Religious Conditions Religious Groups at that time (beliefs and practices) Abdul Karnaen Islamic Studies Teacher Religious conditions Pre-Islamic Arabia was characterized by a diverse and polytheistic religious landscape. The Arabian Peninsula was home to a multitude of tribes, each with its own set of beliefs, practices, and deities. Beliefs and practices 03 01 Monotheism 02 idols polytheism 04 07 Ka’bah superstition sacrifices 08 06 Personal god 05 worship 10 09 god After life Before islam The period of pre Islamic Arabia was before the coming of the prophet of Islam with his spreading of Islam. During that period the Arabs were pagans with di ferent beliefs and practices. They are elaborated in the next slides: 1. monotheism The Christians who believed in prophet Isa as being god or son of god with his book as Injil. The Jews who believed in prophet Musa with his book as Taurat. The believed in YHWH as god. The Zoroastricians, also called the Magians who believed in one uncreated god as Ahura Mazda without monasticism worshipping fire with their book known as Avesta. The Hanif who followed the prophet Ibrahim with his Suhuf and Allah as God. They were awaiting the prophet Muhammad to come. 2. polytheism The Zoroastricians, also called the Magians who believed in one uncreated god as Ahura Mazda without monasticism worshipping fire with their book known as Avesta. They would believe in angels as daughters of Allah and they would worship them alongside with spirits of their ancestors. They would have their own personal deity at home. The Anymist, Worshippers of inanimate objects e.g., stones, trees, stars, sun and moon etc. If ever they noticed that a rock or stone was more shinning or attractive than what they were using, they would exchange it. Thus the new one would be considered as a god. Sabians/ stars worshippers 3. paganism/ idolatry Arabs were idol worshippers, and they would pray to their different god. The centre of Macca being the Ka‘bah was the vital part of worship with over 360 idols inside and all around in its sanctuary. Each are for different purposes. Six main idols: Hubal: first to enter Makkah, originally from Syria, it is places at the door of ka’bah. Isaf (male) & Nailah (female): special idols, loved by the Makkans, priorly were human before commiting zina and punished. Lat, Uzza & Manat: mentioned in Qur’an, 3 favourites, each has own shrines. 4. sacrifices Animal sacrifices. They would sacrifice cats, dogs, rats, monkeys, sheep and goats among others to satisfy their gods or to be protected from punishment from their gods. Human sacrifices. Young virgin girls would be sacrificed. Slaughtered in the name of idols. Separated blood from /lesh: smear the blood on ka’bah and /lesh as o fering to idols. This was done especially during eclipse. 5. superstitions The Arabs were superstitious, and they believed in: Soothsayers (Referred to for advice on big issues) Palm readers Fortune tellers Astrologers Divination through arrows (used to solve everyday problems), but they didn‘t believe in accountability in the afterlife. 6. Personal god Miniature idol: portable and personalise Hand-made: only used by creator. Found in each tribe and household. Connection to good at all times: for wants, needs, and protections. Made of: gold and silver for the rich and wood and stone for the poor. Umar ra made one from dates 7. ka’bah Centre of religion and worship for all religions. Economic value and profit: people who came to Ka’bah were willing to pay. Tawaf was done in the state of nudity. Why: - Sign of purity - Sign of humility - Sign of equality 8. worships Prayers at Ka’bah sanctuary - Blowing horn - Clapping - Whistling Hajj: di ferent/ incomplete from prophet Ibrahim as. they would stay at ̳Arafat. They would dedicate their time to verbal homage to their gods and would try to be honest and sinless people. Naming children a:ter idols as a proof of commitment Prostration to idols 9. God Supreme God: Allah Unreachable and no direct contact via idols as mediators Closer to idols means closer to Allah. Paid verbal homage 10. After life No belief in this concept No belief in: right & wrong and accountability. No belief in: life in grave (barzakh), day of judgement, heaven and hell, and resurrection. 