The pre-Islamic Arab tribal society- in the absence of central authority and civil orders-was under the influence of traditions which regulated the inter-tribal relations. The imbalance of power among the Arab tribes,and the natural roughness of the Arabian geographical environment paved the way for social and political crises. What was the strategy of the Arab tribes for controlling or lowering crisis in some such situations?
The findings of the current study have been based upon this hypothesis that the Arab tribal society adopted the "tradition of helf (alliance)" for setting its internal and external relations. Therefore, this study tries to explain the tradition of Helf (alliance) in the pre-Islamic Arabia and shed light on its variant functions. This will be followed by discussing of the different types of Helf (alliance).
Nazemian fard A. The Tradition of Helf (Alliance) and Its Functions in the Ignorance Age of Arabia. مطالعات تاریخ اسلام 2011; 3 (8) :125-144 URL: http://journal.pte.ac.ir/article-1-160-en.html