Beyond a shadow of doubt, the biography of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) manifestly represents an exhaustive embodiment of the sublime Divine Message that he communicated in order to distribute the human race from the swamp of tenebrosity and polytheism to the paradise of light and monotheism. An image, authentic as well as comprehensive, of this Message is consequently only attainable through conscientious study and profound analysis of both backgrounds and issues of such a biography. In view of this, a whole chapter is here introduced about the nature and development of Arab tribes prior to Islam as well as the circumstantial environment that enwrapped the Prophet's mission.
Location of the Arabs
Linguistically, the word "Arab" denotes deserts and waste barren land well-virtually waterless and treeless. Ever since the dawn of history, the Arabian Peninsula and its people have been called as such.
The Arabian Peninsula is enclosed in the west by the Red Sea and Sinai, in the east by the Arabian Gulf, in the south by the Arabian Sea, which is an extension of the Indian Ocean, and in the north by old Syria and part of Iraq. The area is estimated between a million and a million and a quarter square miles.
Thanks to its geographical position, the peninsula has always maintained great consequentiality... Considering its internal setting, it is mostly deserts and sandy places, which has rendered it inaccessible to foreigners and invaders, and sanctioned its people consummate liberty and independence through the ages, despite the presence of two neighboring great imperia.
Its external setting, on the other hand, caused it to be the center of the old world and provided it with sea and land links with most nations at the time. Thanks to this strategic position the Arabian Peninsula had become the center for trade, culture, religion and art.
Arab Tribes
Arab kinfolks have been divided according to lineage into three groups:
- Perishing Arabs: The archaic Arabs, of whose history little is kenned, and of whom were ‘Ad, Tham? , Tasam, Jadis, Emlaq, and others.
- Pristine Arabs: Who originated from the progeny of Ya‘rub bin Yashjub bin Qahtan. They were additionally called Qahtanian Arabs.
- Arabized Arabs: Who originated from the progeny of Ishmael. They were additionally called ‘Adnanian Arabs.
The pristine Arabs – the people of Qahtan – pristinely lived in Yemen and comprised many tribes, two of which were very famous:
• Himyar: The most famous of whose septs were Zaid Al-Jamhur, Quda‘a and Sakasic.
• b. Kahlan: The most famous of whose septs were Hamdan, Anmar, Tai’, Mudhhij, Kinda, Lakhm, Judham, Azd, Aws, Khazraj and the scions of Jafna — the kings of old Syria.
• Kahlan septs emigrated from Yemen to dwell in the different components of the Arabian Peninsula prior to the Great Flood (Sail Al-‘Arim of Ma’rib Dam), due to the failure of trade under the Roman pressure and domain on both sea and land trade routes following Roman vocation of Egypt and Syria.
• Naturally enough, the competition between Kahlan and Himyar led to the voidance of the first and the settlement of the second in Yemen.