The Quran And The Jahiliya Temper Analysis

Professor Michael Marmura, early in his career at the University of Toronto, wrote an important essay entitled “The Quran and the Jahiliya Temper.” Part of this essay I intend to paraphrase as an introduction to our theme: “Revolutions and Legitimacy in Islam.” Dr. Marmura chose to depict the “Jahiliyah Temper” as expressed in the Arabic poetry of the pre-Islamic Period. As the majority of these poets was either nomads or expressed the ideals and the aspirations of the Bedouin, the term “Jahiliyah” is used in a narrower sense than its use in the Quran. The Quran addressed the people of Mecca and Medinah where the atmosphere of commerce predominated. The Bedouin are specifically mentioned and rather unfavorably in three suras of the Quran:
1) Sura
2) Surah xlix (al-Hujurat)—verse 14: The Bedouin say, “We have believed.” But (I Muhammad) say, “Ye have not believed but (the Bedouin should) say rather, ‘We have become Muslims;’ for belief has not entered your hearts….”
3) Sura ix (at-Tawbah)—verse 98: “The Bedouin are even stronger in unbelief and in hypocrisy and more apt not to know the limits of what Allah has sent down to His messenger; Allah is knowing,
Thus, we may recognize that the founding of Islam is indeed the First Revolution in Islam. At the same time, we must acknowledge that almost as soon as the Prophet died in 632 A.D., the old ruling families and especially the Umaiya family began once again to assert its influence. At first Abu Bakr (632-634), the close friend of the Prophet, was appointed as the Prophet's successor in the leadership. In fact the very term in Arabic for successor, Al-Khalifah, (in English, “Caliph”) was adopted by succeeding leaders of the Islamic community: “The Successor of the Prophet of God.” Upon the death of Abu Bakr, another close associate of the Prophet and a valued military leader, ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab (634-644), took up the reigns of power. He is often likened to Moses, as a distinguished patriarch of