The Etymological Meanings of “Jahiliyyah”, Antonym of “Islam”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The following is adapted from a paper by Shaykh ‘Abd al-Ghafur ‘Abd ar-Rahim.  One of the factors which stand against change and reform of Islamic law is the current rigid conceptualisation of some basic terms.  The development of fiqh led to the construing of the terms “diyn”, “islam”, and “shari’ah” in concrete fiqhi terms.  The underlying ethical principles which the concrete fiqhi values embodied became insignificant or of secondary importance.  Consciously or not, this in turn led to the equation of forms and principles, thereby making change extremely difficult.  Any proposed change came to be conceived as undermining the principles themselves embodied in the fiqhi forms. 

Now we address antonyms of the term, “islam”.  What is meant by antonyms of “islam” here are terms which the Qur’an or the sunnah put in juxtaposition to the term, “islam”, and have a contrary meaning to that of islam.  Among such antonyms are kufr, jurm, fasad, qasith, and jahiliyyah. 

“Jahiliyyah” originates from “jahl”.  The root verb, “jahila” means “to act in a foolish and wrong manner towards another”.  “Jahila” in this sense is the opposite of haluma meaning “he became moderate and gentle in his manner towards others”.  The Qur’an Uses “jahila” in this meaning here: 

سُوۡرَةُ الفُرقان

وَعِبَادُ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَمۡشُونَ عَلَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ هَوۡنً۬ا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ ٱلۡجَـٰهِلُونَ قَالُواْ سَلَـٰمً۬ا (٦٣) 

And the servants of (Allah) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the jahilun address them, they say “Peace!” (Surah al-Furqan:63) 

“Jahilun”, in this verse, are those who act foolishly and arrogantly towards others.  Jahiliyyah, as related to this sense of jahl, is a comprehensive term referring to any unrighteous or offensive act.  For instance, the Prophet (s.a.w.) is said to have considered addressing a person, “son of a black woman”, an act of jahiliyyah. 

Although the term, “jahiliyyah”, does not occur in the Qur’an in juxtaposition to islam, it occurs as such in ahadits: “The noble amongst you in jahiliyyah remains so in islam.”  Both the terms in this usage refer to a general state of affairs existing in the period prior to and after Islam respectively: jahiliyyah referring to the ethos prevailing in the time preceding the advent of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) in pagan Makkan society, and islam, pointing to the change which the Prophet (s.a.w.) brought about to this state of affairs. 

The Qur’anic Usage of the term, “jahiliyyah”, reflects the state of affairs prevailing in pre-Islamic pagan Makkan society.  The expression, “ann al-jahiliyyah”, “thoughts of jahiliyyah”, seems to reflect on the pagan Makkans’ unwillingness to take responsibility for their actions by blaming these on fate. 

سُوۡرَةُ آل عِمرَان

ثُمَّ أَنزَلَ عَلَيۡكُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ ٱلۡغَمِّ أَمَنَةً۬ نُّعَاسً۬ا يَغۡشَىٰ طَآٮِٕفَةً۬ مِّنكُمۡ‌ۖ وَطَآٮِٕفَةٌ۬ قَدۡ أَهَمَّتۡہُمۡ أَنفُسُہُمۡ يَظُنُّونَ بِٱللَّهِ غَيۡرَ ٱلۡحَقِّ ظَنَّ ٱلۡجَـٰهِلِيَّةِ‌ۖ يَقُولُونَ هَل لَّنَا مِنَ ٱلۡأَمۡرِ مِن شَىۡءٍ۬‌ۗ قُلۡ إِنَّ ٱلۡأَمۡرَ كُلَّهُ ۥ لِلَّهِ‌ۗ يُخۡفُونَ فِىٓ أَنفُسِہِم مَّا لَا يُبۡدُونَ لَكَ‌ۖ يَقُولُونَ لَوۡ كَانَ لَنَا مِنَ ٱلۡأَمۡرِ شَىۡءٌ۬ مَّا قُتِلۡنَا هَـٰهُنَا‌ۗ قُل لَّوۡ كُنتُمۡ فِى بُيُوتِكُمۡ لَبَرَزَ ٱلَّذِينَ كُتِبَ عَلَيۡهِمُ ٱلۡقَتۡلُ إِلَىٰ مَضَاجِعِهِمۡ‌ۖ وَلِيَبۡتَلِىَ ٱللَّهُ مَا فِى صُدُورِڪُمۡ وَلِيُمَحِّصَ مَا فِى قُلُوبِكُمۡ‌ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمُۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ (١٥٤) 

