{"product_id":"angels-tapping-at-the-wine-shops-rudi-matthee-9780197694718","title":"Angels Tapping at the Wine-Shop's Door: A History of Alcohol in the Islamic World","description":"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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis 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. They celebrated wine and used it as a poetic metaphor, even viewing alcohol as a gift from God--the key to unlocking eternal truth. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing on a plethora of sources, Matthee presents Islam not as an austere and uncompromising faith, but as a set of beliefs and practices that embrace ambivalence, allowing for ambiguity and even contradiction.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Rudi Matthee\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0197694713\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780197694718\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press, USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/01\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 352\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.40lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.57h x 5.83w x 1.48d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/01\/2024","brand":"Rudi Matthee","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44132404658431,"sku":"9780197694718","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_d287e277-a48c-4e8f-bfae-0a51ca092486.jpg?v=1687480003","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/angels-tapping-at-the-wine-shops-rudi-matthee-9780197694718","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}