The Jahiliyyah
The word Jahiliyyah describes the pre-Islamic period in the
Arabian Peninsula during which Arab poetry and odes reached its
golden age. Some of the top and most famous pre-Islamic Arab
poets were born here in this era. These poems which are still
being studied and appreciated today are collectively known as
the Seven Mu'allaqat "The
Seven Suspended Odes".
Click here
to read an English translation of some of the Odes.
Most of the pre-Islamic Arabia during the Jahiliyyah period
was occupied by nomads and tribes. Wars and conflicts were the
norm among these Bedouin and Arab tribes. Most of the Jahiliyyah
people believed in pagan religions and superstitions.
The two important cities in the Arabian Peninsula during the
Jahiliyyah period were Makkah, and Ukaz. Makkah was the political,
economic, religious, intellectual, and cultural center of the
pre-Islamic Arabia. The Ka'bah, which is believed by Muslims
to have been originally built by Abraham, was the holy place
for the idols of the pagan Arabs for centuries before the coming
of the prophet Mohammad.