RLG204H5 Lecture : USERA.docx
Document Summary
Week #1 the arabia before islam: pre-islamic arabia the era of jahiliyya. The pre-islamic arabia was a society in which: Cities like mecca and median were prospering and attracting many from a nomadic to a more sedentary life; The emergence of mecca as a major mercantile centre gave rise to the beginnings of a new political, social and economic order; The new wealth, the rise of a new commercial oligarchy from within the quraysh tribe created a greater division between social classes. There was a growing disparity between rich and poor. This economic and social division strained the traditional system of arab tribal values and social security and its way of life. This was the time and social milieu into which mohammad, the man, was born. It is in this context that many islamic scholars argue that the spirit of islam is about social justice: why pre-islamic arabia is called jahiliyya. A lack of tawhid (believe in one god)
