Islam

Pre-Islamic Arabia THE ARABS: During ancient times, the Arabs inhabited much of the area from the Arabian peninsula to the Euphrates River.

Pre-Islamic Arabia Medina Arabia Mecca

Pre-Islamic Arabia Fertile Crescent Medina Arabia Mecca

Pre-Islamic Arabia Mesopotamia Medina Arabia Mecca

Pre-Islamic Arabia The Levant Phoencians Hebrews Medina Arabia Mecca

Pre-Islamic Arabia Medina Arabia Dynasties of the South Mecca

Pre-Islamic Arabia Byzantine Empire Persian Sassanid Empire Arabia Medina Arabia Mecca Arabian Dynasties

Pre-Islamic Arabia 7th Century Arabia: No stable large-scale political governments Harsh environment forced people to organize into close-knit clans, or extended families that formed tribes Sheikh = leader of tribe Tribal family protected members of the extended family

Pre-Islamic Arabia 7th Century Arabia: Early Arabs were polytheistic, Allah = main god among possibly hundreds of others Nature based, animistic gods Spirits (Jinn) in stones, trees, wells, and animals

Pre-Islamic Arabia 7th Century Arabia: Traced their ancestry to Abraham and Ishmael: Believed to have built a shrine called the Ka’ba at Mecca

Abraham’s Genealogy ABRAHAM SARAH HAGAR Isaac Esau Jacob 12 Tribes of Israel Ishmael 12 Arabian Tribes

(Amneh+) Abdallah Abutalib Hamzeh Alabbas Abulahab Alhareth Abraham Ismail Adnan Quraiysh Qussaiy Abdmanaf Abdshams Hashem (Amneh+) Abdallah Abutalib Hamzeh Alabbas Abulahab Alhareth The pedigree of Mohammed's family tracing back to Abraham. Son of Abdallah and Amneh. Note uncle Abutalib, viewed as monotheist by many historian, and his son Ali, Mohammed's cousin and ‘body’. Paternal uncle, Abbas, the father of the Abbassids, while the Ummayah dynasty is 3 generations away Uncle Hamzeh, whom Muhammad dearly loved, killed in a battle with Mecca, 627 The grave of his great grandfather, Hashim, is in Gaza Adbelmuttalib Muhammad Ali Ummayah Dynasty Abbbassides Dynasty (661-750) (750-1258)

Pre-Islamic Arabia 7th Century Arabia: Traced their ancestry to Abraham and Ishmael: Believed to have built a shrine called the Kaaba at Mecca Black Stone, cornerstone of the Ka’ba, revered for its association with Abraham

Pre-Islamic Arabia Arabic culture at the birth of Muhammad: lack of political organization of any form crime was committed, the injured party took law in its own hands, and tried to administer “justice” to the offender only protection a man could find from his enemies, was in his own tribe – tribal warfare was a permanent institution of the Arabian society

Pre-Islamic Arabia Arabic culture at the birth of Muhammad: tribal warfare was a pastime, a dangerous sport, - heroism and winning glory and honor for their tribes Jewish population controlled farming, making of weapons slavery of men and women most powerful class of the Arabs was made up by the traders and money-lenders

Pre-Islamic Arabia Arabic culture at the birth of Muhammad: huge wealth gap between wealthy traders and rest of society Mecca and Yathrib (Medina) were dominant trading cities Caravan trade was basic to Mecca and Yathrib - in summer to Syria, in winter to Yemen

Pre-Islamic Arabia Arabic culture at the birth of Muhammad: Male dominated society, number of women a man could marry not fixed drunkenness, gambling, and prostitution common polytheistic idol worship, Jews, Christians high level of illiteracy, poetry key form of artistic expression

ECONOMIC COMPONENTS: Common language Bedouins Farmers Traders

BEDOUINS (nomadic herdsmen) provided for their own needs with: Herds of sheep and goats Small-scale trading in towns Regular raids on one another and on caravans.

FARMERS: Isolated farming areas many areas’ soils were too poor rain was too infrequent to support agriculture.

TRADERS: Cities supported traders luxury goods (spices, incense, perfumes) from the Indian Ocean region and southern Arabia along caravan routes to the cities of the eastern Mediterranean.

TRADERS: domestication of the camel expanded caravan trade between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea traders formed the economic and political elite of Arabia led the tribes.

Pre-Islamic Trade Routes

MECCA: oasis and the most important trade center in Arabia. dominated by the powerful tribe of the Quraysh (KOOR-aysh). most important city economically, culturally, politically, and spiritually

THE KA’BA: Shrine created the religious significance of Mecca

THE KA’BA: founded according to Arab tradition by Abraham For centuries, pilgrimages to Mecca to visit the Ka’ba, site of a huge black meteorite.

THE KA’BA: founded according to Arab tradition by Abraham For centuries, pilgrimages to Mecca to visit the Ka’ba, site of a huge black meteorite.

THE KA’BA: Representations of all polytheistic gods were placed inside

Pre-Islamic Arabia Medina Arabia Mecca