72
TheIslamlcateContext
most everywhere
in Islamdom and throughout premodern
times,
Muslim
subjects
rarelyfought
forthearmiesthat
ruled
over
and
protected
them.
Tobesure,Muslims
did
agitateagainst
the
government
that
ruledthem:disloyalgovernors,oppressed
peasants,unruly
des-
erttribes,
and
angrycity
mobssporadically
rebelled,
but
except
when
non-Muslimsthreatened,indigenoussubjects
ofaruler
almostnevermadeasustainedattempt
tocontrol
theirown
gov-
ernment. Notables
withlocal roots,landlords
or merchants,
hardly
ever led the
subjects
to overthrow
a
regime
and
put
themselves in
power.
(Rare attempts
to do
this were,
sig-
nificantly,
ledbyreligiousfigures.)
Acommonpattern
found
inotherpremodern
civilizationsalmost
neverexistsin Islam-
dom:
indigenous
peoples
in
charge
of
theirown
governments
and
staffing
theirownarmies.
Whennon-Muslims
threatened
everything
changed; danger
tothe
SharieaortoDral-Islfmmeant
thatIslamhadtobede-
fended,
and inthesecircumstances
Muslin
subjects
often
be-
came
moreactive. In
early
Islamic
times,before
many
ofthe
conquered
peoples
hadconverted,
theMuslimsfeltendangered
and
participated
moreactively
inwar.So,too,an
offensivefih6d
stirred
Muslimsto
fight.
Themain
marchesofIslandom(Spain,
AnatoliaandtheBalkans,India)
demonstratethis
point
vividly,
asdoareas
such
as
WestAfricaandCentral
Asia.
37
Facedwith
Christian,Hindu,
Buddhist,oranimist
enemies,Muslim
subjects
responded favorably
to their rulers’
need for
military
man-
power.
Similarly,European,
Chinese,
and
Japaneseimperialism
normallystay
outofwarfare.TheShariCareflects
thisview,too:"Abstainand
desistfromcivilstrife[betweenMuslims]"
al-kaff
wa’l
quCftdfil-fitna.
Ibn
Baa
al-Ukbari(d.387/997)ash-Shar.h
wa’l-lb{zna al?
U.sl
as-Sunnawa’d-Diy{zna,
ed.
and trans. H.
Laoust
(Damascus,
1958),67/126,
withfurther references.
(R.StephenHumphreysprovided
withthisreference.)
37.Afewexamplesare:theSamanid
andSaffaridsinearlyIslam(whenMus-
limswerestillatinyminority
inmost
places),Syrian
cities
340-550/950-1150
(when
the
Byzantines
threatened),andtheSarbadarids(inresponse
toa
Mongol
threat).
Haarmann,
pp.
18-19,pointsoutthe
unusualnatureoftheMuslimre-
sponse
totheCrusaderchallenge.