The morals of the Arabs had declined and they had become fond of drinking and gambling. Raids, robbery, fanaticism, oppression, bloodshed, revenge, seizing others' properties, consuming the wealth of orphans, dealing in Ribaa' (interest and usury), theft and adultery, were common among them. However, it should be known that adultery was common among female slaves and prostitutes only. It was rare to find adultery among free women. This is supported by what happened when the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) took the pledge of allegiance from women after the Conquest of Makkah to neither associate others with Allah The Almighty in worship, nor steal, nor commit adultery. On hearing this, Hind bint ‘Utbah, may Allah be pleased with her, who was the wife of Abu Sufyaan, may Allah be pleased with him, said in astonishment, “Would a free woman commit adultery”?
This does not mean that all Arabs were as such in terms of morals. Rather, there were many of them who refrained from all the abovementioned evils. There were also many fine features and characteristics among them, which qualified them to bear the message of Islam. The following are some of them:
1- Intelligence and discernment
The Arabs had pure hearts that were not contaminated with philosophies, myths and superstitions that are difficult to discard as was the case with the Indians, the Romans and the Persians. It was as if their hearts were being prepared to bear the greatest message that ever existed – that of the eternal Islamic call. Hence, they were the strongest people in terms of memorization at that time. Islam utilized the characteristics of memorization and intelligence in maintaining and safeguarding the religion. Their intellectual capacities and natural talents were preserved and protected from being consumed in imaginary philosophies, infertile Byzantine arguments or complex theological doctrines.
The depth of the Arabs' language stands as evidence behind the strength of their memory. There are eighty names for honey, two hundred for a fox, five hundred for a lion, one thousand for a camel and for a sword, and four thousand for a disaster. There is no doubt that encompassing all these names requires a strong, present and lively memory. They were very intelligent and discerning to the extent that they understood sign language, let alone words. There are many examples of this.
2- Generosity and openhandedness
This characteristic was inherent in the Arabs. One of them might have only had a horse or a camel; a guest would come to him, and he would immediately slaughter it. Some of them did not feel it was sufficient to feed only humans, but would feed wild animals and birds as well. The generosity of Haatim At-Taa’i is the greatest example that could be mentioned in this regard.
3- Courage, magnanimity and support
Death by being killed while fighting for one’s cause was praiseworthy in their eyes, while death in one’s bed was seen as a disgrace. When being told about the death of his brother, one of them said, “If he was killed, then his father, brother and uncle were killed before him. By Allah, we do not die natural deaths. We die due to the slashing of spears or under the shadows of swords”.
The Arabs gave the utmost precedence to glory, protection of honor and safeguarding women, and they would sacrifice their lives for their sake.
The Arabs by nature were chivalrous and noble. They would not approve of seeing the strong take advantage of the weak, an incompetent person, a woman or the elderly. They would rescue any person who sought their support and considered it a form of meanness to abandon a person who had sought their assistance.
4- Passion for freedom and rejection of humiliation
The Arabs by nature had a passion for freedom. They lived for it and died for its sake as they rose as free people and no one had any authority over them. They refused to live in humiliation or to see their honor violated, even if this meant them sacrificing their lives for it. They renounced humiliation, meanness and disdain. An example of this is as follows: ‘Amr bin Hind, the king of Al-Heerah, once sat with his companions and asked them, “Do you know any Arab whose mother would refuse to serve mine?” They replied, “Yes, the mother of ‘Amr bin Kulthoom, the miserable poet.”
The king then invited ‘Amr bin Kulthoom, as well as his mother, to visit him. The king had arranged, before their visit, for his mother to say to ‘Amr bin Kulthoom's mother after eating, “Hand me the dish beside you.” After eating, she said this to her. However, ‘Amr bin Kulthoom's mother replied, “You can do it yourself.” The king's mother repeated the same request and insisted that she do so. Thereupon, Layla, ‘Amr bin Kulthoom's mother, screamed, “How humiliated I am! Come [for revenge], O Taghlib [her tribe]!” Her son heard her and was enraged. He saw a sword of the king that was hung on a wall, grabbed it, and cut off the king's head.
5-Fulfilling promises and loving frankness, clearness and truthfulness
The Arabs hated lying and considered it shameful. Fulfilling promises was one of their characteristics; hence, the verbal declaration of faith was enough to hold a person a Muslim. This is supported by the story of Abu Sufyaan, may Allah be pleased with him, who had not yet embraced Islam, when Hiraql (Heraclius) asked him about the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) and there was a war between them at that time. Abu Sufyaan, may Allah be pleased with him, later recounted, “Had I not been afraid that my companions would consider me a liar, I would have told lies about him.” [Al-Bukhari]
Describing the Arabs' loyalty, An-Nu‘maan bin Al-Munthir said to Kisra (Khasrau): "One of them [the Arabs] would give a look or make a sign and it would be a binding promise and a strong covenant that would not be absolved unless the person died. One of them would take a simple thing as a mortgage in return for his debt, even though his mortgage was not foreclosed and his covenant was not breached. One of them would be informed that someone had asked for refuge with him even if he was a foreigner and was injured, and he would not be satisfied unless he destroyed the tribe that injured him, or his tribe would be destroyed due to falling short in protecting that man. When a sinful criminal sought refuge with them with neither prior acquaintance nor a kinship relationship, they would sacrifice themselves and their property for his sake."
