Hierarchy and Egalitarianism in Islamic Thought

220 Pages·1997·15.288 MB·English

by  Louise Marlow

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By bringing together and examining a diverse body of literature from the Arab and
Persian worlds of the eighth to the thirteenth centuries, Louise Marlow explores the
tension that existed between the traditional egalitarian ideas of early Islam and the
hierarchical impulses of the classical period. The literature demonstrates that while
Islam’s initial orientation was markedly egalitarian in both religious and social terms,
the social aspect of this egalitarianism was soon undermined in the aftermath of
Islam’s political success, and as hierarchical social ideas from older cultures in the
Middle East were incorporated into the new polity. Although the memory of its early
promise never entirely receded and remnants of the ideal survive in many parts of the
tradition, social egalitarianism quickly came to be associated with political subversion
and various attempts were made to dilute its influence. On account of its originality
and chronological scope, Louise Marlow’s book will be of use to a wide and interested
readership, not only of Islamic and medieval historians, but also of scholars assessing
the impact of the recent Islamic revival.
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Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization
Editorial board
DAVID MORGAN (general editor)
MICHAEL COOK JOSEF VAN ESS _ BARBARA FLEMMING
TARIF KHALIDI METIN KUNT_ W. F. MADELUNG
ROY MOTTAHEDEH BASIM MUSALLAM
Titles in the series
STEFAN SPERL. Mannerism in Arabic poetry: a structural analysis of selected texts,
3rd century AH/9th century AD-Sth century AHI/11th century AD
BEATRICE FORBES MANZ. The rise and rule of Tamerlane
AMNON COHEN. Economic life in Ottoman Jerusalem
PAUL E. WALKER. Early philosophical Shiism: ihe Ismaili Neoplatonism of Abi
Ya ‘qiib al-Sijistani
BOAZ SHOSHAN. Popular culture in medieval Cairo
STEPHEN FREDERIC DALE. Indian merchants and Eurasian trade, 1600-1750
AMY SINGER. Palestinian peasants and Ottoman officials: rural administration around
sixteenth-century Jerusalem
MICHAEL CHAMBERLAIN. Knowledge and social practice in medieval Damascus,
1190-1350
TARIF KHALIDI. Arabic historical thought in the classical period
REUVEN AMITAI-PREISS. Mongols and Mamluks: the Mamluk-IIkhdanid war,
1260-1281
JANE HATHAWAY. The politics of households in Ottoman Egypt: the rise of the
Qazdaglis
Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization
Hierarchy and egalitarianism in Islamic thought
Hierarchy and
egalitarianism in
Islamic thought
LOUISE MARLOW
Wellesley College
RIDGE
ey UNIVERSITY PRESS
PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
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© Cambridge University Press 1997
This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without
the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 1997
First paperback edition 2002
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data
Marlow, Louise.
Hierarchy and egalitarianism in Islamic thought /L ouise Marlow.
p. cm. — (Cambridge studies in Islamic civilization)
Includes bibliographical references (p. _ ).
ISBN 0521 564301
1, Equality — Islamic countries - History. 2. Equality — Religious
aspects—Islam. 3. Social justice — Islamic countries — History.
4. Social structure - Islamic countries — History. 5. Occupational
prestige — Islamic countries — History. I. Title. II. Series.
HN768.Z9S66 1997
305’.0917’671-dc20 96-15400 CIP
ISBN 0 521 564301 hardback
ISBN 0521 89428 X paperback
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