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Religion, in most civilizations, is considered to be a code of conduct for the followers of that religion. In past centuries, the religious experts of different religions believed that the need of religious conduct was required for spiritual bonding or to exercise various ways people pray to the God. However, some religions affected the conduct in more ways than others. Among other stronger religions, Islam advocates the concept that the entire life of an individual has to be according to the teachings of Islam as defined by the holy book; The Quran and the Prophet Muhammad’s sayings- the hadith.
This paper discusses the ideology of Islam as it relates to an individual as well as for a society. The paper will discuss the way the Prophet Mohammad led the teachings and how these teachings changed the social norms for the pagan Arabs of Mecca- the most sacred city for the Muslims now.
The paper will discuss all the positive and negative affects the advent of Islam brought to the lives of common Arabs in that city.
In order to completely understand the way Islam revolutionized the Arab lifestyle especially in the city of Mecca, it is important to understand the normal lifestyle before Prophet Mohammad preached Islamic teachings.
Mecca, even before the advent of Islam, had a prominent and important strategic value mainly due to its geographical location. The location of Mecca was perfectly linking the trade routes between the active business regions of Yemen, Syria, Gaza and Egypt. In addition to the location of this city, the abundant availability of Zamzam water also held an attraction for the tourists and traders traveling on these routes to visit the city for various reasons. The city was, therefore not only a commercial hub for the traders but also held religious importance as a religious monument Ka’aba was a house of worship for the polytheist at that time and was full of idols. The people of Mecca gained great profits from these pilgrims and the traders through buying and selling various commodities and services. In addition to this, there were various taxes and charges for the travelling traders and pilgrims that were obtained on departure and arrival into the city. The Arab peninsula was majorly desert with very scarce agriculture or fertile land thus the only available means of earnings were through these travelling business caravans and pilgrims.
The social, political and economic conditions of Mecca were heavily influenced by the various cultures and customs of the migrating traders and groups. The city was not economically strong also due to the political instability and social disintegration. The people of mecca also referred as the nomads or Bedouins lived in tribes with a head of the tribe who maintained and controlled the decision made by and for the families within that tribe. Due to the tribal nature of society the political environment was prone to fights that involved several generations of the conflicting tribes and the only law for the fights was the survival of the fittest.
The Bedouins did not follow any religion and lived on their free will with most of them as polytheist, worshipping the numerous idols in the Ka’aba. Due to a huge number of foreign traders and business people traveling to Mecca, the religious beliefs and social lifestyle were inspired by other cultures too.
Prophet Mohammad was born to Abdullah and Amina, in the tribe of banu Hashim. His early years of life were tough with the loss of parents by the time he was only six years old. Abu Talib became the new chief and the guardian of Mohammad after his parents and grandfather deceased. From his early life Mohammad gained the trust of his fellow men through his integrity, truthfulness and righteousness.He was referred to as Sadiq(truthful) and Ameen(trustworthy) as the people used to keep their valuables with him without any fear of Riba (interest).
Since Prophet Mohammad already had a good reputation and strong character, as soon as he was awarded the prophecy several of the fellowmen believed him and converted to Islam instantly. According to Quran an angel Jibrail used to bring the instruction or teachings from Allah in form of verses of Quran that the prophet used to share with the fellowmen. For a long time, these verses were only learned by heart by the prophet and some fellow people(also called the Sahaba) and later were documented as the present version of the book.
Mohammad preached Islamic teachings through exemplifying them with his conduct and through informal sessions individually and collectively to teach them about the right and wrong conduct of life.
George Bernard Shaw in the book, “The Genuine Islam” advocates that the way Mohammad spread the teachings of Islam, as the only solution for peace and humanity in the modern world. Several political experts of today believe that the revolutionary spread of Islam in that era was a result of Mohammad’s way of fearless, focused, persistent but most importantly his devotion and selfless commitment for the betterment of his fellowmen as well as the entire community.
One of the very important aspect of the way Islamic teachings were spread was that the commandments were not imposed in a day, in fact it took 23 years to completely deliver the instructions sent as Quranic verses that is considered to be the words of Allah. The slow and steady approach of Mohammad’s preaching enabled the Arabs to accept and obey the teachings with enthusiasm. As the people started converting to Islam and obeying the Islamic teachings there were several changes experienced in the social, economic as well as in the political situation of the common Arab nomads.
