l hard work. b_adeeth, he is reported to have said, 'Every By doing so his fol l owers were also prophet tended sheep: His Com panions ta u g ht a very good lesson, namely, the most asked h i m, 'And d id you?' He replied, 'Yes, I honoura ble way to l ive is to eat from what one tended them for the Ma kka ns i n return for earns by engaging in lawfu l work. A person qaraaree( I bn Hajar m entions that scholars who i nvites others to Islam m ust especially hold two opinions concern ing the meaning avoid ta king from what is i n their ha nds. H e of the Ara bic word qaraareet.. The fi rst opin ion should b e i ndependent of a l l h u m a n beings. states that a qeeraat. (si n g u l a r of qaraareet.) is A self-sufficient man is dignified i n the sight a part of a dinar or dirham, and the second of others. Whatever good he does, he does it one states that qaraareet. is the name of a for Allah. The Prophet once said, "Never has place i n Makka h. a ny one eaten a better food than what he has Working as a shepherd afforded the eaten out of the labour of his own hands; and Prophet the cha nce to work i n peace and David, the Prophet of Allah, used to eat out of q u iet, to enjoy the bea uty of the desert a nd the labour of h i s own hands. (AI-Bu khaaree, to contemplate the wonders and g randeur b_adeeth no. 2072) Moreover, this b_adeeth of Alla h's creation. I ndeed, Allah wou ld is suggestive of the adoption of a lawfu l have provided the Prophet with wea lth occ u pation, no m atter how people may look and comfort so that he would not have to askance at it. That was the reason why the work as a shepherd, but this practice was a prophets took such occu pations. d ivine tra i n i n g for h i m so that it wou ld be When one is self-sufficient, depend ing m uch easier for h i m to dea l with people and upon no one but Allah, one gains the freedom tolerate their harm. I nd eed, a shepherd needs of being able to spea k the truth. Beca use they a g reat deal of patience and forbearan ce to a re dependent u pon the generosity of others, look after his fl ock. Th is practice proved many people bow their heads low before usefu l to the p rophets. A shephe rd picks u p evi ldoers. They remain si lent a bout their a n d develops many wonderfu l q u a l ities: the wrongdoing for fea r of losing thei r jobs and their l iveli hood. 0"')3 28 The Beg i n ni ng s of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h e t ) Section Wo 2.7. Ba heeraa the Monk When M uha m mad was twelve yea rs old, he accom panied h is uncle, Abu Iaa l i b, on a trade jou rney to Syria. When they reached Bu.s_raa, an a ncient city in southern Syria that was under the Roman rule, there was a monk named Baheeraa, who came out of his cell to meet them. Although he had not met them before, he readily recog nized the Prophet a nd said while taking his hand, 'Th is is the master of a l l m a n ki nd. Allah will send h i m with a message which will be a mercy to a l l beings: Abu Iaa l i b asked h i m, 'How do you know that?' Baheeraa repl ied, 'When you a ppea red from the direction of Aq a bah, every single rock and tree fel l down in prostration, which they never do except for a prophet. I can a lso recogn ize h i m by the a pple-l ike 'Sea l of Prophethood' below his shou lder bones: He a l so asked Abu Iaa l i b to send the boy back to Makka h and not to ta ke h i m to Syria as there was a serious danger to his l ife from the Roma ns and the Jews. Abu Iaa l i b obeyed and sent him back to Ma kkah with some of h is serva nts. The tri p to Syria was no doubt a major event in the l ife of the Prophet. For the fi rst ti me, he saw the bustling com mercia l centres of other la nds. The trip brought h i m i nto contact with a society which differed considerably from the one i n which he had g rown up. oW Section The Beg i n n i ngs of Isla ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h e t ) 2. 9. Hilf ai-Fudool: Alliance of the Vi rtuous As a young man, the Prophet took part in the formation of the 'Al l ia nce of the Vi rtuous' in Makkah. He once said, 'I was present in the house of Abd u l la a h ibn J u d ' a a n at so excel lent a pact that I wou l d not exchange m y part i n i t for a herd of red ca mels, and if now, in Islam, I were sum moned to it I wou ld g ladly respond: 2.8. The Sacri legious The expression fuQ.ool comes from the word faQ.I, which means nobil ity, su periority (Fijaar) War and virtue. Hence, it was an a ppropriate name for the a l l i a nce. The owner of red A war that raged between Ki naanah and ca mels d u ring those times wou ld today be Quraysh on one side and Qays Aylaan, a n eq uiva lent to a -J -...,._..