Amân in Pre-Islamic Arab history

Am?n is one of few institutions played crucial roles to maintain intertribal and international life in pre-Islamic Arabia. This work aims to scrutinize the concept of am?n in jahiliya age of Arabia, i.e. the period between two prophets, Abraham and Muhammad. Information about am?n practices is quite plenty in especially the classical ans?b and ayy?m sources, although considerable amount of the relative data in condition that cannot be dated and specifically located. This work is consists of mainly two parts, one of which analyzes the concept in a systematic manner, while the other attempts to reconstruct am?n incidents in a chronological order. The first chapter deals with conceptual framework of am?n scrutinizing the relative concepts like jiw?r, him?, and hilf, and analyzing its formation, consisting parties, main functions, important results and traditional symbols. The second chapter, on the other hand, analyzes am?n incidents of pre-Islamic Arabia in three periods, namely pre-Qusayic, Qusayic, and Hashemic. Since il?f, a treaty series that has so complex relations with am?n, had a very distinctive role in Hashemic period, the sub-chapter related with this period is divided according to formation of il?f agreements. Am?n?s functions and its social results imply that it was an institution that rendered social, commercial and religious security to individuals and tribes of pre-Islamic Arabia. Because of am?n?s complex structure, it includes the meanings of tribal membership, refuge, asylum, sanctuary, and agreement, yet it cannot be reduce any of them.