In pre-islamic age of ignorance understanding of religion in the Arabs

Year 2019, , 97 - 120, 29.12.2019

Mehmet Bölükbaşı

https://doi.org/10.32330/nusha.605306

Cited By: 5

Abstract

Abstract

During the Jahiliyyah period, the Arabs were aware that there was a
creator. However, they did not deny God and the Jahiliyyah Arabs used the word
Allah to express the most omnipotent and creative, apart from the names of
other gods and idols. This use shows us that there is a belief in Allah in the
Jahiliyyah Arabs. In the Jahiliyyah period, there were few people who were
called Khanifs; those who believed in Abraham's religion and  Allah. They refused to worship the idol and also
had no common prayer. In this context, The most common belief among the Arabs
during the Jahiliyyah period was to worship the idol. They believed that the
idols were helping them in the world and they usually produce idols, made of
stones, trees and some mines. Sometimes they worshiped their food by giving
them shape. The number of temples where idols were found during the Jahiliyyah
period was quite high. One of the most important temples was the Kaaba and
there were hundreds of idols to worship in and around the Kaaba. However, in
pre-islamic age of ignorance Arabs did not believe in hereafter, and some of
them worshiped the Jinn and accepted them. In addition, there were some people
who believed that the Angels were daughter of God in Jahiliyyah period, also In
pre-islamic age of ignorance Jews and a small number of Christians were living
in the Arabian Peninsula. Jews generally lived in Medina. Christianity, on the
north of the Arabian peninsula and Christianity was a common belief among
Gasssânîs and the Hîrelis. Within this context in this study it was taken up
the understanding of religion in pre-islamic age of ignorance in the Arabs and
also information on the definitions of religion in Hebrew and the Quran. The
use of the religion word in Arabs before Islam and their understanding of religion
was emphasized. In addition, the use of the word of Allah is mentioned In
pre-islamic age of ignorance in the Arabs. In this regard, it was tried to give
general information about the principles of the paganism and the main idols of
idolatry in pre-islamic age of ignorance in the Arabs.

Structured Abstract

The most common belief among the Arabs during the Jahiliyyah period
was to worship the idol. Every tribe and the city had its idol. The most famous
idols were Hubel, Lat, Uzza and Menat and 
there were 360 idol in the Kaaba. Therefore, Kaaba was considered holy
by the Arabs. The Arabs visited the Kaaba, sacrificed their idols, and would
not believe in the resurrection after death.They believed that the idols were
helping them in the world and they usually produce idols, made of stones, trees
and some mines. Sometimes they worshiped their food by giving them shape. The
number of temples where idols were found during the Jahiliyyah period was quite
high. One of the most important temples was the Kaaba and there were hundreds
of  idols to worship in and around the
Kaaba, although the Arabs worshiped the idols but they did not deny God, and
the Jahiliyyah Arabs used the word Allah to express the most omnipotent and
creative, apart from the names of other gods and idols. This use shows us that
there is a belief in Allah in the Jahiliyyah Arabs. However, in pre-islamic age
of ignorance Arabs did not believe in hereafter, and some of them worshiped the
Jinn and accepted them. In addition, there were some people who believed that
the Angels were daughter of  God in
Jahiliyyah period. Before the arrival of Islam, there were different beliefs in
the Arab society, such as Judaism, Christianity, Magog, Sabiism and Khanif, but
the most common belief was idolatry, although the Jahiliyyah Arabs believed the
idols but they acknowledged the existence of a superior power, which they
called God also  among the Arabs there
were those who had accepted the Khanif faith and the religion of Abraham. This
shows that the belief in Allah exists on the Arabian Peninsula because the word
of Jahiliyah poem was used to express God and this word was used to indicate
that God exists. On the other hand,In pre-islamic age of ignorance Jews and a
small number of Christians were living in the Arabian Peninsula. Jews generally
lived in Medina. Christianity, on the north of the Arabian peninsula and
Christianity was a common belief among Gasssânîs and the Hîrelis. In the
Jahiliyyah period, there were few people who were called Khanifs; those who
believed in Abraham's religion and Allah. They refused to worship the idol and
also had no common prayer.

