UME2-2

By the middle of the sixth century, life in the cities of Arabia was beginning to change. The old trade routes that ran through Egypt and Mesopotamia had been shaken by political turmoil, making them undesirable for traders and merchants. The Arabian Peninsula was identified as an alternative for commercial traffic. A new trade route emerged in which Arabia was the central link. Goods were unloaded from ships docking on the shores of the Mediterranean, and were then transported across the vast peninsula in caravans. Finally, the merchandise was loaded onto ships again at the Arabian Sea.

The Arabian city of Mecca became a scheduled stop for the caravans, and the city prospered as a result. While this new prosperity created wealth for the city merchants, tensions between the city dwellers and the desert Bedouins increased. Differences between rich and poor were starker and more apparent than they had been in the past. Resentment simmered among the Bedouins, while most city dwellers viewed the desert Arabs with uneasy suspicion.

Mohammed was born in Mecca in 570, the son of a merchant family. Mohammed’s family belonged to the clan of Quraysh, which had migrated from the desert to the city only a few generations ago. Mohammed’s father died when he was only five; but he grew up in relative comfort. He became a caravan manager, and later married his employer, a rich widow.

Mohammed was disillusioned by the changes in his society, in particular the decline in communalism among the Quraysh. The clan had made the transition from nomads to wealthy merchants, but they had lost the traditional values of the desert. Since they no longer needed each other to survive, individual members of the clan were motivated by greed rather than mutual concerns. The charity of the desert system---in which all members of the clan were provided for---had become lost amid the ruthlessly individualistic world of the urban Arabs.

When he was about forty years old, Mohammed began to have a series of spiritual visions. According to Muslim belief, the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mohammed and told him that he was to become the last of the great prophets. Mohammed’s visions, which would eventually be written down in the Koran, became the basis of Islam, which means “submission to the will of Allah.” Mohammed’s followers would be called Muslims, or “practitioners of Islam.”

The concept of Allah had existed before Mohammed. Pre-Muslim Arabia was polytheistic. The Arabs had many gods; but one deity---Allah---was regarded as superior to all the others. The worship of Allah would become the core of Mohammed’s message.

The Kabah and the Hajj

Allah was traditionally symbolized by a sacred stone. Each clan maintained its own sacred stone to remind its members of the deity. In Mecca, there was a large black meteorite that all the Arabian clans revered as a symbol of Allah. This meteorite was housed in a special shrine, the Kabah. The Kabah was a sacred place, and no violence was permitted in its environs (although merchant activity was tolerated).

By Mohammed’s time, the Kabah had become a destination for pilgrims. Each year, the Arabs made a journey to Mecca, where they performed religious rites at the Kabah. In Islam, this pilgrimage was transformed into the Muslim hajj. The hajj is an obligatory journey to Mecca, the birthplace of Islam. The hajj is one of the central practices, or pillars of Islam.




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	UNDERSTANDING THE MIDDLE EAST: History, Religion, and the Clash of Cultures 400 pages Copyright © 2007 by Beechmont Crest Publishing First edition, 2007 0-9748330-6-1 Table of Contents C H A P T E R 2: The Birth and Rise of Islam Mecca By the middle of the sixth century, life in the cities of Arabia was beginning to change. The old trade routes that ran through Egypt and Mesopotamia had been shaken by political turmoil, making them undesirable for traders and merchants. The Arabian Peninsula was identified as an alternative for commercial traffic. A new trade route emerged in which Arabia was the central link. Goods were unloaded from ships docking on the shores of the Mediterranean, and were then transported across the vast peninsula in caravans. Finally, the merchandise was loaded onto ships again at the Arabian Sea. The Arabian city of Mecca became a scheduled stop for the caravans, and the city prospered as a result. While this new prosperity created wealth for the city merchants, tensions between the city dwellers and the desert Bedouins increased. Differences between rich and poor were starker and more apparent than they had been in the past. Resentment simmered among the Bedouins, while most city dwellers viewed the desert Arabs with uneasy suspicion. Mohammed was born in Mecca in 570, the son of a merchant family. Mohammed’s family belonged to the clan of Quraysh, which had migrated from the desert to the city only a few generations ago. Mohammed’s father died when he was only five; but he grew up in relative comfort. He became a caravan manager, and later married his employer, a rich widow. Mohammed was disillusioned by the changes in his society, in particular the decline in communalism among the Quraysh. The clan had made the transition from nomads to wealthy merchants, but they had lost the traditional values of the desert. Since they no longer needed each other to survive, individual members of the clan were motivated by greed rather than mutual concerns. The charity of the desert system---in which all members of the clan were provided for---had become lost amid the ruthlessly individualistic world of the urban Arabs. When he was about forty years old, Mohammed began to have a series of spiritual visions. According to Muslim belief, the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mohammed and told him that he was to become the last of the great prophets. Mohammed’s visions, which would eventually be written down in the Koran, became the basis of Islam, which means “submission to the will of Allah.” Mohammed’s followers would be called Muslims, or “practitioners of Islam.” The concept of Allah had existed before Mohammed. Pre-Muslim Arabia was polytheistic. The Arabs had many gods; but one deity---Allah---was regarded as superior to all the others. The worship of Allah would become the core of Mohammed’s message. The Kabah and the Hajj Allah was traditionally symbolized by a sacred stone. Each clan maintained its own sacred stone to remind its members of the deity. In Mecca, there was a large black meteorite that all the Arabian clans revered as a symbol of Allah. This meteorite was housed in a special shrine, the Kabah. The Kabah was a sacred place, and no violence was permitted in its environs (although merchant activity was tolerated). By Mohammed’s time, the Kabah had become a destination for pilgrims. Each year, the Arabs made a journey to Mecca, where they performed religious rites at the Kabah. In Islam, this pilgrimage was transformed into the Muslim hajj. The hajj is an obligatory journey to Mecca, the birthplace of Islam. The hajj is one of the central practices, or pillars of Islam. (end of chapter excerpt) *Buy Understanding the Middle East* at Amazon.com** Copyright 2005 Beechmont Crest Publishing