Punjtni Silsilah

The Jahalia Period (450 A.D-570 A.D)

Arabia Before Islam

The Jahalia Period (450 A.D-570 A.D)

The period of two centuires before the advent of Islam is called Dare Jahalia or the age of ignorance in the history of Arabia, it was an age of crisis when the old tribalism broke down under the impact of powerful forces , both internal & external which operates in Arabia during fifth & sixth centuries A.D, they were as follows

  1. Firstly Disintegration of old matriarcial system ,
  2. secondly the growth of Money Economy ,
  3. Thirdly the migration of Yamani tribes to northern Arabia which intensify the inter tribal wars of the Arab tribes
  4. And lastly the increase in the imperislistic intrigues of Rome & Persia among the border tribes of North Arabia as well as among the southern Arabs

These factor were responsible for the breakdown of ancient Arabian society & for letting loose a crisis , which was resolved only by the RISE OF ISLAM

On the whole Arabia is an inclined plateau whose western side is higher than eastern, geographically Arabia is divided into certain well marked regions , they are Hijaz in the north west with the stony desert of Najd in the east of Hijaz next come the central Arabian region of Yamama in the heart of Arabia the coast of red sea , Tihama the central lowland of the red sea . Yaman is the south western part of Arabia , it is the most fertile and healthy region with enough rainfall & a mild climate, it has been the seat of

most ancient civilization in Arabian society , to the east of the Yaman is the province of Hadramawt on the coast of Indian ocean , in the south eastern corner of Arabia peninsula lies Uman . to the south of Uman lies Behrain or al-Hasna along the coast of Persian gulf

Socio-Economic Condition.

Ancient Arabia was essentially a tribal society , in which a great majority was of nomadic , pastoral tribes or the bedonian tribes lived a semi communistic life holding such sources of livelihood in common such as pastures , water spring cultivated lands etc, only the personal belongings like the tents, household articles were owned privately .

An Arab had no personal gain or individual life , he lived for his tribe or Clan.they were few towns but even the town arabs lived  the same tribal communistic life as Arabs of deserts, but gradually however a new type of tribe arose in the town first in the south Arabia of Himyaritic kings & then in Northern Arabia, they were the money conscious & aristocratic tribes, they were the product of internal trade & international commerce during the minion & sabbian kingdoms of antiquity but flourished during the Himyarite kingdom, during the jahaliya period the center of Arabian commerce was shifted to Hijaz due to imperialistic rivalry & depredation of Rome & Persia in the Yamen. The Qurysh became the leading mercantile tribe of the age, they had however several commercial allies and rivals such as Taqif of Taif , the Jewish agrarian , money lenders and the Christian wine merchants also joined them .headed by the Quraysh these mercantile tribes organized the whole Arabian society for commerce and economic gain .fair were held all over the Arabia , markets were open in various towns, caravans of trade were sent in all directions of Arabia & beyond. Trade routes were laid out in  all part of Arabia from south to North, from east to west , Mecca  become the center & emporium of national & international trade of Arabia. The Bedoniun tribes were induced by mean of fair & pilgrimage to visit these fairs & holy places , they

brought with them their surplus produce such as incense , gum dates etc & brought in exchange textile , grain, sword & weapons. Often the Bedouin tribes become the debtors of rich merchants of the town , thus to them the Qurysh come to mean shark which eats the lesser fish . in this way these deserts tribes entangle into the coils of money economy of the Quryash & their merchant tribes . in their turn the merchant tribe carried the bedoninan produce & the Indian goods in to the market  town of Syria there they exchange mostly them with Roman gold & silver because the Byzantine had little else to exchange with Arabian merchandise .

The money economy however acted as a solvent of the earlier comnunial and matrarchial  tribalism , it disrupted  its tribal customs & social relations undermined its moral principles & values intensified the greed & hunger of both the Bedonians & town Arabs and led to very bitter & protracted (lasting longer than expected or longer than usual ). This socio economic crisis was further deepened by the migration of Yamanee tribes to the Noroth and the imperialistic intrigues and desing of Rome and Persia . these causes made the lives of Jahalaya Arabs more nasty bruticsh & the miserable

Political Conditions-Mazhabee Halat : the Wear osf Ayam ul Arahs

Ancient Arabia was essentially a tribal society , in which a great majority was of nomadic , pastoral tribes or the bedonian tribes lived a semi communistic life holding such sources of livelihood in common such as pastures , water spring cultivated lands etc, only the personal belongings like the tents, household articles were owned privately .

An Arab had no personal gain or individual life , he lived for his tribe or Clan.they were few towns but even the town arabs lived  the same tribal communistic life as Arabs of deserts, but gradually however a new type of tribe arose in the town first in the south Arabia of Himyaritic kings & then in Northern Arabia, they were the money conscious & aristocratic tribes, they were the product of internal trade & international commerce during the minion & sabbian kingdoms of antiquity but flourished during the Himyarite kingdom, during the jahaliya period the center of Arabian commerce was shifted to Hijaz due to imperialistic rivalry & depredation of Rome & Persia in the Yamen. The Qurysh became the leading mercantile tribe of the age, they had however several commercial allies and rivals such as Taqif of Taif , the Jewish agrarian , money lenders and the Christian wine merchants also joined them .headed by the Quraysh these mercantile tribes organized the whole Arabian society for commerce and economic gain .fair were held all over the Arabia , markets were open in various towns, caravans of trade were sent in all directions of Arabia & beyond. Trade routes were laid out in  all part of Arabia from south to North, from east to west , Mecca  become the center & emporium of national & international trade of Arabia. The Bedoniun tribes were induced by mean of fair & pilgrimage to visit these fairs & holy places , they

brought with them their surplus produce such as incense , gum dates etc & brought in exchange textile , grain, sword & weapons. Often the Bedouin tribes become the debtors of rich merchants of the town , thus to them the Qurysh come to mean shark which eats the lesser fish . in this way these deserts tribes entangle into the coils of money economy of the Quryash & their merchant tribes . in their turn the merchant tribe carried the bedoninan produce & the Indian goods in to the market  town of Syria there they exchange mostly them with Roman gold & silver because the Byzantine had little else to exchange with Arabian merchandise .

The money economy however acted as a solvent of the earlier comnunial and matrarchial  tribalism , it disrupted  its tribal customs & social relations undermined its moral principles & values intensified the greed & hunger of both the Bedonians & town Arabs and led to very bitter & protracted (lasting longer than expected or longer than usual ). This socio economic crisis was further deepened by the migration of Yamanee tribes to the Noroth and the imperialistic intrigues and desing of Rome and Persia . these causes made the lives of Jahalaya Arabs more nasty bruticsh & the miserable