Upon the third degree are the internal narrations of the Arabs themselves and in reality, these very narrations serve as a solid base in the study of Pre-Islāmic history. The art of writing and composition was not prevalent among the Arabs, but the method in place for the preservation of verbal narrations from generation to generation was very common. For this purpose the Arabs were gifted with an exceptional memory – the likeness of which cannot be found in any other nation.1 A distinctive class existed in every tribe, which was responsible for safeguarding to memory the historical account of their own tribe as well as that of surrounding tribes with integrity and loyalty of the highest calibre. Among the Arabs, this art was known as ‘Ilmul-Ansāb, meaning, ‘The Science of Genealogy’. In history, the names of many have been recorded from the Pre-Islāmic era, as experts in this art. In this manner, this knowledge was transferred from one generation to the second, from second to third and so on and so forth, and thus, the history of every tribe was vouchsafed in the hearts of its narrators.
In this context, another excellent means through which ancient Arabian history has been safeguarded are the poetic verses composed by poets of the Pre-Islāmic era, as they also seem to encompass particular aspects of the history of Arabian tribes. In the Pre-Islāmic era, the art of poetry among the Arabs had reached such heights that in the opinion of various critics, poetry of Islāmic era was unable to contest in various aspects, despite the positive advancement of Islāmic poets. Tribal civilization was the basis of Arabian lifestyle. Almost every tribe possessed a poet who would safeguard the particulars of his tribe through forceful Bedouin-like poetry. Moreover, it was a custom among the Arabs that they memorized these verses and would recite them in their gatherings.2 Among the many poets of the Jāhiliyyah3, some who have gained distinctive recognition include Imra’-ul-Qais, Nābighah Dhubyānī, Zuhair, Ṭurfah, ‘Antarah, ‘Alqamah, A‘ashā’, ‘Amr bin Kulthūm, Umaiyyah bin Abī Ṣalt, Ka‘b bin Zuhair, Labīd, Ḥassān bin Thābit and Khansā’. The couplets of many of these poets have been preserved to this day and they exhibit such astounding eloquence, such powerful expression and craftsmanship that its likeness cannot be found in the poetry of any other country or nation of that era. Among the above mentioned poets, the four names mentioned last who also include the name of a renowned poetess at the end, became Muslim at the hand of the Holy Prophetsa.4
Our statement that Arabian history prior to Islām was preserved through verbal narrations alone may astonish the unacquainted. For how could the history of such a vast country, spread over hundreds of years, be safeguarded merely through verbal narrations? However, our readers must bear in mind that this statement refers to a time period in which the historical records of the nations of the world were confined to verbal narrations of this kind.
The only difference is where in most of these nations, narrations were commonly existent in an unsecured form and later in the historical period, were gathered in whatever form they existed, the system utilised by the Arabs in that time period, prior to the formal gathering of historical accounts, in order to safeguard narrations, was far superior to other nations of that era. It was a custom among the Arabs to memorize the historical accounts of their respective tribes by way of narrations or poetic verses, and as previously mentioned, for this purpose, the retentive faculties of the Arabs were extraordinarily developed. In any case, the verbal narrations of the Arabs, which were later documented in writing, are the greatest source of Arabian history prior to Islām. Furthermore, since an outline of ancient Arabia cannot be formulated without the assistance of these narrations, no historian can disregard them. The written documentation of these narrations is present in various books of later period but the most extensive account is found in the work written by an illustrious Islāmic historian named Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Al-Jarīr Ṭabarī.5 The greater part of this vastly dispersed material has been effectively gathered in a well organized manner. Most of the books of latter era are more or less a derivation of this very collection.
The arrival of Islām was the dawn of a new era in the history of Arabia. The voice of Muḥammadsa aroused the sleeping forces of Arabia, just as one who suddenly wakes from a deep sleep upon a sudden clamour. Since then the history of Arabia underwent a revolutionary transformation just as something hidden in the depths of darkness is suddenly brought into the brilliant illumination of the sun. In regards to the biography and disposition of the Holy Prophetsa and the history of the origin of Islām, such solid historical material is present, as most definitely no other religion or prophet has been so fortunate. This material is found in numerous forms; therefore a brief portrait of these various forms of material shall be presented in subsequent pages.
1 Life of ‘Mahomet’, Sir William Muir, p. xvi, Reprint of the 1894 Ed., Published by Voice of India New Delhi
2 Life of ‘Mahomet’, Sir William Muir, pp. li-lii, Reprint of the 1894 Ed., Published by Voice of India New Delhi
3 In Islāmic terminology the Arabian era prior to Islām is known as the ‘Era of Ignorance’
4 Mention of these poets is found in Kitābus-Sh’ir wash-Shu’arā’, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdullāh bin Muslim bin Qutaibah, Part 1, Dāruth-Thaqāfah, Beirut, 1964, on the following pages: Imra’-ul-Qais (pp. 50-57), Nābighah Dhubyānī (pp. 92-106), Zuhair (pp. 76-88), Ṭurfah (pp. 117-126), ‘Antarah (pp. 171-175), ‘Alqamah (pp. 145-148), A‘ashā’ (pp. 178-186), ‘Amr bin Kulthūm (pp. 157-160), Umaiyyah bin Abī Ṣalt (pp. 369-372), Ka‘b bin Zuhair (pp. 89-91), Labīd (pp. 194-204), Ḥassān bin Thābit (pp. 223-226), Khansā’ (pp. 260-262)
5 224 A.H. to 310 A.H.