Angels tapping at the wine-shop's door a history of alcohol in the Islamic world /
Islam is the only major world religion that resists the juggernaut of alcohol consumption. In many Islamic countries, alcohol is banned; in others, it plays little role in social life. Yet, Muslims throughout history did drink, often to excess - whether sultans and shahs in their palaces, or commone...
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| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
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London :
Hurst & Company,
2023.
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| Online Access: | Connect to the full text of this electronic book |
| Summary: | Islam is the only major world religion that resists the juggernaut of alcohol consumption. In many Islamic countries, alcohol is banned; in others, it plays little role in social life. Yet, Muslims throughout history did drink, often to excess - whether sultans and shahs in their palaces, or commoners in taverns run by Jews or Christians. This evocative study delves into drinking's many historic, literary and social manifestations in Islam, going beyond references to 'hypocrisy' or the temptations of 'forbidden fruit'. Rudi Matthee argues that alcohol, through its 'absence' as much as its presence, takes us to the heart of Islam. Exploring the long history of this faith - from the eight-century Umayyad dynasty to Erdogan's Turkey, and from Islamic Spain to modern Pakistan - he unearths a tradition of diversity and multiplicity in which Muslims drank, and found myriad excuses to do so. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource : illustrations. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9781805260691 1805260693 9780197756331 0197756336 |