The teachings of Mohammad initially only focused on asking people to only worship one god that is Allah with a belief that all deeds will be rewarded or punished accordingly to make people accountable for their actions. The basic problem with the Arabs at that time was their arrogant and rigid attitude towards others, Islamic teachings asked them to be polite, truthful and obedient to Allah. Several verses in Quran instructed people that only Allah is absolute and eternal, and everyone is a subordinate. The new Muslims started understanding that they were Allah’s subordinate and were accountable for their actions.
As discussed byMaxime Rodinson in the book “Mohammed”, the pre-Islamic Arab had no written or defined law against violence or manslaughter. The only power was vendetta, and the mighty ruled. Once Mohammad started preaching Islam he described how Allah prohibited killing of innocent people for any worldly reasons. The teachings continuously showed them the consequences of the lack of law and justice and gradually enforced laws in accordance with the commands by Allah through Quran. The Arabs considered wars as the ultimate solution, to prevent any bloodshed, Mohammad exemplified by writing letters to neighboring countries and regions for peace talks and initiated several peace contracts such as Hudaybia Truce for
maintaining peace in the region. The history showed that the nomads of Arabs were hostile towards the prophet and their followers, but the continuous peace talks influenced the non-Muslims too and later they lived in harmony along with the Muslims.
Slavery and trading people were considered a business in the pre-Islamic era, however the new Muslims started understanding their accountability and responsibility towards society and other fellow beings. The Quran asked them to be considerate and polite with their servants and slaves and discouraged buying or selling people like commodities. The prophet used to encourage his wealthy fellows (Sahabas) to pay money in order to set slaves free as instructed by Quran at various points such Verses 2:177, 4:29, 5:89. One of the slaves of that era Hazrat Bilal became a loyal and appreciated fellow of the prophet as well as the first Muezzin of Islam. Similarly, Quran also asked people to be honest, polite and considerate to everyone who is less fortunate or influential such as travelers, orphans, widows, poor and needy. The continual preaching through Quran and hadith about the socially acceptable behavior made positive impacts on the general attitude of the Arabs towards their fellow beings.
Once social norms were established the Islamic teachings focused on the more serious financial and economic issues such as that of Riba and loans. In that era, 100% interest was charged for every loaned amount, and severe punishments were given if that was not provided. Islam banned riba or interest by declaring it as a war against Allah and clearly state several punishments for anyone involved in riba or usury in various verses such as 2:278-279, 4:160-1613:130. The need of the stern instructions regarding usury was due to the unjust burden it put on the money borrowers and the social implications.The Quran demanded a Riba free financial and banking system where people were not burdened by unknown financial implication.
The lenders at that time made oral contracts to keep the borrowers in pressure, Quran asked the people while making a deal to specifically create a written contract and take witnesses before going into a contract to ensure that everyone’s rights are safe and secured. The verses on written contracts not only instructs on the importance of full filling the commitments but it also clearly mentions the steps in creating such documents.
As the importance of contracts and terms was discussed with the people, the businessmen started to understand the great benefits it could have for them, and the incentive of eternal rewards from Allah on fulfilling the commitments promised, encouraged them to follow these instructions. The way Mohammad preached and Allah instructed these teachings made the people realize of the rewards they could earn to follow the path of Allah. These people saw Mohammad exemplifying the same and thus accepted these new changed norms of business and financial transactions that required them to be vigilant and safe.
In the pre-IslamicArab drinking and gambling were common and considered norms of society. Islamic teachings through various verses of Quran prohibited Muslimsfrom these deeds and referred to these actions as Satan’s favorite. Quran prohibited from alcohol and gambling on various points such as Surah Nisa (4:43), Surah Maida (5:90), Surah Maida (5:91). The initial commands did not completely banned the alcohol or gambling but instructed how it could affect their health and finances. Slowly, the people realized how it harms various social aspects and in some years alcohol and gambling were banned from the society.
