Pre-Islamic World is the era of "Ignorance" (Jahiliah)

Before the advent of Islam, people all over the world were sadly
impoverished in thought,opinions, and individual and social attitudes.
Although such conditionswere not the same in all parts of the world,
generally speaking, all the people of the world shared superstitious
beliefs, intellectual deviations, inhumane social traditions, myths
and social and moral conflicts.
Before Islam emerged, the Jews had changed the religion of Prophet
Musa / Moses (as) into hidebound dogma and its principles into
hollow,lifeless rules and precepts. The spirit of materialism had
penetrated into people's lives. Unfortunately, Christianity, which had
been presented for the moral rectification and spiritual refinement of
the people, was changed in nature by the Christianclergy and became a
vehicle for the passionateambitions of most of them. Since it lacked
complete, comprehensivelaws and regulations for social systems, it
proved unable to provide the people with deliverance and comprehensive
guidance.
It was due to such conditions that people allover the world shared
superstitious ideas, inhuman social traditions, myths, social and
moral conflicts.
The fire of corruption and perdition was raging. Superstitions
andfalse views ruled people in the name of religion! Paganism and the
concept of the Trinity had been imposed upon them. Many worshipped
idols, fire, cows and stars.This same moral and spiritual corruption
and regression, which had spread everywhere, caused dishonesty,
darkness and deviations in human societies. Bloodshed, murder,
tyranny, and oppression prevailed all over the world. In fact,
humanity had been put on the verge of the abyss of total destruction!
Arabia during the dark Pre-Islamic Times (BeforeProphet Muhammed (saw))
The people of the Arabian Peninsula suffered from their tribal and
pastoral life in the deserts, coupled with blood-thirsty feudalism.
The economic crisis resulting from the exploitation of the people by
the ruling classand by bands of usurers had robbed human life ofits
meaning and darkened the horizon of social well-being.
What was lacking was law and justice. The wealthy usurers who engaged
in trade in Makkah had amassed enormous amounts of wealth by
illegitimate means and exploited the weak and poor classes of society
and by overcharging the orphanand the widow. In fact, they
increasingly exacerbated anti-human social class differences through
usury and oppressive exploitation.
Due to their ignorance, the Arab tribes in those days generally
engaged in worshipping natural phenomena. Most shameful of all was
their worship of lifeless statues- idols. The House of God, the Kaaba,
was used as the idol-temple of the Arabs.
Any one of the indecent, degrading social and moral customs in Arabia
at that time was enough to destroy the honour of a whole nation. False
beliefs and class differences were strong. The Arabs wrongly believed
that only those were superior who descended from the Arab race and had
Arab blood!As a matter of fact, the twentieth-century form of
nationalism and racism was quite prevalent among the Arabs during the
first pagan period.
Murder, bloodshed, drinking, and illegitimatesexual intercourse were
quite ordinary and commonplace. Plunder, robbery, savagery,
aggression, and treachery were their obvious characteristics, and
genocide was considered a sign of bravery and courage. As the Arabs
before the timeof the Prophet Muhammed (saw) believed the birth of a
daughter to be harmful or were either afraid of poverty and
destitution, they either killed their innocent daughters or buried
them alive. In some cases even the existence of one daughter in a
family was considered shameful.
"And do not kill your children for fear of poverty; We give them
sustenance and yourselves (too); surely tokill them is a great wrong."
(Noble Qur'an 17:31)
Such was the situation and moral conditions of amiserable society out
of whose dark horizon came the light of Islam.
There is no doubt that a leader who is himself immoral, unscrupulous,
and without praise-worthy human characteristics is unable to rectify
human societiesand save the people. It is only divine leaders who,
inspired by Almighty Allah (SWT), are able to make profound basic
transformations in all phases of the people's individual and social
life.
Now we must try to understand what kind of person such a leader of the
worldwide revolution was and what changes he made in the world. It is
crystal clear that a person who not only is not affected by such a
corrosive society, but also grieves over it and attempts to combat it,
possesses a great divine character and is competent to lead peopleand
guide them onto the path of salvation.
Prophet Muhammed (saw) and Animal Rights
In that age when men were often cruel to each other, let alone to
animals, Prophet Muhammed's (saw) taught his companions (Sahabah) ,
that one should be kind to all living things, animal or plant, since
they are all part of Allah's creation. Prophet Muhammed's (saw) mercy
and compassion was so deep that animals, even plants would benefit
from His existence as their guardian.
"Fear Allah (SWT) with regard to animals", said Prophet Muhammed
(saw), "ride them when they are fit to be ridden, and get off their
backs when they are tired; surely, there are rewards for being kind
and gentleto animals, and for givingthem water to drink."
