A group of families ruled the city of Makkah, a trading and religious center. These families did not share any of their wealth with the poorer and weaker clans of the city. The people of Makkah were polytheistic. That means they worshiped more than one god. They would worship a box that was created by Abraham for God. Instead of worshiping the one God, the Arabs stored many statues of gods in the box to worship them. Many people who lived in the desert and farther away came to worship gods at Makkah. Since there was no central government in Arabia, the Arabs would pledge their loyalty to a local tribe.
