Description
Book SynopsisAisha al-Ba‘uniyya (c.1456–1517) was one of the greatest women mystics in Islamic history. A Sufi master and an Arab poet, her religious writings were extensive by any standard and extraordinary for her time. In medieval Islam a number of women were respected scholars and teachers, but they rarely composed works of their own. Aisha al-Ba‘uniyya, however, was prolific. She composed over twenty works, and likely wrote more Arabic prose and poetry than any other Muslim woman prior to the twentieth century.
The first full-scale biography of al-Ba‘uniyya in the English language, this volume provides a rare glimpse into the life and writings of a medieval Muslim woman in her own words. Homerin presents her work in the wider context of late-medieval Islamic spirituality, examining the influence of figures such as Ibn al-‘Arabi, al-Busiri and Ibn al-Farid, and emphasising the role of the person of the Prophet Muhammad in her spirituality. Aisha al-Ba‘uniyya is a fascinating introduction to a figure described by a sixteenth-century biographer as ‘one of the marvels of her age’.
Trade Review‘In this highly readable book, Th. Emil Homerin skilfully weaves Aisha al-Ba‘uniyya’s life, work, and her inner and external worlds together with insightful erudition.’
-- Li Guo, Professor, Arabic Studies Program, University of Notre Dame
‘In this beautifully written study, Th. Emil Homerin situates Aisha’s work in its literary and historical context… This book is an important contribution to the study of Muslim women’s spirituality.’
-- Adam Sabra, Professor of History and King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud Chair in Islamic Studies, University of California
Table of ContentsMaps
Preface
1 GOD’S BLESSINGS
Origins
Slave Soldiers
Mamluk Sultanate
Secretaries and Scholars
Education
Damascus
Mosques and Libraries
Gabriel’s Questions
Obedient Servant
Dress and Decorum
Saints and Shrines
Inner Sanctum
Intercession or Idolatry
Forgiveness and Favor
2 AISHA AL-BA‘UNIYYA AND THE BELOVED PROPHET
Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah
That Sacred Place
Syrian Caravan
Damascus to Medina
Medina to Mecca
Before the Black Stone
Hajj
Dreams
What is a Woman to Do?
Poems of Praise
Blessings
Holy Prophet
Virtuous Life
Return to Heaven
3 O MY LOVE AND HAPPINESS
Marriage and Family
Sufi Way
Venerable Masters
Recalling the Lord
Noble Invocations
Taste and See
Hymn/Him
Poetry of Recollection
He’s My Destiny
Old Loves for New
Ibn al-Farid
Odes in T
Covenant
Wine of Love
Moses of the Heart
Seat of Truth
4 TREE OF MYSTICAL LIFE
Repentance
Sincerity
Recollection
Love
Amazing Stories
Wondrous Secret
Ocean Without a Shore
5 GATHERING UNION
New Challenges
To Egypt
Cairo
Victorious
Pomp and Princess
Among the Elite
Shadows of War
Time of Change
Legacy
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Index
