Socio-Political Culture of Pre-Islamic Arabia to Early Islamic World

Conflicts between kinship groups regularly erupted over access to water and other scarce resources that shaped tragedy and conflict on the Arabian Peninsula in the times of jahiliyya. With a lack of centralized rule or law, familial relations of increasing distance are called upon as conflicts grow to scale from families to clans to tribes in a concept called balanced opposition (Salzman 2008). Therefore, maximizing the holdings of one’s kinship in livestock, valuables, and male offspring was highly valued to increase the political capital of the group. More sons meant more warriors to fight in tribal conflicts. While conflict was common, Arab cultures also highly valued the eloquent speakers and wiseman who could mediate conflicts and prevent the desert from swallowing feuding tribes whole by drawing upon folk lore of heroes from their past charting a path to the future. One of the most common ways to win honor and reputation was to succeed in raiding and expansion, while a rare honor was given to those, like Al’Rasul, who could bring enemies to make peace and leave with a higher calling to submit to the will of God. This is because pre-Islamic Arab culture valued the ability to find consensus and maintain agreement on contested resources for the survival of all. Thus, there exists the contradicting virtues of martial strength and peacemaking, which is the cultural milieu upon which Al’Rasul began his ministry. The Messenger’s success in unifying the Arab tribes relies as much on his knowledge of his own people’s culture and his achievements within it as it does on his claim to have received the final word from God. Regardless, Islamic history and culture was heavily influenced by the beliefs and structures of Arab tribes as this mindset of balanced opposition, stressed importance of familial relations, and a love for poetry and eloquence in the spoken word is still found present today in a culture that values tribal mindsets and ideals of honor. Once Al’Rasul began to deliver the message, the age of Islam could dawn.

In the early Islamic historical period, the Arab world was united by faith and military conquests as Al’Rasul and a succession of theocratic conquerors spread his caliphate beyond the Arabian peninsula to include other peoples and infidels. While balanced opposition had caused Arabs to fight amongst each other for centuries, they were now focused outwards to the lands of infidels and peoples of the Book, defining themselves by their religious superiority and moral righteousness as continued victories seemed to be proof of God’s will. Salzman puts it best when he writes,

“From a political standpoint, Islam raised tribal society to a higher, more inclusive level

of integration. But it was not able to replace the central principle of tribal political

organization. Framing Muslims in opposition to the infidel preserved the balanced

opposition. As with tribal lineage, affiliation and loyalty became defined by opposition.

(2008).”

While outwardly the ummah was a fearsome geopolitical threat, early Islamic society was inwardly focused on increasingly sophisticated oratory, poetry, and study of the Koran alongside an explosion in production of cultural works and literary heroes. Society became more complex and conduct ritualized with greetings and conduct according to status, as the values of peacemaking became ingrained into politeness formulas that took Islamic characteristics after the jahiliyya period gave way to the age of Islam. Of course, the integration of new ethnic cultures and the question of dealing with conquered peoples made Arabs become administrators, a far turn from a previously pastoralist society. The faith of Islam and the Koran became the foundation of civil law, inspiring the second-class status of Jews and Christians and in some cases, the enslavement or conversion of other conquered faiths, because it is more rational than putting infidels to the sword (Salzman 2009). Islam’s spread caused cultural diffusion as the ummah encountered other civilizations. For example, the use of the veil was not pragmatic or common in pre-Islamic Arabian history or early Islamic history but instead was introduced when Muslims encountered the Byzantines, the remnants of the conservative Roman Orthodox civilization based in Constantinople.

Large parts of the culture from the jahiliyya nomadic pastoral and early Islamic days remain in the culture and perspectives of the modern dar al-Islam, the realm of Islam and believers, from Jakarta to Tunisia and across the world. Far from its humble desert nomad roots, contemporary Arabic poetry is celebrated in televised contests similar in scope to American Idol (Creswell and Haykel 2015). Jihadist groups celebrate, write, and propogate radical poetry that glorifies their fantasy of jihad, while providing an aura of culture that appeals to the pious that might be recruited through propaganda efforts. The lack of permanence of a jihadi state has rendered poetry and the spoken word the best cultural artifacts of the jihadi movement and the former Islamic State. They can be written down and distributed online in poetry forums, while being easily reposted in case of moderation (Creswell and Haykel 2015). Further progress in articulation of jihadist ideologies and commentary on contemporary affairs takes the form of poetic verse, giving an artistic flair to otherwise militant extremists who paint the world with many enemies. Interestingly, the majority of the Islamic world has moved past armed jihad as a central tenet of the faith, which sees it as an honored tradition but not the focus of submission (2015). Thus, the cultured-honored tenet of resistance to authority is present in the jihadi tradition, for their poetry bears witness to their allegiance to a belief system that will ostracize them from their fellow Muslims. Also, politeness rituals from the jahiliyya period are reflected in the impressive manners of Muslims as they adhere to consensus building and peacemaking behaviors upon greeting others. Politically, the principle in balanced opposition in present in the geopolitics of Arab states. In this framework, Arab nations will bicker and position amongst themselves until presented with a worthy outside force, typically Israel or the Western powers like the United States, France, and the United Kingdom. If no opposition exists at that moment outside the Islamic world, then they might oppose themselves to Iran or Turkey, their historical rivals for the premier position in the eyes of Muslims and primacy over the Middle East.

In conclusion, while some observers would deny the consistent influence of the jahiliyya period on the modern Islamic world, my humble observations as an outsider sees consistent linkages to the culture of the pre-Islamic Arabian peoples and early Islamic society to the modern day Islamic world. Poetry remains a valued cultural art form by both mainstream and radical Muslims, enjoyed as televised entertainment and religious testimony. The culture of politeness in greetings and manners from the early period manifests in a reputation for friendliness across the world. Also, the principles of balanced opposition offer lessons for Western foreign policymakers in understanding the motivations and conducts of their counterparts in the Islamic world while explaining the constant geopolitical intrigue in the Middle East. Islamic culture values both honor and consensus building, and American policymakers cannot offend their regional counterparts and expect that same desire for agreement to exist. Respect for their culture and style of political leadership would benefit Western nations instead of instigating Islamophobia and engaging in costly interventionism.

References

Cresswell, Robyn and Bernard Haykel. “Why Jihadists Write Poetry”, The New Yorker, June 1, 2015. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/06/08/battle-lines-jihad-creswell-and-haykel

Salzman, Philip Carl. “The Middle East’s Tribal DNA.” Middle East Forum, 2008.https://www.meforum.org/1813/the-middle-easts-tribal-dna.