After (the excitement) of the distress, He Sent Down calm on a band of you, to overcome with slumber while another band was stirred to anxiety by their own feelings, moved by wrong suspicions of Allah, suspicions due to jahiliyyah.  They said, “What affair is this of ours?”  Say you: “Indeed this affair is Wholly Allah’s.”  They hide, in their minds, what they dare not reveal to you.  They say (to themselves), “If we had anything to do with this affair we should not have been in the slaughter here.”  Say: “Even if you had remained in your homes, those for whom death was Decreed would certainly have gone forth to the place of their death”; but (all this was) that Allah might Test what is in your breasts and purge what is in your hearts: for Allah Knows well the secrets of your hearts. (Surah Ali ‘Imran:154) 

The expression, “hukm al-jahiliyyah”, law of jahiliyyah, reflects the pagans’ lack of a proper criterion by which to judge right from wrong. 

سُوۡرَةُ المَائدة

أَفَحُكۡمَ ٱلۡجَـٰهِلِيَّةِ يَبۡغُونَ‌ۚ وَمَنۡ أَحۡسَنُ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ حُكۡمً۬ا لِّقَوۡمٍ۬ يُوقِنُونَ (٥٠) 

Do they then seek after afahukma al-jahiliyyah?  But who, for a people whose faith is assured, can give better judgement than Allah? (Surah al-Ma’idah:50) 

The expression, “tabarruj al-jahiliyyah”, “showing off of jahiliyyah” reflects the pagan Makkans’ permissiveness and lack of moderation in sexual relations. 

سُوۡرَةُ الاٴحزَاب

وَقَرۡنَ فِى بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجۡنَ تَبَرُّجَ ٱلۡجَـٰهِلِيَّةِ ٱلۡأُولَىٰۖ وَأَقِمۡنَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتِينَ ٱلزَّڪَوٰةَ وَأَطِعۡنَ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۚ ۥۤ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيُذۡهِبَ عَنڪُمُ ٱلرِّجۡسَ أَهۡلَ ٱلۡبَيۡتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمۡ تَطۡهِيرً۬ا (٣٣) 

And stay quietly in your houses, and make not a dazzling display, like that of the former tabarruj al-jahiliyyah; and establish regular prayer, and give regular charity; and obey Allah and His Messenger.  And Allah only Wishes to Remove all abomination from you, you members of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless. (Surah al-Ahzab:33) 

The expression, “hamiyyat al-jahiliyyah”, “the arrogance of jahiliyyah” reflects their tribal pride, their thirst for revenge, and unwillingness to forgive. 

All these instances show that the term, “jahiliyyah” has a moral sense: the Qur’an Considers the jahili characteristics reflected upon here as wrong and hence contradictory to islam.  A statement attributed to the Prophet’s (s.a.w.) cousin, Sayyidina Ja’far ibn Abu Thalib ath-Thayyar (r.a.) is illustrative of this sense as well as of its contrast to islam.  Addressing the Negus of Abyssinia, Sayyidina Ja’far (r.a.) said, “O King!  We were a people of jahiliyyah: we worshipped idols; we ate corpses; we committed shameful deeds; we did not respect the ties of kinship; we treated guests badly; the strong among us oppressed the weak.  We remained like this until God Sent us an apostle ...”  He continued, “He summoned us: to acknowledge God’s Unity and to worship him and to renounce the stones and images which we and our fathers worshipped.  He commanded us to speak the truth, be faithful to our engagements, mindful of the ties of kinship and kindly hospitality, and to refrain from crimes and bloodshed.  He forbade us to commit shameful deeds and to speak lies, and to devour the property of orphans, to vilify chaste women.  He commanded us to worship God Alone and not to associate anything with Him ...” 

Thus, the term, “islam”, as opposed to the term, “jahiliyyah”, denotes “worshipping God Alone”, and putting an end to the jahili practices referred to in the Qur’an, and the statement of Sayyidina Ja’far (r.a.).