Muhammad Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Pre-Islamic Arabia== {{Main|Pre-Islamic Arabia|Jahiliyyah|Religion in pre-Islamic Arabia}} [[File:Tribes english.png|thumb|left|Main tribes and settlements of Arabia in Muhammad's lifetime]] The [[Arabian Peninsula]] was, and still is, largely arid with volcanic soil, making agriculture difficult except near oases or springs. Towns and cities dotted the landscape, two of the most prominent being [[Mecca]] and [[Medina]]. Medina was a large flourishing agricultural settlement, while Mecca was an important financial center for many surrounding tribes.{{sfn|Watt|1953|pp=1–2}} In the desert, communal life was crucial for survival. Indigenous tribes relied on each other to endure the challenging conditions and way of life. Tribal affiliation, whether through family ties or alliances, played a significant role in fostering social unity.{{sfn|Watt|1953|pp=16–18}} Indigenous Arabs were either [[nomad]]ic or [[Sedentism|sedentary]]. Nomadic groups constantly traveled seeking water and pasture for their flocks, while the sedentary settled and focused on trade and agriculture. Nomadic survival also depended on raiding caravans or oases; nomads did not view this as a crime.<ref name="Rue">Loyal Rue, ''Religion Is Not about God: How Spiritual Traditions Nurture Our Biological'', 2005, p. 224.</ref> In pre-Islamic Arabia, gods or goddesses were viewed as protectors of individual tribes, their spirits associated with sacred trees, [[Baetylus|stones]], springs and wells. As well as being the site of an annual pilgrimage, the [[Kaaba]] shrine in Mecca housed 360 idols of tribal patron deities. Three goddesses were worshipped, in some places as daughters of Allah: [[Allāt]], [[Manāt]] and [[al-'Uzzá]]. Monotheistic communities existed in Arabia, including Christians and [[Jewish tribes of Arabia|Jews]].{{efn|See Quran 3:95}} [[Hanif]]s – native pre-Islamic Arabs who "professed a rigid monotheism"<ref>{{cite book |last=Ueberweg |first=Friedrich |title=History of Philosophy, Vol. 1: From Thales to the Present Time |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |page=409 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GZfL4GsU3JAC&q=Hanifs&pg=PA409 |isbn=978-1-4400-4322-2}}</ref> – are also sometimes listed alongside Jews and Christians in pre-Islamic Arabia, although scholars dispute their [[historicity (philosophy)|historicity]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Kochler |first=Hans |author-link=Hans Kochler |date=1982 |title= The Concept of Monotheism in Islam and Christianity |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=zMuipwd5MTEC |location= |publisher=[[International Progress Organization]] |page= 29|isbn= 3700303394}}</ref><ref>cf. [[Uri Rubin]], ''Hanif'', Encyclopedia of the Qur'an.</ref> According to Muslim tradition, Muhammad himself was a Hanif and one of the descendants of [[Ishmael]], son of [[Abraham]].<ref>Louis Jacobs (1995), p. 272</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Turner |first=Colin|author-link= |date=2005 |title=Islam: The Basics (Volume 1) |url= |location= |publisher=[[Routledge]] |page=16 |isbn= 9780415341066}}</ref> The second half of the sixth century was a period of political disorder in Arabia and communication routes were no longer secure.{{sfn|Robin|2012|pp=297-299}} Religious divisions were an important cause of the crisis.{{sfn|Robin|2012|p=302}} Judaism became the dominant religion in [[Yemen]] while Christianity took root in the [[Persian Gulf]] area.{{sfn|Robin|2012|p=302}} In line with broader trends of the ancient world, the region witnessed a decline in the practice of polytheistic cults and a growing interest in a more spiritual form of religion. While many were reluctant to convert to a foreign faith, those faiths provided intellectual and spiritual reference points.{{sfn|Robin|2012|p=302}} During the early years of Muhammad's life, the [[Quraysh]] tribe to which he belonged became a dominant force in western Arabia.{{sfn|Robin|2012|pp=286–287}} They formed the cult association of ''hums'', which tied members of many tribes in western Arabia to the [[Kaaba]] and reinforced the prestige of the Meccan sanctuary.{{sfn|Robin|2012|p=301}} To counter the effects of anarchy, Quraysh upheld the institution of sacred months during which all violence was forbidden, and it was possible to participate in pilgrimages and fairs without danger.{{sfn|Robin|2012|p=301}} Thus, although the association of ''hums'' was primarily religious, it also had important economic consequences for the city.{{sfn|Robin|2012|p=301}} {{Clear}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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