Matthee, Rudolph P., 1953-

Angels tapping at the wine-shop's door : a history of alcohol in the Islamic world / Rudi Matthee. - 1 online resource : illustrations

Also issued in print: 2023.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

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.

Specialized.

9780197756331 No price

10.1093/oso/9780197694718.001.0001 doi


Drinking of alcoholic beverages--History.--Islamic countries
Drinking of alcoholic beverages--Religious aspects--Islam.
Food and Drink.
Cultural studies: customs & traditions.


Islamic countries--Social life and customs.

GT2884

394.13091767