The basic focus of Islamic teachings was to create a justified and equivalent society where everyone had defined rights and duties. Women were considered as naïve as slaves in that era
and had no rights. Quran gave clear and precise instructionsto men to respect and love their wives, daughters, sisters and mothers and mentioned the great rewards for the men who treated their women with honor. Islam mentions the ratios and laws of inheritance especially for the women instructing that the women had equal rights as compared to the men through verses 4:11, 4:12 and 4:176. The Quran gives clear ratios for everyone while nominating hires and giving them their shares so that no injustice is done to anyone.
Before Islam women were not treated with dignity or respect and had their free will, as the social norms started changing the fellowmen of prophet felt that the Muslim women should look different than others to be identified and be respected more. The modest dress code to cover the body appropriately in order to not attract other men was later instructed through Quran. Veil, which is now usually attributed with Islam was used previously by women of other religions too for differentiating themselves and to advocate modesty. The Quranic instructions in verses al-Noor 24:31, al-Ahzaab 33:59,ask women at several points in Quran to cover their"jayb" (upper body from face to chest) with a "khimar" (or scarf) to close their "jalabib" (or cloaks) around them to cover the entire body.These verses also instruct and prohibit women for not engaging in sex or any other immoral acts and to protect themselves from the gaze of strangers. The Quran in these verses for covering or hijab also clearly mentions the relations for a woman where she is permitted to be easier on the hijab as her “mehram”, including the father, brother,son,husband or their nephews. Since, men and women engaged sexually casually during those times, it was needed that a differentiation is drawn between the Muslim and non-Muslim women so that no unwanted interaction is made.
Prior to Islam, the Arabs had several ways of marriage that were immoral and were based on the sexuality more than the commitment of a married couple. There was no regulation, and any man and woman could engage sexually. This left least respect, dignity and rights to the woman and the children born out of those interactions. Islam defined marriage as a written contract between a man and a woman with a clear definition of the rights and duties of each one involved. As the law for marriage was derived thus naturally laws for divorce and aftermaths were also stated to simplify the relationship. The husband was stated as the prime caretaker for the wife, and the kids. The wife was considered to be a guard to the home, family and of her dignity by not engaging with other men after her marriage. As Quran mentioned the law and regulations associated with a marriage in an Islamic society, the ratio of casual sex and the children born out of that also lowered and Muslim man and woman stopped from the immoral act of involving with several men or women simultaneously. The Muslim men were given permission to marry more than one woman but with an obligation to be impartialand treat every wife equally. The regulations of the marriage contract in Islam prohibited man to be unjust to their wives and divorcing them as they were subjected to pay a definite amount in addition to bearing their expenditures.
Conclusion
The Islamic teachings transformed the society in several ways by making people realize how they were responsible and accountable for their deeds. The reward and punishments as stated by the Quran gave hopes and a fear to the once arrogant Arabs that changed them to follow the teachings. The Islamic teachings covered every aspect of their daily life and gave them a way to betterment, the post-Islamic Mecca had a Khalifa as the sole authority or the governor who was also the highest court of justice too. The decisions were taken through quranic commands andwith a fear that any wrong deed will be punished by Allah. As the Mecca accepted Islam and after the takeover of Mecca, it reflected the true spirit of a sovereign and welfare state where rights were identified and secured. The ka’aba was freed of all idols, and a law of worship on Allah was established everywhere and is still the sacred shrine for Muslims. The governing authorities of Mecca even after the decease of Prophet Mohammad followed the teachings and regulations of Quran and led with justice and morality. The teachings served as a set of code of conduct to guide the Muslims to take appropriate actions in any situation.
Bibliography
Peter N. Stearns,” Arabia Before The Prophet”, in Islam From The Beginning To 1300,1992,http://history-world.org/islam.htm
Maxime Rodinson , “Mohammed”, 1971,New Press
Retired Chief Justice Mufti Muhammed Taqi Usmani, “Why Islam has prohibited Interest
& Islamic Alternatives for Financing”, 2005
Lord Curzon,” The History of Alcohol in Islam“,ComingAnarchy.com,2010
Martin Asser,” Why Muslim women wear the veil”,BBC News, 2006,http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5411320.stm
