Table of Contents
A World Waiting for Guidance
The life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ did not begin in a vacuum. To understand his mission, one must first understand the world into which he was sent. The world before Islam was full of power and culture, but also confusion and spiritual darkness. In this chapter, we will look broadly at that world, especially Arabia, in order to see why the message of Islam was so urgently needed.
The Global Scene Before Islam
In the centuries just before the birth of the Prophet ﷺ, the world was dominated by great empires. In the west stood the Byzantine Empire, heir to Rome, claiming to follow the message of Prophet Isa عليه السلام but deeply divided over beliefs about God and the nature of Jesus. In the east stood the powerful Sasanian Empire of Persia, proud of its ancient civilization, but steeped in fire worship, royal tyranny, and social inequality. Between and around these powers were many smaller kingdoms and tribes, some Christian, some Jewish, some following older local religions.
The Qur’an itself hints at this political world. In Surah al-Rum, Allah mentions the Byzantines and their defeat and future victory, calling attention to these global events as signs of His power and control:
الٓمٓ. غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ. فِي أَدْنَى الْأَرْضِ وَهُم مِّن بَعْدِ غَلَبِهِمْ سَيَغْلِبُونَ
فِي بِضْعِ سِنِينَ ۗ لِلَّهِ الْأَمْرُ مِن قَبْلُ وَمِن بَعْدُ
“Alif Lam Mim. The Romans have been defeated in the nearest land. But they, after their defeat, will overcome within a few years. To Allah belongs the command before and after.”
(Qur’an 30:1–4)
Even while these empires fought one another, there was a deeper crisis. The original messages of the prophets had been altered or neglected. Some people worshiped multiple gods. Others believed in God but added partners, saints, or images to worship. Many poor and weak people longed for justice and truth but did not know where to find it.
Arabia at the Crossroads
Within this global scene, the Arabian Peninsula stood between Africa, the Mediterranean, and Persia. Caravans moved through its deserts. Traders carried goods, stories, and beliefs. Yet Arabia itself was not a united country, but a land of scattered tribes and villages, with Makkah at its spiritual and commercial center.
Makkah held the Kaʿbah, the ancient House built by Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismaʿil عليهما السلام. The Qur’an reminds us of this blessed history:
وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ
رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
“And [mention] when Ibrahim was raising the foundations of the House and [with him] Ismaʿil, [saying], ‘Our Lord, accept this from us. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing.’”
(Qur’an 2:127)
Over centuries, however, the Arabs had drifted away from the pure worship of Allah alone. Idols were placed around the Kaʿbah, and many forms of ignorance and injustice spread. Yet the memory of Ibrahim and the sanctity of the Kaʿbah remained, and with it, a faint echo of pure monotheism.
This combination of a noble past and a corrupted present made Arabia a unique place to receive the final messenger. It preserved traces of the Abrahamic legacy, but it also revealed how far people can fall when they leave divine guidance.
Spiritual Darkness and Human Need
Across the world, not just in Arabia, people suffered under injustice and spiritual confusion. The Qur’an describes the mission of the Prophet ﷺ as coming to rescue humanity from darkness into light:
الر ۚ كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ إِلَيْكَ لِتُخْرِجَ النَّاسَ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ
بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَمِيدِ
“Alif Lam Ra. [This is] a Book which We have revealed to you so that you may bring mankind out of darkness into light by permission of their Lord, to the path of the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy.”
(Qur’an 14:1)
People worshiped stones, stars, fire, kings, or saints. Many did not know that they had a Creator who is One, Perfect, and Merciful, who hears prayers and guides whoever turns to Him. In Arabia and beyond, tribal and class loyalties were stronger than any sense of universal brotherhood. Women were often oppressed, the poor neglected, and slaves treated as property instead of human beings.
Yet in all this, there were individuals who still searched for the truth, who rejected idols, or who followed parts of earlier revelations as best they could. Their presence showed that the human heart can still long for its Creator even in the midst of ignorance.
The Time Chosen by Allah
Islam teaches that Allah’s wisdom determines when and where prophets are sent. The Qur’an says:
اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ حَيْثُ يَجْعَلُ رِسَالَتَهُ
“Allah knows best where He places His message.”
(Qur’an 6:124)
The centuries before Islam were a time when human knowledge and communication were growing, trade routes connected distant lands, and ideas could spread more widely than before. At the same time, previous religious communities were divided, and many people felt that something essential was missing.
The Prophet ﷺ explained that he was the last link in a long chain of messengers. In an authentic hadith, he said:
مَثَلِي وَمَثَلُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ مِنْ قَبْلِي كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ بَنَى بَيْتًا
فَأَحْسَنَهُ وَأَجْمَلَهُ إِلَّا مَوْضِعَ لَبِنَةٍ مِنْ زَاوِيَةٍ
فَجَعَلَ النَّاسُ يَطُوفُونَ بِهِ وَيَعْجَبُونَ لَهُ
وَيَقُولُونَ لَوْلَا وُضِعَتْ هَذِهِ اللَّبِنَةُ
قَالَ فَأَنَا اللَّبِنَةُ وَأَنَا خَاتَمُ النَّبِيِّينَ
“My example and the example of the prophets before me is like that of a man who built a house and completed it, except for the place of one brick in a corner. People went around it and admired it and said, ‘If only this brick were placed.’ He said, ‘I am that brick, and I am the seal of the prophets.’”
(Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Human history had prepared the stage. The building of prophethood was almost complete. The world had experienced many messengers and many scriptures. Now it was time for the final prophet and the final revelation, preserved for all people and all times.
Allah sent the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ at a moment when human societies were advanced in trade and culture, yet deeply lost in belief and morality, so that his universal message could both correct and complete what came before and reach all of humanity.
From Jahiliyyah to Guidance
Muslim scholars often describe the pre-Islamic period as “Jahiliyyah,” a time of ignorance. This does not mean that the Arabs and other nations had no poetry, law, or customs. They had rich languages and strong traditions. The ignorance refers above all to ignorance of Allah’s true oneness, His rights, and the way of life that pleases Him.
The Prophet ﷺ was sent into that world to call people back to the pure worship of one God and to reform their lives. Allah says:
هُوَ الَّذِي بَعَثَ فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ رَسُولًا مِّنْهُمْ
يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ
وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ
وَإِن كَانُوا مِن قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ
“He is the One who has sent among the unlettered people a messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses, purifying them, and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they were before in clear misguidance.”
(Qur’an 62:2)
The phrase “clear misguidance” captures the heart of the world before Islam. Whether in the deserts of Arabia or in the palaces of kings, people had lost their way. The coming chapters will explore in detail what Arabia looked like before Islam and how precisely the Prophet ﷺ transformed it, by Allah’s permission, from a land of Jahiliyyah into a center of faith, justice, and mercy for all mankind.