-...,., """""" im portant c l a n o f t h e Hawaazi n, on a nother m i l lionaire.1 was ca l l ed the Fijaar or the Sacrilegious Wa r In fact, ti_ilf beca use both sides violated the sa nctity at a/-FuQ.ool was a the Holy House. The conflict dragged on for kind of league three or fou r yea rs. Alla h's Messenger took agai nst i njustice. part in one of these battles. His efforts were, Mem bers of the however, confi ned to helping by gathering a l l ia nce were enemy arrows that had mi ssed their mark req u i red to and handing them over to his uncles so that come to the aid they cou l d shoot them back. At that ti me, the of th ose who Prophet was a bout twenty yea rs old. needed a n extra The Arabic word njaar means helping hand, wicked ness. This wa r was given such a name such as the beca use the sa nctity of Ma kkah was viol ated, o p p ressed and the Ara bs considered a ny violation of injustice, widows, slaves, orphans, Ma kka h to be a wicked cri me. The Prophet travell ers, the poor and the elderly. The lea rnt a bout wa r and ch iva l ry d u ring these objective of this a l l iance was to protect the tri bal e ncou nters. defencel ess a nd ensure the safety of stra ngers in Ma kka h. The l eag ue ca me a bout beca use a 1· A l i Mohammad as-Sallaabee, The Noble Life of the Prophet. Darussalam, R i yadh, Saudi Arabia, 2005, Vol. 1, p. 103. 30 ' The Beg i n n i n g s of Isla ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h e t ) Section Wo stranger from Yemen sold goods in Ma kka h mem bers of the Quraysh a ristocracy ra l l ied to a n influentia l member of a powerfu l local to his assista nce and secu red the return of h is clan who su bseq uently refu sed either to pay goods. Meeti ng i n the ho use of Abd u l laah the price or to return the goods, as a result ibn Jud aan, they pledged henceforth to of which the wronged seller stood up in com bat oppressive acts and uphold justice. the vici nity of the Ka ba h a nd im plored aid The Prophet then in his early twenties, was ' for h i mself as a stra nger i n the city. Severa l present at this gathering. 2. 1 0. Divine Protection Alla h's Messenger was p rotected b y A l l a h. He dista nced hi mself from the indecencies and bad ha bits of the Jaahiliyyah the pre-I slamic period of socia l and mora l decline. The term Jaahiliyyah is com mo n ly tra nslated as the 'Age of Ignorance': ignora nce, that is, of the word of Allah. Alla h's Messenger · felt a deep sense of revulsion at the wors h i p of idols. Once he was req uested to act i n the name of the idols ai-Laat and ai- Uzzaa, but he repl ied with the sta rtling answer, 'Do not ever ask me a nyth ing for the sa ke of these idols. I have never hated a nything more: The Prophet n ever l ied or deceived a nyone; he was since re and truthfu l. He outshone everyone i n truthfu lness, trustworthi ness, b ravery and modesty. He respected fam i ly ties. He shared the burden of others. He honoured his guests, a lways provided his own food a nd was content with s i m pl e mea ls. What set h i m a pa rt from his fel low M ak kans was h is a bsol ute truthfu lness, trustworthiness, i nteg rity, sense of justice and compassion for the poor, the oppressed a nd the downtrodden, as wel l as his tota l refusa l to worship a ny idol or do a nything im mora l. He had gai n ed experience i n trading thro u g h his travels with the trade carava ns to g reater Syria beca use of his honesty, h a rd work a nd the busi ness acumen he showed in trad ing; he was soon being sou g ht after to ta ke charge of other people's merchand ise, that is to say, for those who could not travel themselves so that he wou ld trade on their beha lf. Soon he was popularly acclai med for these q ua l ities. A -S.aadiq (the Truthfu l) and ai-Ameen (th e Trustworthy) were the titles on everybody's l i ps for M uha mmad which itself means the Pra ised One. Always ' fa ithfu l a nd truthfu t people used to deposit their va l ua b l es with h i m for safekeeping. 31