SOCIETY IN PRE-ISLAMIC ARABIA: THE INSTITUTION OF THE TRIBE

'Ensemble' (Copyright Salvatore Puleio 2020)

PRE-ISLAMIC SOCIETY IN ARABIA: THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TRIBES

 

If you wonder how society was structured before the advent of Islam, the answer is simple; the tribe, as a matter of fact, was the horizon guiding people lives. Everyone belonged to one of the many tribes, which were groups, organized around kinship, whose members helped each other. There was no State, and there were no particular institutions which had to keep the order and apply the law; the only safeguard came from the relatives of the same family, who were tasked to protect each other. These were duties each member was supposed to fulfil; in the case this did not happen, the person was regarded as the worst criminal. This kind of action, in fact, could bring disruption to the entire tribe.

 

It was a very different setting from what we know nowadays, although the tribal belonging still plays a significant role in the Arabian Peninsula still now; in fact, all the male adults were supposed to know the art of fighting. The absence of a structured State did not translate, however in a condition of anarchy and perpetual wars; in fact, other mechanisms were operating, linked to the menace to retaliate. Furthermore, the use of violence was limited by social norms, like the strong sense of hospitality, the common festivals, and, of course, the marriages among people from different tribes.

 

It was a complex society, since the tribes could form confederation with other tribes, and within them, the close kins were not the only people forming the group; in other words, we can find many levels inside the ‘tribe’. To each level, as one can imagine, were given different responsibilities; as a matter of fact the daily tasks were performed by the local community, while the general decisions were taken at the higher levels.

 

WHAT KIND OF SOCIETY?

 

The pre-Islamic societies in Arabia showed a substantial homogeneity at a social level, as they generally did not like structured authority, like officials of person who oversee the dwelling. At the same time, they could not allow foreigners to rule them. They were fundamentally warriors, whose heads were supposed to be a model to follow; in other words, the labor division was kept to a minimum level.

On this point, Eusebius informs us that there was

 

 not a banker to be seen, nor modeller, nor painter, nor architect, nor geometer, nor singing-master, nor actor of dramatic poems

(Eusebius)

 

The remaining occupations, needed for the functioning of the economy were thus performed by non-Arabs, namely the slaves or the Jews; the latter, in fact, were known as renowned jewellers in present-day Yemen.

 

The main distinction in the society was not based on the job performed but on the status vis-à-vis the tribe; in other words, a person could be a full member or just an affiliate. In this way, one could take many positions, as an ally, protégé, or just a slave; in the latter case, this condition derived almost invariably from a war. In fact, slaves were most often prisoners taken during one of the many conflicts; at any rate, the partial membership could be converted into a full one, if the person wished so. Slaves, though, had to be manumitted first by their owner, but the possibility to be fully incorporated in a different tribe was very low, as this text shows us:

 

When [the Iranian commander] Basak son of Mahbudh began work on [the fortress of] Mushaqqar [in east Arabia], he was told: ‘These workmen will not remain in this place unless they are provided with womenfolk.’ . . . So he had prostitutes brought for them from lower Iraq. . . . The workmen and the women married each other and begat children, and they soon constituted the majority of the population of the city of Hajar. They spoke Arabic and called themselves after [the tribe of] ‘Abd al-Qays. When Islam came, they said to ‘Abd al-Qays: ‘You know well our numerical strength, our formidable equipment and weapons, and our great proficiency, so incorporate us among you and let us intermarry with you.’ ‘Abd al-Qays responded: ‘No, remain as you are, as our dependent brethren.’ But one ‘Abdi said: ‘People of ‘Abd al-Qays, follow my advice and accept them, for the likes of these are highly desirable.’ Another said: ‘Have you no shame? Are you telling us to receive a people whose origins and ancestry are as you know?’

(Al Tabari)

 

This is a discrimination we can find throughout the Arabian tribal kingdoms, as we know that the Nabateans made a resting place for their protégés and one for themselves. In this case, however, a greater degree of differentiation was present, as, in fact, there were not classes, but a system of power which was tied to the different families. The prestige of the latter ones determined their access to the wealth and the divine power; as you can imagines, these differences translated in varying lifestyles; however, the difference between the commoners and the nobility was not so strongly demarcated as we are used to in later eras. In other words, the place in the social hierarchy was not absolute, but relative; as a matter of fact, one noble family was prominent in one tribe. The rulers, then, were, at the same time, liege and vassals of the clans above and below them; the lowers vassals had a great deal of freedom, as they could build their own monuments, stipulate contracts and even sue their overlords.

 

Conclusion

 

From what we have said above, the pre-Islamic Arabian society emerges as a flexible one, where the roles and the power were not absolute, but relative; furthermore, one could observe a great deal of variation from place to place, as this area was everything but homogeneous. In other words, we are encouraged to acknowledge the peculiarity of this society, witouth the need to borrow concepts from the western system, as we saw that these people were first and above all warriors.