Explanation
The most remarkable feature of the political life of Arabia before Islam was the total absence ofpolitical organization in any form. With the exception of Yemen in the south- west, no part of the Arabian Peninsula had any government at any time, and the Arabs never acknowledged anyauthority other than the authority of the chiefs of their tribes.The authority of the tribal chiefs, however, rested, in most cases, on their character andpersonality, and was moral rather than political.The modern student of history finds it incredible that the Arabs lived, generation after generation,century after century, without a government of any kind. Since there was no government, there wasno law and no order.The only law of the land was lawlessness. In the event a crime was committed, the injured party
took law in its own hands, and tried to administer “justice” to the offender. This system led very
frequently to acts of horrendous cruelty.Since there were no such things as police, courts or judges, the only protection a man could findfrom his enemies, was in his own tribe. The tribe had an obligation to protect its members even if
they had committed crimes. Tribalism or ‘asabiyya (the clan spirit) took precedence over ethics. A tribe that failed to protect its members from their enemies, exposed itself to ridicule, obloquy andcontempt. Ethics, of course, did not enter the picture anywhere.Since Arabia did not have a government, and since the Arabs were anarchists by instinct, they werelocked up in ceaseless warfare. War was a permanent institution of the Arabian society. The desertcould support only a limited number of people, and the state of intertribal war maintained a rigidcontrol over the growth of population. But the Arabs themselves did not see war in this light.To them, war was a pastime or rather a dangerous sport, or a species of tribal drama, waged by professionals, according to old and gallant codes, while the “audience” cheered. Eternal peace held no appeal for them, and war provided an escape from drudgery and from the monotony of life in the desert.
