First, however, let us see how North Arabian society was organised in these pre-Islamic times. Surprisingly enough, the pre-Islamic city was very much like the Hellenic city of antiquity. Its population was divided up into tribes, which in turn were sub-divided into clans. The more important of these lived in the centre of the city from where they directed matters of public importance. They constituted, in fact, a political aristocracy. The less influential clans inhabited the area towards the periphery of the city.
The city itself was self-governing and was the seat of a municipal religion. Power was in the hands of a council of elders called the Djamaa, an assembly made up of all the adult males capable of bearing arms, which was the real sovereign body. Occasionally chiefs, (referred to as Amin or Kabir) were elected but these did not appear to wield any absolute power.
Decisions were taken unanimously or at least with the general consent of the assembly. The latter possessed legislative, administrative and judicial powers and its decisions were implemented by the heads of the clans and of the individual families. To enable them to do this, the latter could levy fines and had the power to exile those who refused to obey the traditional law. This, as we know, is the most severe penalty that can be meted out in simple, stable societies. The exiled man excluded from all public ceremonies and from his own family and community was reduced to the status of a despised isolate: a fate worse than death.
The institutions of self-government, according to Lammens [1] were in fact very highly developed. At Mecca there was a sort of senate called the Gar-Al-Nadwa, which met when important decisions had to be taken.
