ABSTRACT
In the evidence discussed in the preceding section we have seen that the monolithic concept of ʕarab as a term for all Muslims or all full members of the Muslim tribes or even all the pre-Islamic tribes in Arabia begins to crumble. The ‘Arabness’ of many tribes was contested, and there are enough hints that the designation may originally have encompassed people in much smaller areas than usually imagined. Such a limitation of the ʕarab should be studied more closely, since one can suspect that it may be older than the commonly accepted, wider definition. The term ʕarab as used for the Muslim community is definitely a politically and religiously charged term, and it is not difficult to imagine that it is the result of a development of an older, more restricted usage.
