Arabia before Islam: Loyalty

The 'Arabian society was divided into innumerable tribes and clans, all of them having their own Chieftain of Shaikh elected from among the elders, to whom the tribe or clan owed its absolute allegiance and solidarity. This tribal bond of unflinching loyalty to the Chief along with the desert nomadism were the most essential and indispensable features of ancient 'Arab life. The relations among the various clans and tribes were not always cordial. Some of the powerful and prominent tribes were perpetually hostile to one another. As there was no central power to check this tribal antagonism, they frequently fought among themselves. The tribesman did not hesitate to go to any limits in protecting the honor of the tribe to which they owed their allegiance. Long tribal wars were a common phenomenon in those days. The battle of Basus which started over a she-camel between the tribes of Bani Bakr and Bani Taghlib continued for about forty years. This unbreakable bond of tribal solidarity and group-consciousness, later on, when universalized by Islam, played a very important role in the history of the 'Arabs. 

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