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In its long history Makkah has also been known as Bakkah. In
ancient times, Makkah was chiefly notable as a staging post on the trade route
linking the spice producers of the east with Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean.
Makkah lay about midway between Marib, one of the main cities, perhaps the
capital, of the kingdom of Sheba (Yemen) and Petra (in Jordan), a city founded
by Nabatean Arabs around the 6th century CE and which became a thriving center
with commercial interests spreading into Syria.
In
the 5th century, the Quraysh took control of Mecca, and became skilled
merchants and traders. In the 6th century they joined the lucrative spice trade as
well, since battles in other parts of the world were causing trade routes to
divert from the dangerous sea routes to the more secure overland routes
The
harsh conditions and terrain of the Arabian peninsula meant a near-constant
state of conflict between the local tribes, but once a year they would declare a truce and converge
upon Mecca in an annual pilgrimage. Up to the 7th century, this journey was
intended for religious reasons by the pagan Arabs to pay homage to their
shrine, and to drink from the Zamzam Well. However, it was also the time each
year that disputes would be arbitrated, debts would be resolved, and trading
would occur at Meccan fairs. These annual events gave the tribes a sense of
common identity and made Mecca an important focus for the peninsula
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Camel
caravans, said to have first been used by great-grandfather of the
Prophet Muhammad(Peace Be Upon Him) , were a major part of Mecca's bustling economy.
Alliances were struck between the merchants in Mecca and the local nomadic
tribes, who would bring goods – leather, livestock, and metals mined in the
local mountains – to Mecca to be loaded on the caravans and carried to cities
in Syria and Iraq.
Women Of Makkah (pre-islamic
Times)
Women belonging to different societies and different
cultures were treated in different way in different times. Women of River
culture were different from the women of desert culture. They were helpful and
productive, therefore they had their opinions valued and respected. On the
other hand women of deseret were not involved in the production of materials,
they were treated as 2nd class or in some cases as 3rd class human beings.
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Early before the time of Islam, women had fewer rights than
the men. A woman never inherited from her father; and sometimes out of poverty,
some fathers buried their “useless” female babies alive. They do not need to
feed someone who is not productive, which is how extra females were seen.
Since men believed that women have less knowledge and
experience than men (sitting home and taking care of children is not the best
education for anyone), the woman was described as less than a man, less in
brains, and even less in religion (since she becomes unclean by having the
period blood on her).
It is a fact that
Arab men were possessive about and jealous of their women. They hated the idea
that she could participate in men’s activities, like sitting in men’s clubs to
chat about religion, war, business. There was a little exception in the
society, that of extraordinary women who had more knowledge than regular women.
Such an extraordinary woman was treated with respect and welcomed to give her
opinion. In time that was very rare, and actually we could say it disappeared.
Islam tried to fix some women issues and reform the unfair
cultural treatment of women.
Mecca before Islam was a very convenient place to stop over
on a long trip, eat, sleep, worship, etc. After Islam, Mecca is all but
required of the faithful Moslem.
The establishment of Makkah
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Imaam Al-Bukhaari(May Allah Be Pleased With Him) reported on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbaas(May Allah Be Pleased With Him) in the long narration in which the Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) informed us that Ibraaheem(Peace Be Unto Him) once came with his wife Haajar and his son Ismaa’eel(Peace Be Unto Him) who was still a suckling infant, from ancient Syria to Makkah. At
that time, Makkah had no water and nobody residing in it. Ibraaheem(Peace Be Unto Him) took them both under the shade of a tree and left with them a bag
of dates and a flask of water, then headed back to ancient Syria. As he was
leaving, his wife Haajar called to him, saying: “Where are you going? How can
you leave us in this deserted valley that has neither humans nor anything else
(in terms of life)?” She repeated this a few times but he did not reply, so she
asked: “Did Allaah command you to do this?” Ibraaheem (Peace Be Unto Him) replied: “Yes” Thereupon she said: “Then He shall never forsake
us”.
