According To John Voll's Islam As A Special World System

Coming from a background of Islamic History John Voll, in his article ‘Islam as a Special World System’ writes about the importance of exploring and studying broader alliances related to Islam, which will provide better understanding of Islamic civilization. This understanding is necessary to optimize the study of world history and learning different civilizations. Voll refers to the works of Immanuel Wallerstein on ‘world systems’. Wallerstein divides the world system into two major categories of ‘world-empire’ and ‘world-economics’ (Voll 214). In modern day, these two factors combined to be known as capitalism. On this note Voll critics Wallerstein’s theory. He asserts that Islam has existed not merely based on these two variables, but a greater legislature and Islamic dialogue. To have a wholesome understanding of Islamic civilization, a detailed discourse on current day and historical aspects needs to be considered. Therefore Voll provides historical insights, in context to Islamic

This argument is supported my stating the connections between different Islamic empires of the past. He also affirms the exchanges between the nomadic and the urban clans. To provide a reasonable justification to his argument Voll uses the concept of Sufism. After the establishment is Islam, Sufism emerged as a developed and more systematic organization. According to Voll Sufism comprises of fundamental teachings of Islam and also a way of life which many Muslim scholars pursued. This particular type of teaching promotes learning, travelling for the sake of gaining knowledge and also creates bonds of brotherhood, which promotes sense of common identity. This concept supports more fluid relation of travel within different civilizations which is not dominantly based on economy or movement of goods. Therefore Wallerstein’s theory is challenged by