Arabian Women of the Jahiliyya(Early Islamic) Times

In the Jahiliyya (Pre- Islamic period), only women of
the elite classes who were related to men of influence
in the tribe were the women who had power in
society. The men of the elite prized their prowess in
defending their tribal pagan traditions, which defined
their place in society. Once Islam was established,
those who were most respected in pagan times, instead,
became the ones who were most looked down
upon because they were against the new order. Islam
effectively shifted the center of power from those
who were wealthy in the tribe, to those who embraced
Islam first; who were disproportionately women
and slaves.It is crucial to put early Islamic traditions
under the lens of cultural continuity from Pre- Islamic
tradition to understand the development of power in
tribal society and how this affected gender relations
and patriarchy.