Loyalty was an intrinsic characteristic of the Arabs and Islam led it in the correct direction. Islam considered it an invalid action to accommodate someone who had committed a crime regardless of his position or kinship tie. It was narrated that the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) said: “Allah curses the one who accommodates the person who has committed a crime.” [Muslim]
Here is a story indicating their loyalty: Al-Haarith bin ‘Abbaad led the tribe of Bakr in their fight against the tribe whose leader was Al-Muhalhil and who had killed Al-Haarith's son, and said to him as he was killing him, “Die! You are not worth a shoe-latchet,” during the war of Al-Basoos. Al-Haarith later captured Al-Muhalhil but he did not know who he was. He said to him, “Show me the location of Al-Muhalhil bin Rabee‘ah and I will set you free.” Al-Muhalhil said to him, “Is your promise binding if I show you his place?” He replied in the affirmative. Al-Muhalhil then said, “It is I, [Al-Muhalhil].” Al-Haarith then cut his forelock of hair and then set him free. This is a rare type of faithfulness that deserves admiration.
Another story: Having refused to give his daughter in marriage to Khosrau, An-Nu‘maan bin Al-Munthir feared for himself and therefore entrusted his arms and his women to Haani’ bin Mas‘ood Ash-Shaybaani and went to Khosrau, who executed him. Then he (Khosrau) sent for Haani’, requesting the belongings of An-Nu‘maan but he refused to give them to him. In return, Khosrau sent him an army to fight him. Haani’ gathered his people (the tribe of the Bakr) and addressed them saying, “O people of Bakr, a person who justifiably dies is better than the one who remains alive by means of fleeing; carefulness does not preclude fate; patience is one of the causes of victory; death is better than disgrace; receiving death is better than turning one’s back to it; receiving arrows or swords in the face is better than receiving them in one’s back and buttocks. O people of Bakr, fight, for death is inevitable”.
Banu Bakr managed to defeat the Persians in the battle of Thee-Qaar by virtue of that man, who refused a life of humiliation and did not fear death for the sake of fulfilling his promise.
6- Patience in hardship, endurance and satisfaction with what is little
The Arabs would abandon food without having their fill saying, “Gluttony removes wisdom” and they would rebuke the gluttonous and insatiable people.
They had a remarkable ability to bear hardships and be patient in adversity. They might have acquired that from the nature of their dry desert lands, which had few plants and little water. Consequently, they got used to rushing up unpaved mountains and walking in the heat of noon. They were affected by neither heat, nor cold, nor unpaved roads, nor far distances, nor hunger nor thirst. Having entered Islam, they set wonderful examples in patience and endurance. They were also satisfied with very little. One of them would walk for days and eat nothing but a few dates to support him and a few drops of water to wet his liver.
7- Physical and spiritual strength
The Arabs were known for the strength of their bodies along with the strength of their spirits. When psychological and physical heroism coexist, they create wonders, and this is exactly what happened after their acceptance of Islam. They would challenge their opponents and when they had attained the upper hand over them, they would forgive them and let them be. They were against attacking the injured and maintained the rights of neighbors, particularly in looking after women and protecting their honor.
If anyone sought refuge with them, they responded, even if they had to sacrifice their lives, children and wealth for his sake.
Such noble virtues and morals were an immense and outstanding account of the souls of the Arabs, and Islam promoted them, strengthened them, and directed them to goodness and what is right. Little wonder then that they rushed out from the deserts like pure angels and conquered the earth and filled it with faith, justice, virtue and goodness after it had been filled and conquered by disbelief, injustice, vice and evil.
These were some morals of the community in which the Arabs grew. It was the best community, and hence, the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) was chosen from it. Likewise, the Arab community and that unique and sublime environment in comparison to the Persians, the Romans and the Greeks, was chosen for him. The Messenger of Allah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) was not chosen from the Persians despite the depth of their sciences and knowledge, nor from the Indians despite their philosophy, nor from the Romans despite their arts, nor the Greeks despite the uniqueness of their poetic talent and imagination. Rather, he was chosen from that virgin environment because such people, despite their sciences and knowledge, had not reached the degree that the Arabs had in terms of integrity of nature, freedom of conscience and sublimity of spirit.
