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

AnExplanationofMilitarySlavery

79

They

watchcarefullyallsidesof

theroad.

They

takehurriednaps

onlywhenthey

are

together

in

company

or

when

they

areinthe

saddle.Theypay

attentionto

every

faintbarking

andnoise.

They

go

aloneintothedesert,

guided

by

their

fortitude,putting

their

trustinthemselves.Fortitude

hasbecomeacharacterqualityof

theirs,andcourage

theirnature.

They

useit

whenever

they

are

calledupon

oranalarmstirsthem.

54

Insum,theirenvironmentcompelled

these

peoples

tode-

velop

the

physical

and mental

qualities

ideal for

military

prowess.

Theweak

perished

andthe

survivorsmade

powerful

soldiers.

Again

Ibn

Khaldfin:

Since desertlifenodoubt

isthereasonfor

bravery,savage

groups

arebraver

thanothers.

They

are,therefore,betterableto

achievesuperiority

andtotake

away

thethingsthat

areinthe

handsofothernations Themorefirmlyrootedin

deserthabits

andthewildera

group

is,the

closerdoesitcometo

achieving

[military]

superiority

overothers.

Besides these martial advantages

which

marginal

area sol-

diersheldoverall

government

area

peoples,they

hadanaddi-

tional

strength

over

Muslimsfrom

government

areas;

by

defini-

tion,therewasno

government

in

marginal

areas,sothe

peoples

wholivedtherewerenotruled

by

aconstitutedpolitical

author-

ity

whichfellshortoftheIslamic ideals. They

had

nothing,

therefore,fromwhichtoturn

inward.Muslimswhowerenot

subjects

did not relinquish power

because no

government

existedtoalienate

them.Theirsmall-scaleandIslamicgroup-

ings

involvedthemintheexerciseofpower;

asaresult,

they

consistently

ruledandfought.

Thecombinationofnot

being

alienated

andinnate

militarysuperioritygave

marginal

areasol-

diersanenormous

advantage

over

Muslim

peoples.

It

explains

whythey

werethemainMuslimpolitical

actors;

they

dominated

Islamicate

public

life,founding

the

dynasties

andstaffing

the

armies.

The

relinquishment

of

power

by

insidersandthe

strength

of

marginal

areasoldiersresulted

ina

generalpattern;

soldiers

from

54.

Muq,

1:257-58.

55. Muq,1:282-83.