Opposing Traits
Despite the savage nature and plundering inclinations, the nomadic Arab
possessed some good traits such as generosity, hospitality and bravery. He
strongly stuck to his promises and kept his word so much so that at times he
even endangered his wellbeing to keep his promises; and this loyalty to his
promises was his most distinguishing feature. The presence of such differing
traits in the nomadic Arabs makes us wonder.
If the Arabs had not lived in such a hostile land, it would have been
difficult for us to know the reason for such contrasts. The same Arab who
desired for plundering and did not hesitate to commit the most vicious
crimes showed sympathy, emotions and hospitality inside his tent. If a needy
person referred to him for help, he would assist him generously and at times
would endanger his own life for their wellbeing.
[86]
A nomadic Arab considered it the highest point of honor and dignity to show
bravery on the battlefield, to be extremely generous, to be loyal to his
tribal interests, and to be harsh in taking revenge against those who have
wronged him or his relatives or tribe.
[87]
The Roots for the Arab's Good Manners:
Despite the fact that Arabs were most often engaged in bloody fights over
the possession of pastures, they had come to understand this truism that
they should engage in the highest form of hospitality towards others since
they lived in a hostile land in which resting-places or hotels were not
available to provide travelers with shelters. Poets at the Ignorance Era,
who acted like journalists of our time, used to emphasize the notion of
hospitality and admire this human trait more than other human traits.
[88]
It should be however noted that the roots of most of their good traits, such
as bravery, hospitality, generosity, and protecting the needy, did not rest
in their human and spiritual values; rather, these traits had their roots in
the culture of the Ignorance Era. They performed these human traits out of
their rivalry and competition with other members of society. This is because
that harsh environment called for bravery and audacity. Love for a good name
and leadership and fear of poets' criticism and wish to avoid being called
misers and mean persons led Arabs to show great signs of generosity and
protection towards those in trouble.
[89]
Ignorance and Superstition
The nomadic Arab of Hijaz who lived mostly in the desert lacked true
civilization; he was dominated by extreme fanatics and incapable of
comprehending the relations of nature. He could not analyze the phenomena in
nature critically and was unable to understand cause and effect relations.
When a sick man received some drugs, he was incapable of analyzing
critically the relationship between pain and disease. The only thing he knew
was the fact that his clan-mates used to take this medicine under similar
conditions. For instance, he naively accepted that the tribal chief's blood
would remedy the disease of rabies, which was the result of a dog's bite. In
the same way, he was under the illusion that the cause of sickness was a
malicious spirit which entered the sick man's body. For this reason,
attempts were made to expel this intruder from the sick man's body. In the
case of mental sickness, they used to put the dead men's stones over the ill
person’s body so that illness might be cured. They strongly believed in
spirits; they believed these creatures loomed in deserted places at night or
they trouble travelers at night. When cows were taken to the river to drink
water and a cow refused to drink, they thought the reason for her refusal
was the presence of a devil inside the bull’s horns. In order to drive the
devil away, they used to strike the head of the bull.
[90]
Such funny events were very common among them.
The Arabs would not show any sign of doubt regarding these superstitious
acts so far as they were carried out by others, because the source of doubt
and skepticism lies in one's critical thinking. They lacked such
sophistications in those days. Of course, at times some bright signs of
clear thinking and bright ideas could be observed in their poems, proverbs
and tales. However, even these lacked deep thought or analytic aspects. This
inability of analysis of phenomena was the root of all sorts of
superstitions in which they strongly believed and books of the history of
the Arabs contain a lot of them.
[91]
Arab Sciences and Arts
Some scholars have tried to prove that the nomadic Arabs were in command of
such sciences as medicine, astronomy and physiognomy.
[92]
However, this is an exaggeration. The Arab's knowledge in these domains was
sporadic, unorganized and mostly based on lucky guesses. This sort of
knowledge came down to them through elderly women and men of the tribe. It
could not be termed science. For instance, the Arabs’ knowledge of
astronomy was limited to the recognition of some stars and the time of their
rising and setting. This kind of knowledge was necessary for the navigation
of their camels on the vast expanses of the deserts or the recognition of
the time for prayers. Ibn Khaldun states,
Their knowledge of medicine was based, most often, on short-lived and narrow
experiences. This sort of medicine was inherited from elderly men and women
from one generation to another. Some sick people might haphazardly be cured,
but these treatments were not based on any laws.
[93]
The medical treatment of some physicians such as Harith ibn Kildah was of
this sort.
An illiterate nation
In the interpretation of the Holy Qur'an, people of Hijaz were illiterate.
They had remained as illiterate as when they were born. They could neither
write nor read. Al-Buladhari states:
At the advent of Islam, only seventeen persons in Quraysh and Yathrib and
eleven others from the tribes of Aws and Khazraj could read or write.
[94]
This situation existed in spite of the fact that people of Quraysh were
affluent in Mecca and business and trade naturally asked for a trader to be
literate. Thus, how is it possible for such an advanced stage of science?