11. Other practices The Christians and the Jews who would join in their churches and temples reading the Injeel and the Tawraat respectively. They would join in the feasts of: Christians: the day of assumptions, all saints‘ day and baptism. Jews: the day of Sabbath, the Passover and the day of atonement. The Hanif used to take bath as means of purification and would perform the tawaf of the Ka‘bah, the Sa‘i of mounts Safa and Marwa and the stop (wuquf) at ̳Arafat in a modest and moral way with cloth on. The Zoroastricians who placed great emphasis on purity and not defiling any of the elements of Ahura Mazda‘s creation. For that reason, traditionally, neither burial nor cremation was practiced by Zoroastrians. Instead, dead bodies were taken to a Tower of Silence and laid out under the sun, where vultures devoured them. Zoroastrian‘s places of worship are called Fire Temples. In them an eternal /lame is kept burning with sandalwood and frankincense. The first fire to be lit upon an altar is said to have been brought down from heaven by Zoroaster with a rod. After islam With the coming of the prophet of Islam there had been many changes on the religious beliefs and practices Monotheism & polytheism the Prophet Muhammad pbuh corrected the idea of monotheism that is to worship only one God, Allah. Made links and connection with the previous: books, prophets, core beliefs. That because previous religions share similarity in belief. Islam is combination of all older ones. It means accepting Shirk became a major sin. Teaching of Allah and danger of worshipping others. Idols & sacrifices All were destroyed especially around Ka’bah Masjid around kabah No more human sacrifice. According to Islam saving the life of a person is like saving the whole of humanity. Ied al-Adha: sacrifice accepted by Allah Has certain conditions: - Has specific to be an animal - In the name of Allah - Sharp knife - Animals must not feel fear or pain, etc No images and statues Decoration with calligraphy vs imagery Superstitions & du’a Angels are real creation of Allah, genderless, no desire/ free will and servants of Allah. Soothsayers, palm readers and astrologist etc are totally prohibited/ haram Allowed future telling: - Istikharah: prayer to make decision - Tawakkal: reliance on Allah - Rido: acceptance of what Allah gives Direct connection regardless of age, time, place, and language Intended to ask for Forgiveness, wants and needs. No criteria who can do it No mediator Ka’bah & worships Centre of worship only for Muslims Prayer is one of the pillars of Islam Baitullah (the house of Allah): belongs to Allah not Quraish Specific time: 5 times a day Specific way to perform: same across the globe Jama’ah Prostration only to Allah Tawaf in Ihram that represents: purity, modesty/ humility and equality. God & after life The concept of Tauhid/ one God Firm belief: one of the pillars of Iman 99 names Belief in accountability & right and wrong Creator of all things Belief in: life in grave (barzakh), day of judgement, heaven and hell, and resurrection. First thing taught by the prophet saw Caused to: focus in the life to strive to be a better person Never dies etc Other practices The idea of considering things of nature as gods and of exchanging from time to time was replaced by Trust in Allah. The Arabs no more brought with them 3 stones on journeys and craving idols for buying and selling business. The idea of cells for the priest and their places of cult with statues of their gods as means of encouraging towards worship were replaced by the mosque and Qur‘anic texts or scriptures for inspiration. Importance of prophet Ibrahim for the people in the pre-Islamic period Ibrahim a.s is one of the earliest prophets mentioned in the Qur’an. In Pre- Islamic Arabia, at the time of Muhammad pbuh, there were still people who followed the religion of Ibrahim a.s and were monotheists. They were called Hanifs and did not take part in idol worship or rituals. Ibrahim a.s was a native of Mesopotamia and his father, Azar, was an idol maker. However, Ibrahim a.s rejected the religion of his people and discovered the one true God. Ibrahim a.s, with his son Ishmael a.s, is believed to have restored the Ka’bah. It was thanks to Ibrahim a.s that Mecca also became prosperous because of the Ka’bah. (refer to Ibrahim’s a.s prayer in Surah 14:35–37 to make ‘this city’ a centre to attract and be fruitful). The stories about Ibrahim a.s are important because they show his persistence in rejecting idol worship and trying to understand the true nature of God and how God protected him, saved him from death and helped him in his search. In return, Ibrahim a.s gave total obedience and devotion to God’s commands. Others details from the life of Ibrahim a.s that in/luenced religion/religious belief at the time. Questions Answer following questions! 1. Name four of the religious groups in Pre-Islamic Arabia. (4 marks) 2. Give an account of the religious beliefs and practices of the pre-Islamic period and aspects of religious life that were kept and adapted when the Arabs became Muslims. (10 marks) 3. Discuss whether the coming of Islam was easier to accept for the hanifs than it was for the pagans. (6 marks) Thanks!