Islam has taught that in the eyes of Almighty Allah(SWT), animals also
have rights in the same way asman has. They should notbe treated
badly, tortured or left to starve without food or water.
One day, Prophet Muhammed (saw) told hiscompanions (Sahabah) the story
of two women:"A prostitute was guided by Allah's truth and ultimately
went to paradise because she gave water to a dog dying of thirst in
the desert." While a dog was going round a well and was about to die
of thirst, prostitute saw it and took off her shoe and watered it. So
Allah (SWT) forgave her because of that good deed." And for the other
women, Prophet Muhammed (saw) said, "Awoman was tortured andwas put in
Hell because of a cat which she had kept locked till it died of
hunger." Prophet Muhammed (saw) furthersaid, "You neither fed it nor
watered when you locked it up, nor did you set it free to eat the
insects of the earth."
Prophet Muhammed (saw) said: A man walking along a path felt very
thirsty. Reaching a well, he descended into it, drank his fill, and
cameup. Then he saw a dog with its tongue hanging out, trying to lick
up mudto quench its excessive thirst.
The man said, "This dog is feeling the same thirst that I felt." So he
went down into the well again, filled his shoe withwater and gave the
dog a drink.
So, Almighty Allah (SWT) forgave his sins.
Prophet Muhammed (saw) was asked, "O Messenger of Allah (SWT),are we
rewarded for kindness towards animals?" Prophet Muhammed (saw)
replied: There is a rewardfor kindness to every living animal or
human.
Prophet Muhammed (saw) was once performing ablution (Wudhu) for
prayers froma pot of water. A Cat passed there and turned its eyes at
the pot of water with a thirsty look.Prophet Muhammed (saw) realized
at once that the Cat was very thirsty, so he stopped theablution
(Wudhu) and placed the pot before theCat.
Only after the Cat had fully quenched its thirst, did Prophet Muhammed
(saw) resume the ablution (Wudhu). By thisaction, Prophet Muhammed
(saw) has shown that quenching the thirst of even a small dumb animal
is a noble act full of virtue and should be given first attention
before one prepares for offering prayers to Almighty Allah (SWT).
A man brought the chick of a bird to the gatheringof Prophet Muhammed
(saw) and his companions (Sahabah), and they noticed that theparent of
the chick was following it, flapping around it. When the man sat down
its parent threw itself upon its chick, and did not concern itself
with the danger, out of care towards its chick. This astonished the
companions.
Prophet Muhammed (saw) then turned to his companions said: 'Are you
amazed at this bird? You have taken its chick and it threw itself into
danger out of mercy for the chick! I swear by Allah (SWT), your Lord
is more merciful to you than this bird is to its chick. Then he turned
to the man and asked him to let the chick go.
Even the means of slaughtering animals in Islam is done in a way which
will bring minimal pain to the animal. Is not it amazing that these
laws came about 1400 years ago. Yet, we are still struggling to keep
animals from being abused and mistreated.
Prophet Muhammed (saw) and Beating the Servant
Once, a companion of Prophet Muhammed (saw) began hitting his slave.
The slave kept pleading: "By Allah! Do not beat me. For Allah's sake
forgive me." The master, however, refusedto pardon him and continued
to shower beatings upon him.
Some people informed Prophet Muhammed (saw) of the slave's predicament
whereupon he (saw) got up and started out towards the scene of this
incident. As soon as the companion's eyes fell upon Prophet Muhammed
(saw) he stopped his beatings whereupon Prophet Muhammed (saw) said to
him: "He placed you under the oath of Allah (SWT), but you refused
topardon him and now that you have set your eyes upon me, you have
restrained yourself?"
The man, in order to make amends for his deplorable behaviour, said:
"I now free him for the sake (and pleasure) of Allah (SWT)!"
Prophet Muhammed (saw) said: "Had you not freed him, you would have
dropped face-downinto the fire of Hell."
Prophet Muhammed (saw) and Impartiality between Children
Once, a lady entered the house of Aishah, the wifeof Prophet Muhammed
(saw), with her two children. Aishah presented three dates to the
lady, who gave one date to each of her two children and taking the
third date she halved it and once again distributed it evenly amongst
them.
When Prophet Muhammed (saw) returned, Aishah narrated the episode to
him whereupon he (saw)said: "Did the lady's act leave you astonished?
Due to her fairness and even-handedness, Allah (SWT) shall place her
in Paradise."
It has also been reported that once, a father arrived in the presence
of Prophet Muhammed (saw) accompanied by his two children. In his
presence he kissed one child and ignored the other. Noticing this
incorrect act Prophet Muhammed (saw) commented: "Why do you not treat
your children equally?"