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CULTURE AND NORMS OF MAKKAH IN EARLY YEARS

OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD (S.A.W)

ESHA AIMEN

BS. ISLAMIC STUDIES

5th SEMESTER

SUBMITTED TO: DR. FARHANA ASIM

SUBMITTED ON: December 13, 2022

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INTRODUCTION

On the ancient caravan route that connected the Mediterranean to South Arabia, East Africa,
and South Asia, Mecca was an oasis. Between Marib in the south and Petra in the north, the
town gradually developed into a significant trading and religious hub during Roman and
Byzantine times. Long-held belief held that Ptolemy's inclusion of Macoraba, a city in the
interior of Arabia, in his Guide to Geography demonstrated that Mecca was known to the
Hellenistic world. However, since the latter part of the 20th century, some academics have
questioned whether Macoraba is associated with Mecca.

According to Islamic tradition, Abraham and Ishmael, his son by Hagar, built the Kaaba as
the house of God. The central point of pilgrimage in Mecca before the advent of Islam in the
7th century, the cube-shaped stone building has been destroyed and rebuilt several times.
During pre-Islamic times the city was ruled by a series of Yemeni tribes. Under the Quraysh
it became a type of city-state, with strong commercial links to the rest of Arabia, Ethiopia,
and Europe. Mecca became a place for trade, for pilgrimage, and for tribal gatherings.

When Muhammad was born around 570, the city's religious significance skyrocketed. In 622,
the Prophet was forced to flee Mecca, but eight years later, he returned and took control of
the city. He declared Mecca the center of Muslim pilgrimage, cleansed it of idols, and
dedicated it to God. The city has remained Islam's primary religious center ever since. Mecca
has survived primarily on the proceeds of annual pilgrimages and gifts from Muslim rulers
since the decline of the ancient caravan route. We'll talk about Makkah during the Prophet
Muhammad's early years.

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EARLY YEARS
We'll start by talking briefly about the early years of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). In the
year 570, Muhammad (SAW) was born in Mecca. He was raised by his uncle because both
his mother and father passed away shortly after his birth. He was raised uneducated, unfit to
peruse or compose, and remained so till his demise. He became known for being sincere,
truthful, trustworthy, generous, and truthful as he got older. They referred to him as al-Amin,
or the trustworthy one, because he was so trustworthy.

Muhammad (SAW) was extremely religious and had long detested his society's debauchery
and idolatry.
At the age of 25, Muhammad (SAW) married Khadija, a beautiful and honorable widow who
was 40 years old at the time. For a number of reasons, MUHAMMAD(SAW) took other
wives after her:

● To take care of destitute

● To nullify caste systems and ignorant beliefs.
● To set slaves free
● To form friendly relations
● To even out man-woman ratio

MAKKAH IN MUHAMMAD (SAW)’s TIME

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Nearly everyone lacked literacy. Mecca was a significant commercial center with significant
Christian, Jewish, and pagan communities. It hosted trade fairs and attracted traders from all
over the Middle East because it was at the center of an ancient network of caravan routes. Its
connection to religion was to blame for its success.
Muhammad was born in Mecca at a time when the city was beginning to become a center for
trade. Tribal ties were still the most significant aspect of the social structure for Meccans.
Muhammad was born into the Quraysh tribe, which had become the city's most powerful
tribe due to its involvement in the pilgrimage's water rights. The Quraysh were also active
traders by Muhammad's time, forming alliances with tribes from all over the peninsula. The
Quraysh were able to send their caravans to Yemen and Syria thanks to these alliances. As a
result, the Quraysh served as the power brokers and facilitators of the new status quo in
Arabian society in numerous ways. Mecca became a trading center at some point, but we
don't know when. It probably did so because it was at the intersection of roads that went from
north to south—from Palestine to Yemen—and east to west—from the Red Sea coast to the
Ethiopia-Persian Gulf route. The sanctuary made sure that no one would abuse the merchants.
The tribe of Jurhum initially held it, but the Khuza'a eventually acquired it.

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THE MAKKAN SOCIETY

Vices and oppression abound in the society of the remote Makkah where Prophet Muhammad
(S) first saw the world. It had moral decay, increasing perversion, ignorance, and poverty,
just like the harsh Arabian desert. It was polytheist in nature, deeply engrossed in the worship
of numerous idols, like the rest of Arabia.
The Makkan society roughly speaking was divided into three classes as follows:
1. The Arrogant Wealthy

In their grasp was vested the abundance, authority and administration of Makkah, and
it was this class which passionately went against the Courier of Allah and his call to
Islam. Because they feared losing their unjust hegemony over Makkah, they terrorized
the population and made it impossible for them to believe him. Abu Jahal, Abu
Sufyan, Abu Lahab, Walid bin Mughira, Uqba bin Abi Moayyit, and Aas bin Wael
Sahm, among others, belonged to this class and had amassed substantial fortunes
through oppression and illegal means.

