Of the amenities of civilized life, the Arabs knew
nothing. Their chief occupation was trade, and to this
end they sent their caravans to far-off places, such as Abyssinia, Syria, Palestine and even India. The rich among them were great admirers of Indian swords. Their
clothing needs were supplied largely by Yemen and
Syria. The trading centres were the towns. The rest of
Arabia, excepting Yemen and some northern parts, was
Bedouin. There were no permanent settlements, or
places of habitation. The tribes had divided the country
between them so that members of a tribe wandered
about freely in their part of the country. When the water
supply in any place was exhausted, they would move on
to some other place and settle down. Their capital
consisted of sheep, goats and camels. From the wool
they made cloth, and from the skins they made tents.
What was left over they sold in the market. Gold and
silver were not unknown, but they were certainly very
rare possessions. The poor and the common folks made
ornaments of cowries and sweet-smelling substances.
Seeds of melons were cleaned, dried and strung together
to make necklaces. Crime and immoralities of various
kinds were rampant. Theft was rare but dacoity was
common. To attack and to dispossess one another was
regarded a birthright. But, at the same time, they
honoured their word more than any other people.
Should an individual go to a powerful leader or tribe and
ask for protection, that leader or tribe was honourbound to protect that individual. If this was not done,
the tribe lost caste throughout Arabia. Poets
commanded great prestige. They were honoured as
national leaders. Leaders were expected to possess great
powers of speech and even to be able to compose verse.
Hospitality had developed into a national virtue. A
forlorn traveller on arrival at the headquarters of a tribe
would be treated as an honoured guest. The best
animals would be slaughtered for him and the utmost
consideration shown. They did not care who the visitor
was. It was enough that a visitor had arrived. The visit
meant an increase of status and prestige for the tribe. It
became the tribe's duty, therefore, to honour the visitor.
By honouring him it honoured itself.