Poetry
At the Ignorance Era, the only privilege the nomadic Arabs possessed was
their skill in poetry and rhetoric. Poetry, in particular, had reached its
climax. Poets played the roles of historians, genealogists, satirists,
moralists, journalists, fortune-tellers and war-announcers.
[95]
In those days, the great Arab poets used to present their poems at
season-bazaars, such as the bazaar of `Ukaz, Dhi’l-Majaz, and al-Majannah,[96]
which were held in the form of trade, literary and general exhibitions. The
selection of any poem as a masterpiece was a great sign for the poet and his
tribe and his poem was hung on the Kaaba's walls.
[97]
For this reason, they were called al-Mu`allaqat (the suspensions).
Arab poems, despite their superficial eloquence, lacked sublime thoughts and
richness due to the fact that this nation lacked proper culture and
civilization. The contents of this poetry relied heavily on the topics of
love, wine, women, epics, and tribal issues and their beauty lay in the
superficial glamour of language and literary subtleties.
Arabs and the Neighboring Civilizations
When we study Arab sciences and arts, we may ask the following question: Did
the Arabs of the Ignorance Era benefit from the two civilized nations of
those days: namely, Iran and Rome? Did their trade transactions with these
two states change their way of life in any way? To answer these questions,
we should be reminded that people of Hijaz, due to their geopolitical
status, were not only away from the political domination of the neighboring
lands but also stayed away from their cultural influences. Arabs could have
the influences of the neighboring civilizations and cultures only in three
ways: trade, the Iranians, and the Jews and Christians.
We should however see to what degree this influence was active. Some remarks
made by certain historians considering this topic have been exaggerative.
For instance, some say:
The relations of the Arab tribes with both Iran and Rome to a certain degree
made them familiar with these two civilizations: Those Arabs who traveled
between Iran and Rome for trade purposes observed the manifestations of
civilization in these two centers. These influences could be vividly
observed in the poems left from the Ignorance Era. Furthermore, many
travelers and traders took with them many words and stories from Iran and
Rome to the Arabian Peninsula; in this way, some of the ideologies of
Iranians and Romans entered Arab culture.
[98]
However, it should be noted that these trade transactions between traders of
Hijaz and the Iranian or Roman merchants did not have any significant
influence over the cultural or intellectual advancement of these people.
This is because information was hard to pass through mental sieves of these
nomads. Most often, what they passed on to others contained a lot of
distortions. This is shown in many Arab axioms whose sources are either
Solomon's tales or Iranian stories. In general, the Arabs in those days did
not receive science from others systematically. The obstacles in the way of
such receptions were the following:
(1) Natural barriers, such as mountains, seas, and deserts; these barriers
created problems for Arab's connection with the outside world.
(2) Huge mental, intellectual and social differences between the Romans and
Iranians on one hand and the Arabs on the other hand.
(3) Illiteracy among the Arabs had caused those who came in contact with
both Iranians and Romans to memorize and narrate the axioms or the tales in
such a way as to be comprehensible to ordinary people.
Thus, it could be concluded that the Arab's relationships with the
neighboring lands had effects only on their financial, material and literary
life.
[99]
On the Jews' influences too, it is said that they emigrated to Hijaz since
the time of Prophet Moses due to the Romans' aggressions after the
destruction of Jerusalem.
[100]
The arrival of Jews in Hijaz had a tremendous effect on the social life of
the whole region and the stories of the Old Testament and Talmud became
known to the Arabs of Hijaz.
[101]
Of course, the influence of Jewish culture on the people of the Arabian
Peninsula cannot be denied and there are documents revealing the fact that
the Jews were superior to the Arabs in the intellectual and religious
domains. Even after the advent of Islam, many Muslims used to ask them
religious questions.
[102]
Since Judaism, like Christianity, had been severely distorted, the thoughts
that the Arabs received from the Jews were extremely disturbed and
distorted. Not only were Jewish instructions unhelpful but also they added
to the Arabs’ confusion.
The Arab's Inferiority vis-à-vis Iran and Rome
As we have already noted, people of Hijaz used to have a tribal life in the
desert, lacking central government to unite them. They were mostly involved
in tribal conflicts. For this reason, they were wretched and backward and
were not noticed by the people of the world.
The Arabs were so entangled in the narrow sphere of their tribal atmosphere
and were so involved in the prejudices and dogmas. They were also so
deprived and disorganized that they could never think about affairs
occurring outside their immediate surroundings. They could never think of
defeating their neighboring powerful states of Iran and Rome; rather, they
felt extremely powerless, wretched and inferior towards these two
civilizations. An Arab person, namely Qatadah, introduced the Arabs of those
days as the most miserable, wretched, backward, misguided, begging and
hungry people in the world. He says,
“The Arabs were caught between two lions, from both of whom they feared.”