2. The Deprived (Slaves and the orphans)

The poor, such as Ammar and his parents Yaser and Sumaiyya, Bilal the Abyssinian, Suhaib
the Roman, Khabbab bin Arat, and others, belonged to this class. who all rushed to the call of
Islam because they believed it to be the truth and a way out of oppression, slavery, and
unbelief.
3. The General Public:
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These were neither enslaved nor a part of the landed oligarchy. They might be considered
members of the middle class. They blindly followed the path chosen by their leaders because
they belonged to their respective clan or tribal chiefs.

As a result, the oppressors and tyrants did everything in their power to prevent the Islamic
Da'wah (call) from spreading because it seeks justice and equality for all people by removing
the artificial barriers of class that "Jahiliyyah" had established. The pagan Quraish made the
decision to band together against Prophet Muhammad (S) because they believed that the
monotheist message, which preached submission to the One and Only Creator and forsake
idol worship, would end their hold on Makkah.

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MAKKAH IN EARLY YEARS OF PROPHET(SAW)

Mecca, like the majority of pre-Islamic Arabian communities, never gave in to the rule of a
single liqah or man. The Meccans rejected the one-man rule system because it was against
their nature. A group of men who were known as mala* ruled Mecca. They were the
representatives of the clans and tribes that lived in and around Mecca. In a house they called
Dar al-Nadwah, they met, talked, planned their society, and found solutions to their problems.
Qusay ibn Kilab of Quraysh, who was appointed as the first leader of the mala following
Khuzalah, is said to have built this house. Mecca was ruled by the senate, or mala, who
upheld customs and inherited law. The tribes were not obligated to accept or follow every
senate decision. Every year, the Quraysh gave Qusay a set amount of their wealth, which was
later used to feed the pilgrims who came to Mecca every year to make their pilgrimage.

After Qusay's death, his eldest son, 'Abd al-Dar, assumed control of Mecca until he was
challenged by 'Abd Manaf. After that, two camps—or parties—were established in Mecca.
The Bach camp received assistance from a few Mecca tribes. A compromise was reached,
and each was given specific responsibilities for governing Mecca. The disagreement nearly
turned into fighting.
While 'Abd al-Dar was given the responsibilities of hijabah (covering the Ka'bah), liwa'’
(carrying the standard in war or arranging them), and nadwah, 'Abd Manaf was responsible
for the siqayah (water supply, especially during the pilgrimage) and rifadah (provisioning of
pilgrims)..

'Abd Manaf was more well-known than 'Abd al-Dar, and his sons and grandchildren later
controlled Mecca's politics until Islam came into being. The party, on the other hand, was
divided once more into the house of H&shim and the house of 'Abd Shams, which was
referred to as the house of Umayyah, among the sons of 'Abd Manaf., When Alx and
Mu'awiyah fought for the position of Caliph, this division into Hashim and Umayyah resulted
in the greatest Arab problem ever.

"Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim" was one of the leaders of Mecca who established his
personality before Islam was introduced. He served as sipayah and was one of the mala1, the
Prophet's grandfather. The re-excavation of Zamzam's well, which had become blocked up
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during the final days of the Jurhums, was the work that he performed that was the most
significant and brought out his personality. He was greatly helped by the excavation of
Zamzara, which made it easier for him to provide pilgrims with water.

During his lifetime, troops led by a man named Abrahah from Ethiopia attacked Mecca.
There was a reason for the Mecca attack. Abrahah hoped, with the strength of his troops, to
demolish the K a'bah and sway Arabs' veneration of the ICa'bah in favor of the new ka'bah he
built in Yemen. Abd al-Muttalib tried two negotiations to drive the Ethiopian troops away,
but he failed because he didn't strengthen his three men enough to fight the Ethiopians. The
enemy had elephants and all kinds of weapons, and the Arabs didn't know how to fight them.

While it is alleged that 'Abd al-Muttalib himself did not leave the Ka'bah hut, he ordered his
men and the people of Mecca to hide in the valleys and hills nearby, prayed to Allah to
protect the sanctuary, and prepared to fight and stop the invaders with some of the men who
were loyal to him.

