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Temporal Spaces of Egalitarianism: The Ethical Negation of Economic Inequality in an Ephemeral Religious Organization

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O you who believe, be upholders of justice—witnesses for Allah, even though against [the interest of] your selves or the parents, and the kinsmen. One may be rich or poor, Allah is better caretaker of both. So do not follow desires, lest you should swerve. If you twist or avoid (the evidence), then, Allah is all-aware of what you do.

– Holy Quran 4:135 (Usmani 2010, p. 181)

Abstract

In this article, we illuminate how a consumption practice in an ephemeral religious organization subverts systems of economic inequality that otherwise prevail in, and structure, society. Drawing on a rich ethnographic study in Pakistan, we show how the practice of food consumption in the Tablighi Jamaat (TJ)—an Islamic organization originating in South Asia that is practiced intermittently by its followers—represents temporal spaces of egalitarianism. Within these temporal spaces, entrenched economic hierarchies that are salient in organizing Pakistani society are challenged. We found that while the fundamental principles of the Tablighi Jamaat advocate for subversion of the economic hierarchies that propagate myriad inequalities by demarcating local Muslims into spheres of different social and economic classes, it is in the practice of food consumption when ethical transgression from these hierarchies are rendered most intelligible. Finally, we consider the implications of this study to the emerging field of Islamic business ethics.

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Notes

  1. Hizmet is a Turkey-based Islamic movement that stresses widespread access to education and peace.

  2. This translates to “peace be upon him,” which is a customary phrase used by Muslims whenever the name of Prophet Muhammad () is mentioned.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the participants of the Tablighi Jamaat who generously provided the data for this study. We also thank Associate Editor, Raza Mir, and the three anonymous reviewers who provided many thoughtful insights that sharpened our ideas. Earlier versions of this article were presented at the Consumer Culture Theory Conference in Anaheim, the Academy of Management Annual Meetings in Atlanta, and the Association for Consumer Research Conference in San Diego. Ateeq Abdul Rauf is appreciative of conference and research support from Information Technology University. Ajnesh Prasad gratefully acknowledges research funding from a Newton Advanced Fellowship from the British Academy (Grant No. AF150261). He also acknowledges research support from his Canada Research Chair.

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  1. Information Tecnology University, Lahore, Pakistan

    Ateeq A. Rauf

  2. Royal Roads University, Victoria, Canada

    Ajnesh Prasad

  3. Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico City, Mexico

    Ajnesh Prasad

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  1. Ateeq A. Rauf
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Correspondence to Ateeq A. Rauf.

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Rauf, A.A., Prasad, A. Temporal Spaces of Egalitarianism: The Ethical Negation of Economic Inequality in an Ephemeral Religious Organization. J Bus Ethics 162, 699–718 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-4006-z

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