HARAM AND HARAMS IN PRE-ISLAMIC HIJAZ: WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR

SACRED SPACES IN PRE-ISLAMIC HIJAZ

 

In a previous post, I discussed the difference between haram and hima in the region oh Hijaz, where Madinah is located; here, it seems interesting to explore with more depth the harams present there. On this regard, one may note that in Hijaz, not all the himas were sacred in a strict sense; however, the custom to sanctify a place is well known and the harams existed in the proximity of the cities of Makkah and Madinah. These places, in particular, as historians suggest, must have been known by the Prophet Muhammad; although the evidence is still generally lacking, this seems reasonable.

 

A UNIQUE HARAM?

 

An interesting questions, then, is about the number of this places in the region of Hijaz before Islam; in fact, the Holy Quran mentions only one haram, but the available evidence seems to suggest that there must have been other harams as well. Besides the well known haram in Makkah, the historians point to Waji and Buss, which were associated with two tribes, living in Thaqif and Ghatafan. The existence of the first one, then, seems corroborated by a letter, allegedly sent by the Prophet himself, where He let the site to retain its status as haram; since the authentic nature of these letters has been challenged, we cannot take this information for sure. However, this could reflect and confirm the presence of other harams in the pre-islamic Hijaz; as long as Waji is concerned, some letters attribute the status of haram, while others refer to it as a hima. It is possible, though not certain, that this place was originally an hima and that later it acquired the status of haram.

 

It seems, thus, that Makkah was not the only haram in the region, during late antiquity; besides, the possible other two mentioned earlier, Buss and Waji, it is perfectly plausible that otherS existed as well. As a matter of fact, some Muslim scholars, such as Ibn-al-Kalbi, make reference to a series of bayt, which can be roughly translated as ‘shrines’. Alternatively, we can find also the terms masjid and ka’ba; at any rate, these were places linked to the worship of certain deities. On this regard, one may note the absence of a clear picture, as we do not know the exact number of these places that had harams; it has been suggested, though, that some notorious sites in pre-Islamic Hijaz, like Majanna, Ukaz, and Dhu-al-majaz, could be configured as harams. The lack of clear evidence, though, does not allow us to go further, but this hypothesis seems particularly probable for Ukaz. Here, the Arabic sources locates the cult of Jihar, a local idol around which people used to walk in circle, and which possessed stones to demarcate the boundaries, known as ansab, the same feature we can find in Makkah.

 

THE STATUS OF HARAM

 

Previously, we have considered some rules governing the enclosed space of the haram; here, it seems interesting to understand the modality and the reasons which could male a place an haram. Here, too, we must acknowledge the lack of evidence and of a contemporary discussion on these matters; in fact, our understanding of these issues seems linked to the legal sources of Islam. Some contemporary scholars, in fact, focused on the hima and not on the haram, following legal Islamic texts, like Lokkegaard; what we presently know, thus, comes from his work.

 

According to him, the future hima had to be occupied by a person, wishing to establish such a status; this way, he could determine the boundaries, in a variety of ways. Among them, we can mention the thrust of a lance, which signalled the point in the land where the hima began; the opposite limit could be determined by the distance a horse could run. In pre-Islamic times, another way to create an hima would be determined by the area in which the barking of a dog could be heard.

 

In the case of the haram, it is not clear how it could be established; at this point, we have to rely on the information depicting the Makkah declaration as haram; unfortunately, no historical evidence is given, as this event is place in a past which is legendary and attributed directly to God. In fact, the Holy Quran does not give any detail of the circumstances surrounding the establishment of the haram in Makkah.

 

Arabic sources, though, mention the creation of the Buss haram; however, some points are still controversial and there seems to be no agreement by the various sources. To begin with, the same location of Buss in not certain, as some suggested that ‘Buss’ could refer to a particular building, or, alternatively to a source of water. At any rate, no date is provided ever. Nonetheless, the notables mentioned in some narrations, point to the last part of the VI century CE; the creation of this sanctuary,then, could result form the rivalry among the different tribes, which was present in the pre-Islamic times as well.

 

Conclusion

 

The evidence around harams and himas in the pre-Islamic Hijaz is scarce, and the debate on these issues is absent in our time; what it seems certain, is that Makkah and Madinah were not the only ones. In fact, the rivalry among the tribes inhabiting the Arabian peninsula could explain and motivate the creation of other sacred places.