The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 68
Seal of the Prophets - Volume I 68 and cattle; freely move here and there, throughout a vast region. They would encamp wherever they found water, and then continue onwards in another direction, and it is in this manner that the entirety of their lives would pass on. Ancient poets have depicted illustrations of this lifestyle beautifully in their poetry. Their dialect was far more pure and eloquent than that of the city. Moreover, a true image of Arabian nature and traits is explicitly visible in these people. Their profession should be thought of as that of a Shepherd. Among the Arabs, in various transactions, generally a barter system was utilised, however, irregularly shaped coins of gold and silver were also in use. Hence, two types of silver coins were in circulation: the Dirham and Awqiyah. One Awqiyah was considered equivalent to 40 Dirham. The customary gold coin was the Dīnār. The custom of weighing with scales was not widely practised. Generally the custom was to measure. Therefore, among the Arabs, the two famous measurements in use were the Mudd and Ṣā‘. The instrument of measurement was the Dhirā‘ or an arm’s length, which was as if equivalent to 1. 5 feet. Circumcision was a custom among the Arabs, so much so that in some instances, even women would undergo circumcision. It was also a normal custom for the dead to be given a bath and buried in a white shroud. The Arabs usually kept a beard and would trim their moustache. Moreover, the practice of receiving and paying usury was more or less a norm. Arabian Trade and Commerce The national professions of the Arabs were three alone: firstly, agriculture, which was confined to a significantly small portion of the entire country, secondly, to nourish and maintain cattle, which is more commonly known as pasturing, and thirdly, trade and commerce, which should be considered the largest profession in Arabia. Since time immemorial the people of Arabia were professionals in commerce. Tribes which were settled near the coast or lived near civilised countries were diligently engaged in trade since the ancient times. In the early era, it was primarily the Arabs who imported and exported goods between the east and the west. Therefore, their mercantile caravans would travel regularly between Syria and Egypt on one side and along the coasts of the Indian Sea on the other. This consistent travel served as a connecting commercial chain between Syria, Egypt and India. However, due to the opening of passage through the sea, Arabian commerce suffered