The Arab Psyche

The Arab Psyche The Arabs Before Islam The Arabs are an ancient Semitic people of the Middle East. They are proud in their belief that they are descended from the Prophet Noah's son Shem, and honoured that the last of the lineage of God's prophets was from their midst, and humbled that God enlightened mankind by revealing the t he Holy Word in their language. The complex history of the Arab is conveniently divided into two parts of before and after by the Revelation. In the pre-Islamic period, the social structure which evolved in the harsh environment of the Arab Peninsula was based on the tribal unit. Some tribes from the era survive even to this day, while others perished during the process of God's unfolding plan. The Arabic tribes which did not perish but which survived to the modern era can be divided into those clans of pure lineage and those peoples who have gradually become naturalized within the Arabic family. The core tribe of the pure Arab is the Qahtan, whose land of origin is found within Yemen. Arab historians identify the first king of Yemen as Yar'ub bin Qahtan, who was succeeded by his so n Yashjub, who in turn was followed by his son AbduShams. The second group of Arabs who have survived from the pre-Islamic era are those which are referred to as naturalised, being from the peoples which mixed and intermarried with the Qahtan. These Arabs descended from the Prophet Ismail who had settled in the holy city of Mecca. They are also known as the Adnani and the Nizari after their great-grandfather Adnan and their father Nizar bin Maad bin Adnan. Tribal System During the pre-Islamic era, the tribe was the primary social and political unit of the Arabs. The primary function of the clan structure was to defend its members, whether right or wrong. Correspondingly, the tribesmen devoted themselves to protect their collective honour and they obeyed the dictates of their tribal elders. A pre-Islamic poet eloquently expressed this unquestioning loyalty as follows: I am nothing but a member of my tribe.If it goes astray, I will too,and if it follows the right path, so will I. The Holy Quran preached strongly against this blind loyalty and the destructive prejudices which resulted. The Word of God decreed a better criteria to differentiate between people, being t heir devotion to Islam. Practical Knowledge and Science The Arabic culture of the pre-Islamic era did not invent the sort of complex mythologies and

creation myths which characterized ancient cultures such as Greece. The classic framework of philosophy and rhetoric which the Greeks developed was therefore far from the more mundane considerations of the early Arabs. The tribal lack of advanced urban centers meant that schools of specialized intellectual skills did not develop. The pre-Islamic Arabs were either villagers, pastoralists or traders, who existed with the less effete goal of simple physical survival. The Need for Revenge Pre-Islamic Arabs were adamant about the unquestionable law of revenge. In their view, a disgrace must be avenged, no matter what the consequences. One of their poets expressed this cultural fixation thus: I shall wash disgrace with the edge of my sword, no matter what this may bring about. In this context, the pagan tribes believed that if the murder of a kinsman went unavenged, a bird named 'al Hama' would come out of the victim's skull and hover over his grave shrieking "Satisfy my thirst!" This would be the victim's demand to avenge his death and to quench his terrible thirst with the blood of the murderer. A People of Eloquence The early tribes did not commonly express their artistry with architecture and statuary. Instead they gloried in the intricacies of their splendid Arabic language. The tribes loved eloquent speech and the expression of their folk wisdom in clever proverbs. Story-telling and recitations of poetry were standard features of the social gatherings of both hathar and bedouin. The Character of Respect For a tribesman to hold his head high among his fellows during the long epoch of the pre-I slamic period, he had to display certain elements of character which were highly valued in his culture. These qualities included courage, generosity, integrity and pride. An unfortunate aspect of the life of both hathar and bedouin was a condition of constant insecurity. Attack from hostile forces could take place at any time. For members of the tribe, t ribe, courage was imperative if family and property and honour were to be defended. Audacity therefore came to be a highly regarded attribute, whereas cowardliness and fear of the enemy was a disgrace. The Emergence of Islam The Word of God was revealed to mankind in the year 610 AD. The message brought by the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, introduced drastic changes to the political, social, intellectual and cultural life of the Arabs. The teachings of the Holy Quran were a blunt instrument to suppress the cruder aspects of the

Arabic culture, and a fine instrument to uplift their better selves. The revealed system was complete, as it established all of the laws necessary to regulate both personal and political life. Islam instilled in the Arab the high ideals and holy fire which enabled the miraculously rapid expansion of the Muslim world. Such is the power of the word of God!The Revelation of the Word had a powerful impact on the Arab psyche. Source: http://www.alshindagah.com/january99/th earabpsyche.htm