The information about the idolatry beliefs of the Jahiliyya Arabs
are based on archaeological data. The information contained in these documents
provides information about the names of God and idol. The documents do not
provide detailed information about basic religious issues such as prayer and
worship. Besides, it is possible to benefit from the inscriptions and
archaeological works of the Jahiliyyah Arabs, from the poems and proverbs of
Assyrian, Hebrew, Greek and Latin sources, as well as the Jahiliyyah poetry and
proverbs, which contain information about the pre-Islamic Arab society. On the
other hand, in the first period of the birth of Islam there are also detailed
information written in the Quran, tafsir, hadith, siyar (prophetic biography)
and history  works about the religious
beliefs of the polytheist Arabs.During in pre-islamic age of ignorance, the
purpose of worship of Arabs was to achieve their earthly desires and the Arabs
made their prayers in the houses where idols were put, they would prostrate and
pray to the idols. They would usually appeal to idols for health, money,
success and having children. The Jahiliyya Arabs did not have belief in the
hereafter but the grave of the deceased would include food and clothing. In
addition, an animal was left to die at the grave and they believed that the
deceased would use the animal on the way to the last judgement  this shows that there is a thought about the
existence of a second life after the died in the subconscious of Arabs, within
this context in this study it was taken up the understanding of religion in
pre-islamic age of ignorance in the Arabs and also information on the
definitions of religion in Persian, Hebrew and the Quran. The use of the
religion word in Arabs before Islam and their understanding of religion was
emphasized. In addition, the use of the word of Allah is mentioned In
pre-islamic age of ignorance in the Arabs. In this regard, it was tried to give
general information about the principles of the paganism and the main idols of idolatry
in pre-islamic age of ignorance in the Arabs.

Keywords

Pre-islamic age of ignorance, understanding of religion in the Arabs, paganism, Hubel İdol

CAHİLİYE DEVRİ ARAPLARINDA DİN ANLAYIŞI

Abstract

Cahiliye Döneminde Araplar bir
yaratıcının olduğunun farkındaydılar. Bu bağlamda Allah’ı inkâr etmiyorlardı,
Cahiliye Arapları diğer tanrı ve put adlarından ayrı olarak en yüce mâbud ve
yaratıcıyı ifade etmek için Allah kelimesini kullanıyorlardı. Bu kullanım bize
Cahiliye Dönemi Araplarında Allah inancının var olduğunu göstermektedir.
Bununla birlikte Cahiliye Döneminde kendilerine Hanif denilen sayıca az olan insanlar bulunmaktaydı. Hanifler; Hz.
İbrahim’in dinine bağlı olup, Allah’a inanan, puta tapmayı reddeden kişilerdi;
ayrıca bu kişilerin ortak bir ibadetleri de yoktu. Bu bağlamda Cahiliye Döneminde
Araplar arasında en yaygın inanç puta tapmaktı. Putların dünyada kendilerine
yardımcı olduklarına inanıyorlardı. Taptıkları putları genellikle taş, ağaç ve
bazı madenlerden imal ediyorlardı. Bazen de yiyeceklerine put şekli verip
tapıyorlardı. Cahiliye Döneminde putların bulunduğu mabetlerin sayısı oldukça
fazlaydı. En önemli mabetlerden biriside Kâbe’ydi. Kâbe’nin içinde ve
çevresinde tapınmak için yüzlerce put bulunmaktaydı. Bununla birlikte, Cahiliye
Dönemi Arapları; ahirete inanmıyor ve bir kısmı da cinleri ilah kabul edip
tapıyorlardı. Ayrıca Cahiliye Döneminde meleklerin, Allah’ın kızı olduğuna
inanan bir kısım insanlar mevcuttu. Arap Yarımadası’nda Yahudiler ve az da olsa
Hıristiyanlar yaşamaktaydı. Yahudiler genellikle Medine’de hayatlarını
sürdürmekteydiler. Hıristiyanlık ise Arap Yarımadası’nın kuzeyinde, Gassânîler
ve Hîreliler arasında yaygın bir inanış olarak varlığını sürdürmekteydi. Bu
bağlamda bu çalışmada Cahiliye Dönemi Araplarında din anlayışı ele alınmış ve ayrıca
‘din’in’ İbranice ve Kuran-ı Kerim’de geçen tanımları ile ilgili bilgilere yer
verilmiştir. İslâm’dan önceki Arapların din kelimesinin kullanımı ve dinî
anlayışları üzerinde durulmuştur. Ayrıca Cahiliye Dönemi Araplarında Allah kelimesinin kullanımına değinilmiştir.
Bu bağlamda Cahiliye Döneminde Araplardaki çok tanrıcılığın ve putperestliğin
esasları ile tapınılan belli başlı putlar hakkında genel bir bilgi verilmeye
çalışılmıştır. 

Keywords

Cahiliye devri, Araplarda din anlayışı, putperestlik, Hubel putu

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