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le of lslam among the tribal socieites of the Middle East is through the noiton of‫ﻥ‬:
:e‫ﺕ‬mentation hich is based on the principles of balance and opposition among
2onstituent groups (1969 : 4]-2). He explicitly stresses that this notion clarifies the
٠ay a tribal society maintains order ithin the frameork of social cohesion (1969).
He therefore sees the sainthood system of the Moroccan Atlas as a form of religious
authority, hich acls in both the political and the relig‫ﻫ‬ous spheres. Hoever, the
aints also derive their authority from their position in the social organiaiton as
1escendants of holy lineage. As descendants of the Prophet Muhammad and
members of a dominant lineage, they inherited positions of authority in solving
.lisputes and as guardians of the social orde.r

Gellner also agrees ith Evans-?ritchard that the tribesmen need a personalied
religion for their pragmatic needs, they are illiterate and are not fully aare of the
theological distinciton beteen customs and shariah. The problem for the Muslim
tribesman here is so fundamental because the orlds of sacred and profane must
alays be disitnct and clearly divided. Such knoledge can best be dispensed by the
aints ho have access to the Ouran. Gellner concluded that it is because the saints
are men of holy descent and of knoledge and piety, that their role at the poliitcal
level as mediators beteen one lineage or tribe and another is so poerufl and
affective. Tribal chiefs cannot settle their disputes alone, a saint must be present so
htat he arbitrates according to shariah (1969 : 8,129).

in Eastern Africa, loan Leis (19 1961961) starts from the same theoretical
background and supports Evans-Pritchard's and Gellner's noitons regarding hte role
of relig‫ﻫ‬ous authority in an lslamic seg‫ﻫ‬entary society. Leis adds that the suif Order
in Somali land has created a relig‫ﻫ‬ous community hich has overridden all tribal
differences, and has been able to create a common ideology ihch serves to maintain
order among rival groups (19 : 81-602 196 : 14-60). He also provides a very
interesting approach to the problem of relig‫ﻫ‬on as authority in a tribal seg‫ﻫ‬entary
oscieyt (1961 : hapter ).

nl brief, the three authors, Evans-Pritchard, Gellner and Leis, hose theoretical
ork‫ ﺳ‬have until recently dominated the field of scholarship of Islam and tribalism,
agree on seg‫ﻫ‬entation as a basic concept in understanding the role of lslamic
a uthority in tribal society. nI paritcular they srtess that a seg‫ﻫ‬entary society possesses
no central authority or leadership. Authoriyt is scattered idely across the different
levels of lineages and tribes and therefore the only authoriyt hich can maintain la
and order is the religious authoriyt, especially a relig‫ﻫ‬ous authority such as lslma
hich emphasies the oneness of God and thus leaves no room for plurality.

Among the Pakhutn tribes of hte Northern Pakistan reg‫ﻫ‬on, Fredrik Barth and
subsequently Akbar S. Ahmed have both dealt ith hte noiton of the relationship
beteen religious and political authoriites in the processes of social conrtol. Hoever,
the ase here is different, for although Barth and Amhed agree on some basic