We must mention this history; for we Arabs tend to forget, and in order to improve our work in the present and for the future, we must know our past well. The depth of the Arab nation's history is worth studying and considering; for this nation has revealed from the experiences of the past and the present that it lives only by faith.
No life for Arabs without Islam
If fish need water to live, and if humans need air to breathe, then the Arab race, when it loses its faith, loses the very reasons for its existence, and it is impossible for it to remain on the face of the earth without a trace or a mark. We must know the nature of our race, and when we mention this nature, we must delve into the past history.
The Children of Israel came to say: We are the owners of Palestine. They were once its owners, but before they were its owners, this land was owned by the Arabs, who spread throughout the south of the peninsula, its center, its north, and above the north. However, as I said, they were subjected to a severe test to have a faith by which they could live, and when they rebelled against this faith, they were swept away, their prosperity was reaped, and divine punishment blackened their faces, relegating them to a lowly state from which they would never rise.
Aad, Thamud and the Cities of Saleh
What is called "Jerusalem" is actually "Orsalaim"; Hebrew pronunciation transforms the "s" into "sh". They say "Moshe," which is "Moses," while "Orsalaim" means the land of Peace, or the district of Peace. There was a place for the Arabs! The Arabs had a presence in Palestine. How? They were the giants who inhabited this land, those giants being an extension of their brothers in southern Arabia. In the south of the peninsula were the abodes of 'Aad, (the likes of which were not created in the land) [Al-Fajr:8]. And in it was Sheba with its lush gardens that were drowned when it disbelieved.
If we push from the south to the north, we find "Thamud" and "Cities of Saleh" and the ruin that befell these tribes when they disbelieved in God's prophet Saleh, just as their brothers in the south disbelieved in God's prophet Hud. Then, we ascend to find Midian, which disbelieved in Shu'ayb, and as we rise, we find the forces of the overturned in Jordan, who disbelieved in God's prophet Lot, and we continue to rise to find Palestine and the giants who inhabited it from the Arab Cana'anites, and we rise to find the Phoenicians—who are a Semitic generation—an extension of the Arab race.
These ancient Arabs were destroyed by God, and after mentioning the Arab prophets who tried to elevate the status of the peninsula and connect it to the heavens and to make its civilization imbibe spirituality instead of harshness, humility instead of arrogance, justice instead of oppression, and economic fairness instead of deceit and monopoly; when the Arabs refused this, everything they built was destroyed. God, exalted be He, said in Surah Hud: (That was from the news of the towns, We relate to you from them one that has remained and one that has been reaped) [Hud:100].
The Mighty Canaanite Arabs
The Canaanite Arabs were in Palestine, and they were mighty. As I mentioned, the Arab race possesses strength in its instincts, resilience in its nature, and vast talents. If harnessed for good, they will rise with the processions of truth to great heights, and if harnessed for evil, their desires will overpower them, and they will be led astray by Satan to the right and to the left, leading them to regret and sin!
This is the Arab race, and as Ibn Khaldun –one of the most accurate describers of the Arab race– said, they are "a race that can only thrive with prophethood, cannot stand without religion, and whose talents can only ascend through the laws of heaven. If Arabs abandon prophethood, religion, and heavenly laws, they will turn into herds worshiping desires, seeking wealth to scatter it to the right and the left, as a release for their cravings!"
Arabs without a religion!
The Arabs without a religion are peoples that devour each other. For the sake of a she-camel, the war of Basus lasted forty years, and for the sake of horses racing –Dahis and al-Ghabra– wars erupted for dozens of years. It is a race that destroys its present and future unless bound by religion, unless preserved by the verses of revelation, and unless its instincts are restrained by the guidance of heaven!!
These are the Arabs. Where are 'Aad? Where are Thamud? Where is Midian? Where are the communities that were overturned? Where are the others? They were destroyed upon them.
The Final Prophethood
Then came the final prophethood to transform the Arabs into another race, and their history progressed. But before we speak of the history of the Arabs after God honored them with Islam, we want to discuss the history of others, the history of the Jews. This people –who are cousins to the Arabs– are stiff-necked, rough, and fiercely obstinate. When they faced the curses of the Pharaohs, they cried out to Moses –peace be upon him– saying: "(... We were harmed before you came to us and after you came to us. He (Moses) said, perhaps your Lord will destroy your enemy and grant you succession in the land, and then he will see how you will do)" [Al-A'raf: 129].
A day will come when the chains will be shattered from you, a day when you will possess your freedom. It is a word dripping with the idea that the man is pessimistic about them, knowing that when they gain power, they will be worse than the Pharaohs! And the children of Israel obtained power after a long delay. Moses tried, with the logic of faith, to lead them to Palestine when the mighty Arabs inhabited it, but they were overcome by cowardice and said, "O Moses, indeed, there are people in it who are giants! And indeed, we will never enter it until they leave it. If they leave it, then we will enter" [Al-Ma'idah: 22]. If they leave, the dogs will enter it! What honor is there for you when you enter Palestine when no Arabs are present?! Therefore, Moses said, "My Lord, I only possess myself and my brother, so part us from the corrupt people. He said, "Indeed, it is forbidden to them for forty years; they will wander in the land. So do not grieve over the corrupt people" [Al-Ma'idah: 25, 26].
Wandering in Sinai
They wandered in Sinai for forty years until the cowardly, feeble generations perished, and a new generation arose, led by God's prophet “Joshua.” They entered Palestine and vanquished the giants, establishing a state for themselves. Yet, it was not long before the veneer of piety began to shrink, vile nature emerged, and the instincts of evil resurfaced. The Jews began to cause corruption on the earth, spilling blood and filling the lands of their state with injustice. So what did God do to them? He unleashed “Nebuchadnezzar” against them, who defeated their state, destroyed their temple, and led tens of thousands of young Jews captive to “Babylon,” where they were subjected to severe torment in Babylonian prisons.
The Jews vile nature
Then God forgave them and facilitated for them a ruler who brought them back to their lands. Did they return to repent, amend, and rectify their ways? No! Soon their vile nature returned. It was only a matter of time before the Romans descended upon them, and the Roman commander “Titus” ordered the destruction of the temple, which was destroyed once again. It became apparent that after several hundred years, the Israeli people were unfit for governance, and the tool of governance in their hands became a key to evil, causing their reckless fingers to unleash projectiles of destruction and corruption upon the people of the earth, from which none could escape their affliction.
They attempted to kill Jesus -peace be upon him- but failed, and they tried to kill Muhammad -peace be upon him- but failed as well, although they succeeded in killing other prophets: (Indeed, We took the covenant from the Children of Israel and sent messengers to them; whenever a messenger came to them with what their souls did not desire, a party they denied and a party they killed) [Al-Ma’idah: 70].
However, Allah, the Exalted, had prepared another future for humanity. The leadership of revelation was transferred from the Children of Israel to the Children of Ishmael, the language of revelation shifted from Hebrew to Arabic, and the capital of revelation moved from Jerusalem to Mecca and Medina. A different lineage took charge of nurturing the world, nurtured anew by Muhammad -peace be upon him-. The eternal prophet -peace be upon him- poured from his elevated essence, the radiance of his soul, the elevation of his conscience, and the steadfastness of his piety; he instilled in those Arabs a new character, such that they emerged into the world as if they were angels! The tyranny of ignorance transformed into illumination, guidance, and redemption in the way of God.
