Pre-Islamic Arabia. On the eve of the rise of Islam, the society of Makkah was becoming increasingly diversified as more and more nomadic tribes settled in and around the city. Makkan mercantile activities flourished in the Near East, giving rise to the development of a social-class system. As the nomadic and Makkan societies lost their homogeneity, social values based on kinship bonds began to give way to those based on the ownership of capital. In the period of transition during the second half of the sixth century, social disequilibrium began to weaken the effectiveness of many of the institutions that helped Makkah prosper, including the haram, sacred center of the Ka'bah, an already important place of worship. If such trends had continued, they would have threatened the social stability and commercial importance of Makkah.

The Rise of Islam. The future prophet of Islam, Muhammad, was born and reared...