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The Average Man in Early Islam
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 December 2009
Extract
Literature is full of the saints of Islam, like the man who was so oppressed by the seriousness of life that he always looked as if he were coming from the funeral of a near relative, and another who fainted when he saw a bedouin smearing his camel with hot tar, because it reminded him of hell. It is a mistake to think that all Muslims lived up to this standard.
Even the pious ‘Umar lost his temper at a formula consecrated by religion. In reply to a question a man said, “God knows best”; the caliph told him to say either “I know” or “I do not know”.Tales told of society in Medina show that amusements tolerated there fell far short of the standard of decency demanded by religion.
There was a class of men who told edifying stories to instruct the faithful. One of them said that those, who fasted for three successive months, would have in heaven houses one thousand parasangs long, broad and high, with doors ten parasangs square. “A poor house for January,” ejaculated one of the audience. Another of these preachers said, “The name of the wolf that ate Joseph was so and so.” It was objected that no wolf ate Joseph so he corrected himself, “The name of the wolf that did not eat Joseph was so and so.”.
- Type
- Papers Contributed
- Information
- Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies , Volume 10 , Issue 1 , February 1940 , pp. 133 - 140
- Copyright
- Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 1942
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