Ibraaheem(Peace Be Unto Him) walked for a while and then stood upon a small hill, raised his
hands in supplication, and said, as Allaah informs us saying (what means):
“Our Lord! I have settled some of my descendants in an
uncultivated valley near Your sacred House, our Lord, that they may establish
prayer. So make hearts among the people incline toward them and provide for
them from the fruits that they might be grateful.” [Quran
14:37]
Allaah blessed Haajar and her son with
the well of Zamzam, and then people came from all directions and resided in
Makkah. The first tribe to reside there was the tribe of Jurhum among whom
Ismaa’eel(Peace Be Unto Him) grew up and from whom he married.
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“And [mention] when Ibraaheem (Abraham) was raising the
foundations of the House and [with him] Ismaa’eel (Ishmael), [saying]: 'Our
Lord! Accept [this] from us. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing.'” [Quran 2:127]
Allaah also Says (what means): “And [O Muhammad], when We designated for Ibraaheem (Abraham) the
site of the House, [saying] “Do not associate anything with Me and purify My
House for those who perform Tawaaf (circumambulation of the Ka’bah) and those
who stand [in prayer] and those who bow and prostrate.” [Quran 22:26]
Ibn
Katheer(Peace Be Unto Him) said commenting upon this verse in his famous book of history entitled
“The Beginning and the End” in Volume 1, page 135: “The verses of the Qur’aan clearly
indicate that Ibraaheem was the first person to build it.”
Abu
Tharr(May Allah Be Pleased With Him) narrated:
“I asked the messenger of Allaah: `O messenger of Allaah! Which mosque was the
first built on earth?` He replied:“The Sacred Mosque
(in Makkah)” “I then asked: ` Which mosque was built next?` He said: “The Aqsaa
mosque
(in Jerusalem).”“Thereupon, I asked: `What was the period between the building
of the two mosques?` He replied: “Forty years.”" [Al-Bukhaari]
These reports clearly highlight the virtue of Prophet Ibraaheem(Peace Be Unto Him) and confirm that he was the one who built the two mosques, and that the period between the two was forty years.
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Therefore, it becomes
evident that the first thing to be established in Makkah was the Sacred Mosque
(i.e. the Ka’bah), and that the first water to gush forth from it was Zamzam.
Thereafter, the offspring of Ismaa’eel(Peace Be Unto Him) multiplied in the area of Hijaaz (the province in which Makkah lies) and its surroundings, and their families succeeded each other in caring for the Sacred House and maintaining it for a long period of time, until the tribe of Khuzaa’ah took over this responsibility. People remained upon the monotheism with which Prophet Ibraaheem(Peace Be Unto Him) came until the time when, ‘Amr bin Lahy Al-Khuzaa’i introduced idol worshipping in the Ka’bah.
The number of
idols then increased in the Ka’bah and this phenomena spread all around the
Arabian Peninsula to the extent that the number of idols in the Ka’bah reached
three hundred and sixty, as stated by Al-Kalbi in his book “The Idols”.
Due to numerous wars
and tribal struggles, the well of Zamzam was buried and people could no longer
find it. Qusay bin Kilaab, a great-grandfather of the Prophet Muhammad(Peace Be Upon Him) forcefully
took over the custody of caring for the Sacred House and maintaining it from
the tribe of Khuzaa’ah, as it had abused its authority. Qusay gathered the
scattered families of the Quraysh tribe, relocated them in Makkah, and restored
the sanctity of Makkah, which had been lost due to Khuzaa’ah's misuse of
authority and because some of the Quraysh tribe had been placed in the
surrounding areas of Makkah in order to protect it.
This marked the
beginning of an authority that glorified Makkah and which freely offered all
types of services to its visitors, such as food, water and the cleaning and
maintaining of the Ka’bah.
After ‘Abdul-Muttalib
saw a dream in which he saw the exact spot of the buried well of Zamzam, he had
the area dug up and restored the well. Thus, the well of Zamzam once again
became the source of water to the pilgrims and visitors, as well as to the
residents of Makkah.
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After this, a grave event took place during the time of ‘Abdul-Muttalib when Abrahah the Ethiopian headed towards Makkah riding a huge elephant in order to demolish the Ka’bah. This is why that year came to be known as “The Year of the Elephant”, during which the Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) was born.
A city with such a
magnificent history is worthy of having such an exalted status and should,
therefore, be glorified and honoured. It deserves to occupy a special place in
the hearts of its residents, as well as the Muslims in general.
Reference:
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