Pre-Islamic Arabs: Jahl vs hilm

 

Pre-Islamic Arabs: Jahl vs hilm

Almost the entire Islamic world today knows that the period before Islam in the Arab region was nicknamed the Age of Ignorance. The Age of Jahiliyah can be grouped into two periodicals, first, the first Jahiliyah is very difficult to know its history. Because archaeological findings and classical poetry records do not explain much about today's Arab society. While the second era of ignorance we can see very carefully. Some historians say that this second era of ignorance took place approximately 150 years before Islam was born.

The word jahiliyah comes from the word jahl, but what is meant here is not jahl as opposed to the word ilm, but the opposite of the word hilm. The Arabs are already familiar with various branches of science, even in their arts and literary works have progressed and developed quite rapidly. But moral degradation, a system of behavior that often violates the rules of humanity, makes their faces become gloomy social behavior. This moral decline plagued them for a long time, thus forming the face of a hard human character, the culmination of which was the "conversion of belief" from the original religion of Millah Ibrahim which they professed to be replaced by idols. But ignorant poetry is very rich in information related to their civilization.

Desert people mostly live in northern Arabia who are illiterate and do not want to progress (nomads). Arab historians call this al-ayyam al-jahiliyyah (the day of the darkness). But this does not apply in all regions of Arabia. For example, the position of women in the Arab society is very varied. Some say that among the Arabs there are several female tribal chiefs, such as Umm Aufah, Kindah, and so on who live in Mecca, Medina, Yemen, etc. They are the ones who determine the policy, but there are not many of them. Most women have no value in the eyes of society. They are considered nothing more than goods traded in the market. they cannot be heirs to their husbands or parents. Men can marry as many women as they want. whereas women hardly. There are also in some tribes, the stepmother marries her stepdaughter, siblings marry each other. It's a portrait of a very rule-free society. Not to mention the issue of burying baby girls alive.

Islam came by raising women to get inheritance rights with 2:1, for them at that time it was very fair. Women are elevated, women get rights to their husbands. etc. Islam is truly a shining light for all mankind who are stuck in darkness.