Muslim
jurists since the 9th century have referred to the Islamic world as being a
‘house’ or ‘abode’ of Islam (dar al-islam). Though the sources do not extend
the metaphor, I am tempted to do so. Accordingly, the land on which the house
was built was first ‘acquired’ by Arabs, who also provided the house’s
architectural plans and foundations. Most of the house’s bricks and builders were
Persian, and for much of Islamic history, from the 9th to the 19th centuries,
its landlords were Turks (who also contributed to
the menu and welcome-mat). Shiites, for their part, have long believed that the
house was built on shaky foundations, and nowadays the building has been
divided into individual apartments of varying sizes. Since the 18th century,
the interior design has been dominated by Western styles which, in some flats,
clashed with the traditional décor, creating spots of ugliness. Islamists might
say that the apartments are little more than seedy motel rooms in need of
urgent attention, for which they hope to raze the whole building and rebuild it
as a house. What this extended metaphor attempts to demonstrate is how the
various peoples of Islamic history have interacted and combined to build something
in which they all have a signifi cant stake and to which they all contributed,
albeit in different ways.
