Hierarchy and Egalitarianism in Islamic Thought [Hardcover]

A wide-ranging 1997 study of Arabic and Persian literature, contrasting the egalitarian ideal of early Islam with the hierarchical impulses of the classical period.By analysing a wide range of Arab and Persian literature, Louise Marlow demonstrates that Islam's initial orientation was markedly egalitarian, but the social aspect of this egalitarianism was soon undermined in the aftermath of Islam's political success. Although the memory of its early promise never entirely receded, social egalitariansim was soon associated with political subversion. The originality and chronological scope of Louise Marlow's book will ensure a wide readership of Islamic historians and of scholars assessing the impact of the recent Islamic revival.By analysing a wide range of Arab and Persian literature, Louise Marlow demonstrates that Islam's initial orientation was markedly egalitarian, but the social aspect of this egalitarianism was soon undermined in the aftermath of Islam's political success. Although the memory of its early promise never entirely receded, social egalitariansim was soon associated with political subversion. The originality and chronological scope of Louise Marlow's book will ensure a wide readership of Islamic historians and of scholars assessing the impact of the recent Islamic revival.By analyzing a wide range of Arab and Persian literature, Louise Marlow demonstrates that Islam's initial orientation was markedly egalitarian, but the social aspect of this egalitarianism was soon undermined in the aftermath of Islam's political success. Although the memory of its early promise never entirely receded, social egalitarianism was soon associated with political subversion. The originality and chronological scope of Louise Marlow's book will ensure a wide readership of Islamic historians and of scholars assessing the impact of the recent Islamic revival.Introduction; Part I. Sources for Islamic Social Ideals: 1. Egalitarianism and the growth of a pious opposition; 2. TlC-