Patience in the Islamic Lifeworld

Abstract

Abstract: While the exhortation to patience is commonplace in literary and religious traditions acrossthe world, equally widespread are diverging etiquettes of patience and varied histories of itsreception. The focus in this essay is on the medieval reception of patience in the Islamic worldand the manifold ways in which that history has informed its modern invocations. Finally, thepolitical purchase of patience is brought under relief by juxtaposing competing languages ofstatecraft in Iran and the United States.