Paper short abstract:

The Islamic tradition frames interactions as a field of ethical practice closely connected to acts of worship. I discuss the implications of this link in view of ethnographic participation, the anthropological analysis of Islamic practices, and the study of Judaism and Christianity.

Paper long abstract:

This paper reviews Anderson's (2011) proposition of taking into consideration social interactions as a field of self-constitution in the anthropology of Islam. The Islamic discursive tradition conceives interactions (mu'āmalāt) as a field of ethical practice distinct from and closely connected to worship ('ibāda) (Hallaq 2009, 2014). This paper first discusses mu'āmalāt on the level of ethnographic participation based on my own fieldwork in Nablus, Palestine. Second, I show how mu'āmalāt in Nablus (such as greetings, simple gifts between neighbours, and market transactions) are indeed central to the care for virtuous Muslim selves. They constitute a field where one's ethical behaviour is observed and read by others. While no one can know what goes on in the heart of somebody else (the locus of his or her intentions), reading signs in the behaviour of others is extremely widespread and occasionally people interfere into the practice of others (for a historical discussion of which, see Cook 2001). In interactions, it is important to be attentive to both the other's inner self and his or her public appearance. The care for others can take various forms: observation, visits of homes, asking about emotional states, catering for others, and disciplining others. Eventually, I raise the question whether interactions as a central concern of ethical practice similarly emerges in the the anthropology of Judaism and the anthropology of Christianity.