Slave Soldiers and Islam_ The Genesis of a Military System - Daniel Pipes

70

TheIslamicateContext

treating

intoother

domains,whereIslamhad

much

greater

suc-

cess.Notall

Muslim

subjects

withdrew,ofcourse,

butinsofaras

anIslamicatepattern

existed,Islamcaused

itsbelieversnot

to

participate

in

public

affairs.As

aresultoftheunattainable

na-

ture

ofIslamic

public

ideals,

Muslim

subjects

in

premodern

times

relinquished

their

political

andmilitarypower.

29

In

practice

thismeantthatMuslimsubjects

turnedaway

from

thedominantpolitical

andmilitary

institutions.

"The

prevailing

attitudetowardpower

is

skepticism";

3

the

populace

stayed

aloof

from thedecision

makers.

This

"widespread

disinclinationto

collaborateingovernment"

was

particularly

trueof

thosewho

tooktheIslamicmessage

mostseriously.

31

The

ulamg’didtheir

best

toavoidserving

as

qds;

some

Sufisrefused"to

touchfunds

coming

fromanamir,

onthe

ground

that

they

represented

illicit

gains";

and

in

the13th

centurycourageous

jurists

in

Egypt

declaredprayerina

cemeterychapel,

which

theSultanhaderected,as

not

permitted,

onaccountofthe

inhumanemethodsusedduring

itsconstruction.

Atacit,boycott-likeopposition

tothe

government

existedincertain

pious

circles

ofthe

early

Islamic

Middle

Ages,

when

any

money

coming

fromthe

government

wasconsidered

religiously

forbidden

property.

Itisevenreported

thatsome

pious

people

consideredit

forbidden

todrinkwaterfroma

canal

dugby

the..,

government,

orto

fastentheirbootlacesat

the

light

ofa

lampbelonging

tothe

government?

Thereputations

of

Muslimauthorities

whodidservetherul-

erssufferedasa

result;thetrustworthiness

ofAbfiYfisuf(d.

182/798),

authorof

Kitgb

al-Khargj,

cameintodoubtbecause

he

worked

forthe

government.

33

Anumberof

prominent

Muslim

29. Ideas

forthis

argument

cameinitially

fromadiscussionwithRichard

W.

Bullieton 21

December1977.

30.Grunebaum,lslam,p.25.

31.Ibid.,p.132.

32.CUlama’:

N.J.

Coulson,"Doctrineand

PracticeinIslamicLaw:OneAspect

oftheProblem,"

Bulletin

of

theSchool

of

Oriental

and

African

Studies 18 (1956):

211-26.

On SufisseeHodgson,2:96.

On

jurists

seeH.Ritter,

"Irrational

Solidarity-groups.

ASocio-psychologicalStudy

inConnection

withIbnKhal-

dfin,Oriens (1948):

32-33;Grunebaum,MedievalIslam,p.

143.

33.IbnKhallikin,

6:379.