The land of Arabia had never been fully under the control of any power prior to the time of Mohammed. The Persians, the Turks, the Egyptians, nor the Romans were able to fully control Arabia. The Arabs nomadic lifestyle and way of warfare enabled them to resist foreign invaders and remain an independent people. The Arabs lived in kinship-based tribes and followed a nomadic lifestyle. The land of Arabia was and still is a very harsh dry climate. Most of the land is desert, and this harsh environment is usually a strong deterrent to most foreign powers that are looking to expand their borders to include Arabia. The Arab tribes, which were divided into various alliances waging blood feuds with one another, but would in times of foreign invasion would unite together to drive out foreign invaders. Making use of hit and run tactics the Arabs would engage in battle and then would retreat into the desert where they would survive and their enemies who were foolish enough to pursue them would perish.
The harsh lands of Arabia isolated the Arabs from the outside world. Arabia had few roads and contact between its people with outsiders was minimal. The Arab tribes were independent of one another but would meet once a year in Mecca to celebrate Hajj. Hajj was an annual celebration in which the various Arab tribes would meet together in Mecca in front of the Kaba, a religious shrine in which the various Arab tribal gods were housed. During Hajj religious ceremonies were held and other activities took place. People engaged news with one another, conducted trade, made alliances, and marriages with one another. The Arabs were polytheists who worshipped many gods. They were familiar with Judaism and Christianity and tolerated others religious beliefs. The Arabs had knowledge of Judaism and Christianity but were reluctant to adopt these religions because no prophets had come from Arabia. The Arabs have had a long suspicion of outsiders and change in Arabian history usually comes from within.
Written by Alex Boyce, 2003