Why did Allah choose this area of the world to be the cradle of the heavenly religions? What secret is there in this region?
This blog is going to talk about Makkah, the cradle of Islam. in Makkah, the landscape is desert and mountains. We can argue that Syria Major and Palestine in particular is a land of civilization. However, Makkah was a remote rocky area, whose inhabitants were marginal. They had made no significant contribution to human history before Islam and the Holy Quran.
Religion as a method to explain existence:
There are a lot of methods and ways which try to explain the question of existence. By the term existence we mean the Creator, the universe, life, death, nature and the metaphysics. Science is a method which tries to explain the universe and answer the question. It flourished in countries of ancient civilizations like Egypt, Iraq, China and Syria. Philosophy tries to discuss the problem of existence. Philosophy aims at reaching the truth of things. It flourished in Greece. Religion, on the other hand, tackles the same topic. It gives the explanation to the most difficult questions concerning: the Creator of the universe, the origin and fate of man, death, life and life after death.
Religion and superstition:
There is a big difference between religion and superstition. While both call for believing in the unseen, they differ a lot. superstition asks its followers to ignore the reason and to believe in myths blindly. On the contrary, religions, especially Islam calls its followers to make up and use their minds. The Holy Quran appeals to and addresses the reason. In Islam and the Holy Quran, wine is banned. The reason for banning and prohibiting wine is that it stops the work of one’s mind; of course as well as its devastating bad health effects. for the credibility of religions, they had to be void from all the other human effects. Maybe that is why most of the prophets and messengers appeared in this remote, desert and rocky region of the world.
Makkah and the Makkans:
Makkah was and still is a rocky place with no plants or much water. They could make their living only through trade and what we can call today “religious tourism”. for their trade, they traveled to Yemen in winter to get the Yemeni goods. In summer they traveled to Syria to get Syrian clothes and food products. This tradition of trading with Yemen and Syria is mentioned in the Holy Quran.
The tourist industry in Makkah before Islam:
In the modern sense of the word, Makkah had its flourishing tourism industry. The Arabs used to make journeys to Makkah to visit al-Kaba and perform Hajj. such tourists needed food, places to stay and entertainment. though the first Makkans were the descendants and grandchildren of Isma’eel, son of Ibrahim. They were originally monotheists. However, paganism had gradually crept in their hearts. Maybe, they were influenced by their pagan trade partners in Syria and Yemen.When asked why they worshiped stone idols, they would answer saying: “We worship Allah, but these stone idols bring us closer to Allah.” In fact, names like “Abdallah” were common among Makkans and the Arabs before Islam in general.
The class community in Makkah:
In Makkah there were different classes before Islam. At the top class, there were the native Arab Makkans.This was manifest in Quraish and its relatives and kinsmen tribes.In the middle class, there were the Arab outsiders who chose Makkah as a permanent lodge and residence. In the low and bottom class, there were the non-Arab slaves who were brought to serve the masters and elite of Makkah. All these classes had one thing in common. They all led a materialistic life, forgetting all about big existential questions like: life, death, life after death and the meaning and the Creator of this universe. This caused all the Arabs to be marginal among the nations of that time. The Romans and the Persians used to call the Arabs the dogs of the desert or the sand dogs.