[103]
A piece of evidence for this feeling of inferiority comes from the Holy
Prophet's dialogue with the Arabs in Mecca. When he was trying to spread his
ideologies among the Arabs, he encountered a group of distinguished Arab
individuals. He recited to them some of the verses of the Holy Qur'an which
were concerned with native and ethical instructions. All of them were highly
moved; they began to admire the verses. However, their chief, al-Muthanna
ibn Harithah, remarked:
“We are caught between two stretches of water. On one side lie the Arab
shores; on the other lie Iran and Khosrow rivers. We have pledged to Khosrow
not to create any problem and not to protect or shelter any wrongdoer.
Perhaps your ideologies are not palatable to the kings. If we do anything
wrong here, it would be pardoned, but such mistakes and errors in the
Iranian borders are not pardonable by Khosrow, the king of Iran.
[104]
Imaginary Pride
Regarding the Arab inferiority complex, historians have written:
The Tamim tribe faced a drought, but Khosrow did not allow them to make use
of the fertile lands of Iraq. Then, one of their noblemen, named Hajib ibn
Zurarah, came to Khosrow's court as a representative of his tribe. Khosrow
said, “You, Arabs, are traitors. If I let you use these fertile lands, you
will agitate and excite people against me and make me worried.” Hajib
replied, “I assure you such a thing would never happen.” Khosrow then asked,
“How would you guarantee this?” Hajib answered, “I pledge my bow with you.”
Khosrow accepted. Thus, Hajib's bow was kept by Khosrow as a pledge (Hajib's
bow was a symbol of his bravery, chivalry and manhood). After Hajib's death,
his son `Utarad received his father's bow from Khosrow.
[105]
After this event and for a long time, people of the Tamim tribe considered
this pledge high point of honor.
[106]
On the other hand, since the Banu-Shayban, with the assistance of Banu-`Ujal
and Banu-Yashkur, had overcome Khosrow Parviz in the Battle of Dhi-Qar,[107]
this victory was a point of honor for them; they looked at it unbelievingly.
Whenever they remembered it, they would take pride in it. They did not dare
to call it the victory of Arabs over the Persians; they considered it an
accident, but not as point of honor. They would recognize it as the pride of
three Arab tribes and not just one. Their self-admiration reached such a
point that Abu-Tammam, a poet, composed a poem in the honor of Abu-Dulaf
al-`Ajali in spite of the fact that the Tamim tribe had one day taken pride
in having asked Khosrow to accept Hajib's bow as a sign of his pledge for
loyalty:
Once Tamim took honor in having pledged his bow and considered this as a
point of honor;
However, your swords at the war of Dhi-Qar overthrew the thrones of those
who had taken Hajib's bow as a pledge.
[108]
The Ignorance Era
In our discussions so far, we have referred to the people of the Arabian
Peninsula prior to the advent of Islam as an ignorant people, living in an
era of ignorance. There are documents showing that this idiomatic expression
was taken from the Holy Qur'an and was used by Muslims to describe this
specific era and had taken on a special meaning and flavor.
[109]
Some contemporary historians estimate the time interval of 150-200 years
prior to Prophet Muhammad's prophethood for the existence of the Ignorance
Era.
[110]
Although the word Jahiliyyah is taken from Jahl (meaning
ignorance), the word Jahl here is not taken to be the opposite of
science or knowledge; rather, it the opposite of wisdom and logic.
Having lacked knowledge, the people of the Arabian Peninsula were illiterate
at that time. They were given the name ignorant not due to their lack
of knowledge, but because of their wrong and negative attitudes and
illogical thinking and because of their prejudice, selfishness, false pride
and vengeful attitude. Islam, however, strongly opposed these negative and
destructive inclinations.
[111]
Perhaps, under such conditions, jahl connotes the meaning of being
stupid, which is not based on illiteracy.
[112]
In the Holy Qur'an, the word ignorance or Jahiliyyah has been used
with the meanings we have already referred to. Some of those cases are
referred to below:
(1) The unfounded expectations of some superficial believers who wanted the
Holy Prophet to do things in accordance with their whimsical wishes were
termed Ignorant. (Qur’an 5: 50)
(2) God has referred to the blind tribal prejudices of the idol-worshipping
Arab as ignorance. (Qur’an 48: 26)
(3) The Holy Prophet's wives were warned not to appear among community with
the ornaments of the women of the earlier times. (Qur’an 33:33)
(4) God refers to the feeble-minded who, after the defeat of Muslims in the
Battle of Uhud, had lost their faith and their morale as ignorant.
(Qur’an 3:154)
(5) God tells the story of the nation of Prophet Moses who had refused his
orders to sacrifice a cow by replying, “Do you make fun of us?” Then,
Prophet Moses remarked, “I take shelter in God not to be one of the
ignorant ones.” (Qur’an 2: 67)
Depicting the miserable life of the idol-worshipping Arabs, Imam `Ali (a.s)
refers to their stupidity.
[113]