Medieval Arabic court etiquette
Medieval Arabic court etiquette
Was bowing a thing or no?
The messenger entered. He was the only Muslim Rob had ever seen, except in the battle on the ship. He was carefully dressed in rich fabrics, clean and pleasant-smelling. Something of a contrast to the Crusaders. Dark alert eyes, dark skin, and a dark beard, carefully trimmed. He bowed carefully, with a flourish.
That is a paragraph from my work-in-progress novel. It occurs during the negotiations between Richard and Saladin, a topic I wrote about recently for the blog: The Negotiations between Richard and Saladin.
My friend, the author and mathematician Thomas Jensen, asked me a great question: Would a 12th century Muslim bow with “a flourish”?
It sounds like courtly behavior from a later age (my words, not his).
Indeed. Would the messenger from Saladin to Richard have bowed at all? All the contemporary histories suggest that the negotiations were civil and respectful, even friendly at times, so he would have been respectful. But what form would that respect have taken? I wrote the above without thought or research into the topic. Let’s dig a little.
I do not have much (any, really) personal experience with Islamic religious practices. But a cursory Google search yields many statements to the effect that Muslims may only bow to Allah and not to any other person1. Most articles are in reference to current affairs, and so might or might not have been correct in regards medieval thought. The discussion often comes up in the context of martial arts training, where it is traditional to bow to the master. In this context, one can find people stating either position, that it is forbidden, or that it is not.
In the context of medieval Islamic culture, it’s even more difficult to get a read on things.
There is an amusing story from the visit of an Islamic embassy led by Yaḥya al-Ghazāl to Constantinople in the 9th century:2
One concerns the first time al-Ghazāl was received by Theophilos in Constantinople, when presumably he handed over to the emperor the letter from ‘Abd al-Raḥmān II. As Theophilos knew that it was not customary for Muslims to bow when entering into the presence of the sovereign, he resorts to a trick: the door which gave access to the platform where the emperor was seated had been lowered, so that the ambassador was only able to cross it on his knees. As al-Ghazāl had previously been advised by the courtiers about what was customary in the Byzantine court, he complained and this was transmitted to the emperor, who resorted to this artifice of lowering the door. However, the same “anecdotic” account, reports al-Ghazāl escaping to this humility by entering the door on his back, which earned him compliments of the emperor, because of his pness.
There is a medieval Arabic literature genre called “mirrors for princes”: rule books for behavior given to kings or princes to shape their behavior. There’s this, from the wonderful 12th century Sea of Precious Virtues, by Bahr al-Favā’id and translated by Julie Scott Meisami:
Chapter Five. On Exchanging Greetings
Know that the exchange of greetings between Muslims is a sign of Islam, an accepted sunnah (a correct practice according to Muhammad), and a cause of increased affection. Giving greetings is a sunnah and answering an obligation. Both may be discharged collectively: if one person in a group salutes another group, and one person from that group returns the greeting, it is sufficient. The least form of salutation is to say, "Peace be upon you", for this ten good deeds are recorded. The most complete is to say, "Peace be upon you, and the Mercy of God and His blessing"; for this thirty good deeds are recorded, three for each phrase. The answer should be given in such a way that the greeter hears it, if he can hear, so that the obligation be lifted from him.It is the sunnah that younger persons greet their elders; that a person who is walking greet one who is seated; that a rider greet a person on foot; and that a small group greet a larger one. Women should not be greeted, unless they are old women or there is a man among them. In greeting one gestures with the hand. It is not proper to kiss the ground or to bow before one of God's creatures. Shaking hands is a sunnah. The Prophet's Companions all used to shake hands; and it is said that no Muslims meet and take each other's hands without God forgiving their sins before they have parted.
So, perhaps our messenger would not have bowed at all!
Yet from Jonathan Phillips’ Life and Legend of Saladin, we see a contradictory example.
In 1167, Syrian forces led by Shirkuh, Saladin’s uncle, attacked Cairo where Shawar was the de facto ruler, as Vizier to the Caliph al-Adid. Saladin himself was at that time in Shirkuh’s service. The Franks of the Outremer Kingdom, led by Hugh of Caesaria, came to Egypt and hoped to make a peace agreement with the Egyptians, in exchange for helping the Egyptians defeat the Syrians. As it happens Hugh was a fluent speaker of Arabic as well.
In accordance with a diplomatic mission, the (Frankish) guests were steered well clear of the less salubrious area of Fustat and instead were guided to the caliphal palace complex. As intended, the polychrome splendour of the decorations – marble columns, gilded ceilings, lavish fish-pools and an assortment of beautiful, brightly coloured exotic birds – thrilled and awed the visitors. Multiple buildings and courtyards led to the inner palace where they were confronted with a sumptuous set of curtains embroidered with gold and pearls. Shawar immediately prostrated himself on the ground (emphasis added) and after three demonstrations of subservience the curtains whisked open to reveal Caliph al-Adid seated on a golden throne and surrounded by his chief counsellors.
Or as related by William of Tyre, writing around 1180:
They approached and were admitted to the inner part of the palace. Here the sultan [Shawar] showed the usual reverence to his lord, according to custom twice; he prostrated himself on the ground and humbly offered as to a divinity due worship and a kind of abject adoration. Then for a third time bowing to the ground, he laid down the sword which he wore suspended from his neck. Thereupon the curtains embroidered with pearls and gold, which hung down and hid the throne, were drawn aside with marvellous rapidity, and the caliph was revealed with face unveiled. Seated on a throne of gold, surrounded by some of his privy counsellors and eunuchs, he presented an appearance more than regal….
With all reverence, the sultan approached him and, humbly imprinting a kiss upon the foot of the seated monarch, stated the reason…
After the diplomatic agreement was reached, Hugh requested that the deal be sealed with a handshake between himself and the Caliph. Much though it pained him to make contact with anyone, much less a Christian, the Caliph agreed. Shirkuh eventually routed the Franks, taking Hugh prisoner, and would eventually assassinate Sharwar in 1169, eventually leading to Saladin’s rule of Egypt as Vizier, then Sultan.
So we can see contradictory contemporary accounts of whether bowing was permitted and/or traditional. On balance, I would most of what I’ve read leads me toward the belief that bowing was not a practice held by medieval Muslims, but it’s hard to be sure…if there are any experts following along, please chime in in the comments
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowing#Islam