The Ethiopians were prevented from achieving their goal by Allah's will. They were attacked
by a flock of hirds bringing disease and death to their troops. Because of this incident, Ahd
al-Muttalib gained moral and religious acclaim to the point where his people referred to him
as the second Ibrahim. This specific occurrence is referenced in al-Qur'an,as Allah says in
surat al-Fil (the Elephent)s.

"Do you not see how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant? Bid he not
make their treacherous plan go astray? And send against them flights of hird, striking
them with stones of baked clay. Then he made them like an empty field of stalk and
straw (of which the corn1) has been eaten up”.

Abu Sufyan ibn Harb ibn Umayyah was one of the mala' of Mecca whose personality
emerged after fAbd al-Muttalib and continued to flourish after Islam. He had a reputation as a
successful merchant. He was able to lead trade caravans to Eastern Arabia as well as the
north and south. He saved the Quraysh trade caravan from the Muslims with his cleverness
and expertise, which led to the battle of Badr.

Abu Sufyan was given the opportunity and responsibility of strengthening the Quraysh's
military power because the Umayyads held the position of liwa, despite the fact that the
position was not given until sometime prior to the emergence of Islam. The polytheist
Meccans' struggle in Madina against the emerging power of Islam was inspired by his
bravery and dedication to the old beliefs.

Until the Prophet conquered Mecca and abolished the majority of the Meccan traditional
systems, with the exception of the post of siqayah and hijabah, the political situation there
remained unchanged.

MAKKAN TRADE

Mecca naturally had relationships with the communities in the area as well as those in
southern and northern Arabia because it was the hub of a trade route between the north and
south. The Himyarite dynasty, who had established small settlements along the trade route to
the north as part of their profession as traders, established the trade link between Mecca and
the southern part of Arabia, or Yemen in particular. Mecca's Ka'bah was only a stop for trade
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caravans at the time, and traders revered it, particularly King Tubba, who was said to have
been the first person to cover it and ask people to venerate it.

Makkah sent one of its men during the Qurayshitae rule, itfho', who was said to be al-
Muttalib ibn 'Abd Manaf, and ratified an agreement with the Yamanites that allowed the
Quraysh to trade in Yemen and its territory. The two communities were able to collaborate
and recognize one another's accomplishments as a result of this trade agreement. According
to sources, 'Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim established a friendly relationship with Mecca and
exchanged delegations with Yemen, such as the one sent to congratulate Saif ibn Dhi Yazan
on his victory over the Ethiopians, who had previously invaded Mecca.

There were many different kinds of trade in Mecca. Some of them traded wheat and rice,
while others traded beer, three oil, weapons, swords, and arrows. Women were also traders
and merchants, not just men. The Prophet's wife, Khadijah bint khuwailid, was the most
well-known person.

ESHA AIMEN 014

CONCLUSION

As previously mentioned, nearly everyone lacked literacy. Mecca was a significant

commercial center with significant Christian, Jewish, and pagan communities. It hosted trade
fairs and attracted traders from all over the Middle East because it was at the center of an
ancient network of caravan routes. Its connection to religion was to blame for its success.
Vices and oppression abound in the society of the remote Makkah where Prophet Muhammad
(S) first saw the world. It had moral decay, increasing perversion, ignorance, and poverty,
just like the harsh Arabian desert. It was polytheist in nature, deeply engrossed in the worship
of numerous idols, like the rest of Arabia. There were three social classes in Makkan society:
The wealthy and arrogant, the disadvantaged, and the general public. Mecca, like the majority
of pre-Islamic Arabian communities, never gave in to the rule of a single liqah or man. Mala,
a group of men, were in charge of Mecca. Mecca naturally had relationships with the
communities in the area as well as those in southern and northern Arabia because it was the
hub of a trade route between the north and south. Until the Prophet conquered Mecca and
abolished the majority of the Meccan traditional systems, with the exception of the post of
siqayah and hijabah, the political situation there remained unchanged.

Reference:

1. https://www.al-islam.org/prophet-muhammad-s-brief-biography/makkan-society
2. https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/28489/1/10672648.pdf
3. https://www.al-islam.org/restatement-history-islam-and-muslims-sayyid-ali-
asghar-razwy/introduction
4. https://www.al-islam.org/prophet-muhammad-s-brief-biography/makkan-period
5. https://www.al-islam.org/brief-history-muhammad-last-prophet-abolfazl-
sabouri/introduction
6. https://www.hostnezt.com/cssfiles/islamiat/notes/Makkah%20Peroid%20of
%20Prophet%20Muhammad%20(pbuh).pd