Mecca Madina: People are frequently troubled by the question of what Arabia and its surrounds were like and its culture before to the arrival of Islam. Particularly for those who are constantly being told by Muslims and Islamic scholars that ignorance predominated in Arabia before to the arrival of Islam.
Understanding Pre-Islamic Arabia
Devastation was present. Women were not treated with respect. Individuals were perishing due to internal conflict. In a sense, everything was upside down. Jahiliyyah is the name given to that era in the canonical Islamic Hadiths. Was that time truly that horrible? And everything in Arabia started to resemble Ramrajya once Islam arrived?
Lack of Written Arabic History
Before the advent of Islam, there is hardly much written Arabic history available. The primary cause of this is the extremely low level of education among Arabs at that time period. He was more comfortable memorization of poetry and history than writing.
Memorization is a powerful tool because once something is committed to memory, it is unlikely to change. This was the rationale behind early Muslims learning the Quran by heart. Whatever written history remained in Arabia during the later caliphs’ reign was either destroyed or lost in battle.
Introduction to Kaaba
There were statues of gods and goddesses inside when you first walked in. Among these were the Egyptian goddess Isis, also known to the Greeks as Aphrodite, the Arab god Habal, and the Syrian moon goddess Al-Uzza. It is reported that within were statues of Christians Jesus and Mary in addition to the Nabataean deity Qutba.
The Significance of 360 Statues
Three hundred and sixty statues surrounding the Kaaba show that the Arabs worshipped the planets, just as other civilizations. This idea is supported by Karen Armstrong’s novel Islaam: a short Story. They claim that three hundred and sixty idols signify three hundred and sixty days in a year. Furthermore, the existence of planet-related gods and goddesses supports this idea even more.
The Arabs took this action to ensure that the Kaaba would always be the focal point of faith for individuals from all backgrounds, ethnic groups, and clans. It had political significance in addition to religious significance. Because it was crucial from a commercial standpoint that people travel from distant places to Mecca every year for the Hajj.
