Era I · Before Islam6th century CEThe Arabian Peninsula
Arabia Before Islam
A land of tribes, trade and idols
Between the trade roads of the Hijaz, the oases of Najd and the kingdoms of Yemen lived a proud tribal society bound by lineage, poetry and honour. Most worshipped idols set around the Kaaba, while a few — the Hanifs — still sought the pure monotheism of Ibrahim.
01
Geography and Tribes
The peninsula was shaped by desert, oases and caravan cities, with power held by tribes and clans rather than a central state.
02
Religion and Society
Idolatry surrounded the Kaaba alongside communities of Jews, Christians and Hanifs, within a society of honour, poetry, and stark inequality.
Historical Sources
- ✦The Noble Qur'an
- ✦Sahih al-Bukhari; Sahih Muslim
- ✦Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah
- ✦Ibn Sa'd; al-Tabari; Ibn Kathir