Not stupid, this is the true meaning of the word jahiliyah

 

Not stupid, this is the true meaning of the word jahiliyah

Jahiliyah is often interpreted as ignorance of science. Not only that, the word, which has its roots in the word jahala , which means stupid, is also associated with bad pre-Islamic Arab traditions such as killing girls and worshiping idols. This error in interpreting Jahiliyah has an impact on the fatality of understanding the ideological content that the Koran wants to convey.

Jahiliyah cannot be interpreted as a concept of pre-Islamic Arab society that is ignorant in terms of science. In fact, pre-Islamic Arab society or what we call jahiliyah had at least three intelligences. First , verbal-linguistic intelligence. This was the kind of intelligence that was typical of Arab society at that time. They are very good at composing poetry and processing words. So that the miracle (weakening / weakening) given to the Prophet Muhammad is the Qur'an in the form of beautiful poems.

Second , the intelligence of mathematical logic. The main commodity of pre-Islamic Arab society was trade. So they are definitely good at math. If we examine the Koran, we often use the word scales (example: Yaumul Mizan ) or balance because it has something to do with the context of Arab people who are good at trading. As a trading center on the Arabian peninsula, the Ukaz market in Mecca later became the main determining factor in the social relations of the population at that time. Mecca is also referred to as Ummul Quro , which is a large commercial center.

Third , the intelligence of astronomy or astrology. The Arabs were experts in astronomy. That's because the situation of those who live in the desert requires them to study nature to know the changing of the seasons. Astronomy is very much needed for the Arabs because they are actually traders.

اٖلٰفِهِمْ رِحْلَةَ الشِّتَاۤءِ وَالصَّيْفِۚ

(ie) their habit of traveling in winter and summer. (Surat Quraish [106]: 2)

When winter comes, they will go to trade to the warm land of Yemen. When summer comes, they will trade in the cool land of Sham.

So there is no reason that can make the basis that the pre-Islamic Arabs were ignorant in science. Quite the contrary, they are intelligent people.

However, is it true that ignorance is judged by their bad traditions? It is said that they have a habit of demeaning women so that women are considered as inheritable property. Because their superiority is in the tribe or group, then how much war victory between the tribe has an impact on the glory of the tribe.

Women are considered unable to be invited to war so that giving birth to women is labeled as a disgrace. That is why many versions of history say that many girls of that era were killed or buried alive. Another negative Arab tradition is the worship of idols. They often draw fate , get drunk, and commit adultery.

But that tradition cannot be said to be one of the reasons the pre-Islamic Arab society was called Jahiliyah. Because several other countries at the same time had traditions that deviated from human nature and violated the boundaries of humanity. If every country at that time had bad traditions, because there were no guidelines or standards of goodness among them, why was only pre-Islamic Arab society called Jahiliyah? Many places in several countries should also be labeled as Jahiliyah because of their traditions. This means that tradition is not an aspect that causes pre-Islamic Arab society to be called Jahiliyah.

Jahiliyah is neither ignorance nor tradition. But Jahiliyah is more about the attitude of someone who covers up the truth. We can conclude this from a fairly popular story. The story that tells the testimony of Abu Jahal and the arguments why he did not believe in the Prophet Muhammad.

Amr bin Hisham (real name Abu Jahal) was once known as a very intelligent person. Even among the Quraysh, he was nicknamed Abu al-Hakam (father of wisdom). Even at first the Prophet prayed for Amr bin Hisham so that Allah would include him in Islam. Through his famous prayer, " O Allah, glorify Islam with one of these two men, Amr bin Hisham or Umar bin Khattab ." But because of one thing, the Prophet called him Abu Jahal (father of ignorance). Or it can also be interpreted as the character of the Jahiliyah people. Whereas in the past the Prophet hoped that Islam would be noble because of it.

This is based on the story when al-Miswar bin Makhramah asked his uncle, Abu Jahal, about the figure of the Prophet Muhammad. Abu Jahal said and testified that Muhammad was an honest person and was even nicknamed al-Amin (the trustworthy). Then al-Miswar asked Abu Jahal if Muhammad never lied, why did he not believe in Muhammad?

Abu Jahal replied, "My nephew, we (Bani Makhzum) and Bani Hashim always competed on the issue of glory. If they (Bani Hashim) gave us food, we also gave food. If they entertain them with drinks, so do we. If they provide protection, so do we. To the extent that we sit together on horseback to fight, we (Bani Makhzum and Bani Hashim) are equal in glory. Then they said, 'Among us there is a noble Prophet'. Then, when will my tribe be able to match this glory?”

Even to al-Akhnas bin Shiraiq the leader of Bani Zuhrah, Abu Jahal also said that Muhammad never lied. But if the children of Qushay (the great grandfather of the Prophet Muhammad) were noble and played a role with al-liwa' (managing the affairs of war), hijabah (holding the keys to the Kaaba and its arrangements), siqayah (giving pilgrims a drink), and also nubuwwah (prophecy ), then what will the other Quraysh get?”

From this story it is clear that Abu Jahal acknowledged the truth of the Prophet Muhammad. What makes him disbelieve is because of the fanaticism of the group or tribe. He wanted the glory to be in his tribe (the Bani Makhzum) but instead the ones who got the glory were not only more but also greater, namely the Bani Hasyim, because of nubuwwah (prophecy).

It was this attitude of covering up the truth that made Amr bin Hisham nicknamed Abu Jahal. Jealousy because his group is not better than the group of the Prophet Muhammad made him an infidel (closing. English: cover). That means, Jahiliyah is intended for people who know the truth about Muhammad getting Revelation from Allah, but they cover it up.

Group fanaticism often makes people cover up the truth. He will try as much as possible so that it seems as if he does not see the truth or closes so that others do not see it as the truth. Attitudes like this we often encounter among Muslims today. Sometimes we see Islamic elites nudge each other and fight just because they don't want to lose the influence of their group. In the end it caused a split. Basically, if there is a fanatic group who is blind to what he is doing and covers up the truth that is in other groups, that is the true meaning of Jahiliyah. (AN)

Wallahu 'amu bi al-Shawab