مـسـلـمـة
المديرة العامة
عدد الرسائل : 153
com : 
تاريخ التسجيل : 13/10/2008
 |  موضوع: Before Muhammad السبت ديسمبر 13, 2008 11:22 am | |
| Before Muhammad Before Muhammad was born, most Arabs were Bedouins. These herders roamed the desert looking for grass and water for their camels, goats, and sheep. The tents they lived in were woven from camel or goat hair. Their warriors raided other peoples and fought over pastures and springs. They enjoyed music and poetry and valued their swords and camels. They believed in several gods and there was no single religion. The people were scattered across the desert in tribes. Each one had their own religion. They are best described as animistic polytheists and many worshipped sprites called jinn or demons. They were believed to live in trees, stones and streams. Despite the personifications given, they offered no guidance for proper moral conduct.
Mecca was situated in a marrow, sterile valley surrounded by bare mountains. It was an important trade and religious center. Local tribes came to Mecca to worship hundreds of years before the Quraysh settled down. Idols of their gods were placed in a shrine called the Kaaba. According to legend, the original Kaaba had once stood in heaven. When Adam was forced to leave the Garden of Eden, he built a structure like that in heaven. Also, it is thought that the Kaaba had a black stone given to Abraham from the angel Gabriel. Inside were statues, stones, and even Christian pictures, for the Jews and Christians that visited Mecca. The Quraysh encouraged tribes to deposit their idols in the Kaaba and promised to protect them for a price.
Mecca’s urban population included Arab tribes, Syrians, merchants, traveling monks, Christians, and Jews. Since the population was so heterogeneous, there was little social unity in the city. The Quraysh, in an effort to become more wealthy, began to break the tradition of favoring their own kinsmen, thereby contributing to the problem. By forming business partnerships with members of other families and tribes the caused hostility which led to feuds, later on, between different families. | |
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