Pre-Islamic Arabia and the Life of the Prophet Muhammad
This domain covers the social, religious and economic world of pre-Islamic Arabia (the jahiliyya) and the life of Muhammad (c. 570–632). The exam expects chronology, key events, and the religious significance attached to them.
Pre-Islamic setting
- Tribal kinship ('asabiyya) and the Quraysh of Mecca; the Ka'ba as a pilgrimage and trade sanctuary.
- Poetry and oral tradition; the hanifs as monotheist forerunners; Jewish and Christian communities in Yemen and Najran.
- Caravan routes and the fairs of Ukaz; Mecca's position on the incense and Yemen trade.
Prophetic chronology
- Born c. 570, the Year of the Elephant; orphaned young; married Khadija c. 595.
- First revelation in the Cave of Hira, 610 (Q 96:1–5); public preaching and Quraysh opposition.
- Hijra to Medina 622; the Constitution of Medina; Badr (624), Uhud (625), Khandaq (627); Hudaybiyya (628); conquest of Mecca (630); Farewell Pilgrimage and death (632).
Worked example
Question: Why is 622 CE a turning point? Reasoning: it marks the formation of a community (umma) bound by a written pact, not merely a flight from persecution; it later became the starting point of the Hijri calendar, formally adopted under Umar. Marks come from linking event, document and later institutional use.
Traps
- Mixing the order of Badr, Uhud and Khandaq.
- Claiming the Qur'an was compiled as a single codex during the Prophet's lifetime.
- Treating the Constitution of Medina as a treaty only with the Jews; it also bound the Muhajirun and Ansar.