Tribes and Social Structure
In the tribes, the dominating law was survival of the fittest. Each tribal leader, or sheikh, controlled all affairs of the tribe in consultation with elders and other important leaders. In Mecca, the government was dominated by local pagan priests, who derived their power from the wealth they accumulated from offerings to the gods.
The Arab tribes held a general assembly near Mecca each year, in an event called Souq Ukaz. At this open-air community fair, poets and sportsmen held competitions, while merchants from all the different tribes watched folk dances, drank alcohol, and gambled on the outcomes of the competitions. Socially, the pre-Islamic Arabs (that is, those Arabs who lived before seventh century
The pre-Islamic period in Arabia is commonly called Jahiliyyah, which means “the days of ignorance.” The Qur'an chastises the Arab people who, prior to Islam, were “the worst in unbelief and hypocrisy, and most fitted to be in ignorance of the command which God has sent down to His messenger.” (Qur'an 9:97).
Women in Pre-Islamic Arabia
Before the coming of Islam, women were considered possessions to be bought and sold into marriage or slavery, or even inherited along with other “estate property.” Men could marry as many women as they wished and take an unlimited number of concubines and slaves. Female infanticide was commonplace because families feared poverty and disgrace in raising young girls to adulthood.
Warfare and Violence
The people of Arabia took pride in being warriors. Looting, murder, and slavery were rampant. Inter-tribal warfare, often instigated at the slightest provocation, resulted in blood feuds that lasted for generations.
Tribes would get caught up in a vicious cycle of violence and revenge. In one story, a camel belonging to a certain tribe was found grazing on land belonging to a rival tribe. The offended men killed the camel, thereby insulting the camel's owners. They, in turn, killed the leader of the other tribe, and a war ensued. In another dispute, two men were reportedly engaged in a horse race, and one of the men died in the course of the race. This man's family, his tribe, and their allies attacked the tribe of the opponent in order to avenge his death. A war ensued that lasted forty years, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people.
The pre-Islamic period in Arabia is commonly called Jahiliyyah, which means “the days of ignorance.” The Qur'an chastises the Arab people who, prior to Islam, were “the worst in unbelief and hypocrisy, and most fitted to be in ignorance of the command which God has sent down to His messenger.” (Qur'an 9:97).
