The Separation of State and Religion in the Development of Early Islamic Society

Islamic studies progress. In recent years a great deal of work has been done on the Umayyad period, on the early history of Sh i‘ism, and on the origins of the Muslim schools of law. A broader current of research has yielded numerous studies of the ‘ ulamâ’ and their place in Muslim religious and communal life. New historical information and new points of view are gradually modifying received perspectives on Muslim religious movements and on the nature of Muslim religious elites.