ABSTRACT
Traditional Arab culture had the entire pre-Islamic millenia as its temporal context. The vitality of the Arab culture prior to the rise of Muhammad formed the necessary background against which the Islamic revolution assumed momentum. The most important factor that connected the tribal Arabs together and established a lasting bond among them was the blood relationship. Blood relationship is another physical and natural expression of traditional authority. The traditional Arab authority was expressed in a stratified social structure, of which the master-slave relationship was the most immediate manifestation. A set of normative behaviors governed the master-slave relationships. The ancient customs continuously regulated both the daily life and the identity of the tribal Arab. They were "mores sanctified", as Weber called them, that established the guidelines upon which the ancient Arabs conducted their lives and perpetuated their tradition.
