Life and Teachings of the Prophet Muhammad
1. Arabia before Islam
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and lived on cultivation because they knew how to till the land and
grow corn. They engaged in commerce not only within their own
country, but also abroad. But the Bedouins, being nomads, disliked
the idea of a settled life and wandered from place to place with
their families and belongings. Prof. Hitti in his book the
History of
the Arabs,
writes: “The Bedouin is no gypsy roaming aimlessly for
the sake of roaming. He represents the best adaptation of human
life to desert conditions.” (p. 23)
They lived in tents and possessed goats, camels and horses.
They were continually on the move in search of pastures and when
they halted temporarily they lived in tents or camps. They engaged
for economic reasons in horse-breeding, hunting, camel raising,
etc. They thought that these were the only occupations worthy of a
man. They disliked agriculture, trade and commerce. In the desert
the basic unit of life is not the state but the tribe. The Bedouins
attach the greatest importance to total freedom for the individual
as well as the tribe, but this was not the case with the city-dwellers.
They attached importance not only to freedom but also to peace,
security and prosperity. Another feature of tribal life, is the belief in
absolute equality. All the members of the tribe are treated equally.
This is because of the influence of the desert, with the freedom of
its vast limitless expanses. If they had any injustice forced upon
them, which they could not bear or confront, they left behind their
pasture and moved on to another place where there would be no
injustice—only freedom and equality. In times of conflict, they
depended upon the sword. It was considered as a pre-requisite for
the individual to be able to defend himself and his tribe.
