Pre-Islamic Arabia & Muhammad’s Early Mission – Key Vocabulary

A set of vocabulary flashcards summarising essential terms, people, places and concepts from the lecture on pre-Islamic Arabia, the early life of Muhammad, and the origins of Islam.

Jahiliyya

Literally “ignorance”; Muslim term for the religious, social and moral chaos of pre-Islamic Arabia.

Pre-Islamic Arabia

The Arabian Peninsula before Islam, marked by tribal society, paganism and scattered Jewish, Christian and Zoroastrian influences.

Bedouin

Nomadic desert dwellers of Arabia, living by raiding and trading within a strict tribal code.

Tribal System

Social structure based on clans led by a shaykh; loyalty, honour and protection were tied to blood lineage.

Shaykh

Elected chief of an Arab tribe who consulted elders and enforced tribal codes.

Muruwa

“Manliness” or honour code of courage, generosity and loyalty prized by Arab tribes.

Oral Tradition

Transmission of poetry, history and law by spoken word; highly developed among the Arabs.

Makkah (Mecca)

Birthplace of Muhammad and site of the Ka‘aba; a major commercial and religious centre.

Madinah (Yathrib)

Oasis city to which Muhammad migrated (Hijrah) and established the first Muslim community.

Ka‘aba

Cube-shaped sanctuary in Makkah housing 360 idols before Islam; later purified for worship of Allah alone.

Allah (pre-Islamic)

Highest deity in Arabian paganism; name retained in Islam for the One true God.

Allat

One of the three pre-Islamic goddesses regarded as a daughter of Allah.

Al-Uzza

Second of Allah’s so-called daughters; a leading goddess in Meccan religion.

Manat

Third goddess of the trio worshipped around the Ka‘aba.

Kahin

Arab soothsayer-poet who entered trances, delivered oracles and mediated with jinn.

Jinn

Invisible spirits believed to inhabit natural objects; intermediaries for kahins.

Hanif

Pre-Islamic Arab monotheist who practiced strict moral purity and rejected idolatry.

Feudal Vendetta

Cycle of retaliation between tribes; killing or robbery was wrong only against one’s own clan.

Female Infanticide

Common jahiliyya practice of burying newborn girls alive, condemned by the Qur’an.

Ghassanids

Arab tribe of Christian converts allied to Byzantium and favouring Monophysite belief.

Lakhmids

Arab tribe aligned with the Persian Empire and associated with Zoroastrianism.

Zoroastrianism

Persian faith teaching a cosmic struggle between Ahura Mazda (Light) and evil.

Ahura Mazda

The “Wise Lord” god of Zoroastrianism engaged in battle with darkness.

Monophysite Christianity

Doctrine that Jesus has one composite nature, both human and divine.

Nestorian Christianity

View that Jesus’ divine and human natures are distinct and separate.

Docetism/Gnosticism

Belief that Jesus only appeared human, possessing a purely spiritual body.

Nicene Creed

4th-century Christian statement defining orthodox belief in the Trinity.

Trinity

Christian doctrine of One God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Paganism (Arab)

Polytheistic religion of most Arabs, lacking scripture or priesthood and centred on idols.

Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr)

Event when Muhammad first received revelation through angel Gabriel; described in Sura 97.

Qur’an

Sacred scripture of Islam, believed to be God’s literal word revealed in Arabic to Muhammad.

Sura

Chapter of the Qur’an; early Meccan suras are short, poetic and focused on monotheism and judgement.

Seal of the Prophets

Title claiming Muhammad as the final messenger in a line of earlier prophets.

Ummah

World-wide Muslim community united by faith rather than tribal ties.

Shirk

Sin of associating partners with Allah; includes idol worship condemned by Muhammad.

Hijrah

Migration of Muhammad and followers from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE, marking Year 1 of the Muslim calendar.

Night Journey (Isra and Mi‘raj)

Muhammad’s visionary ascent through the heavens, symbolising spiritual elevation and divine support.

Persecution in Makkah

Mockery, boycott and violence faced by early Muslims before the Hijrah.

Hamza

Muhammad’s uncle, renowned warrior who offered crucial protection during Meccan opposition.

Sura 112 (Al-Ikhlas)

Qur’anic chapter affirming absolute oneness of Allah: “He begets not, nor is He begotten.”

Sura 97 (Al-Qadr)

Chapter describing the Night of Power as “better than a thousand months.”

Kohen

Soothsayer-style figure in Arabian Judaism paralleling pagan kahins.

Composite Religion Theory

Scholarly view that Muhammad blended existing beliefs—tribal ethics, monotheism—into Islam.

Ummah vs Tribe

Shift from blood-based loyalty to universal religious community under Muhammad.

Moral Reforms

Islamic prohibitions of alcohol, gambling, infanticide and exploitation, contrasting jahiliyya norms.