Chief of the Prophets

Chief of the Prophets — Page 5

Chapter One 5 because of the early ages in which they existed. However, we know that ‘Ᾱd, Thamūd, Ṭasm, Jadīs, and Jurhumul-Ūlā’ were well-known tribes among them. They are referred to as Bā’idah since they seem to have vanished with no preserved historical records. b. After Bā’idah , there was the period of Banū Qaḥṭān. Banū Qaḥṭān originally lived in Yemen, and later spread out into all of Arabia. According to some traditions, they were descendents of the children of Hūd as. 1 It is especially noteworthy that the Aus and the Khazraj tribes of Madīnah are offshoots of Banū 2 Qaḥṭān. 2. Musta‘ribah (Arabized Arabs): This group included mostly the descendents of Ishmael as. Since they migrated from outside Arabia, they were known by the name of Musta‘ribah or mixed Arabs. They were concentrated in Ḥijāz. They were also known by the name of ‘Adnāni after ‘Adnān who was a prominent person among the descendants of Ishmael as. The Quraish tribe of Arabia, into which Muḥammad sa was born, was also a branch of Banū ‘Adnān. Pre-Islamic Civilization and Society The people of Arabia led a barbaric life before the advent of Islam. They were entirely isolated from the external world with respect to their civilization and society. As far as government was concerned, Arabia was never centrally governed at any time throughout pre- Islamic history, though at the time of the peak of Banū Qaḥṭān, a few local governments gained some broader powers. Besides, every 1 Az-Zarqānī. 2 Banū literally means children , so Banū Qaḥṭān means Children of Qaḥṭān or the Tribe of Qaḥṭān. [Publisher]