Aisha 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'. CONTENTS Maps 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 Mantle Ode Blessings Holy Prophet Most Wholesome Source Virtuous Life Return to Heaven Precious Pearls 3 O MY LOVE AND HAPPINESS Marriage and Family Sufi Way Venerable Masters Recalling the Lord Noble Invocations Taste and See Hymn/Him Emanation of Grace 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 Principles of Sufism 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 Five-Fold Good Word Clear Inspiration Shadows of War Time of Change Legacy Bibliography Acknowledgments Index

Book Information
ISBN 9781786076106
Author Th. Emil Homerin
Format Hardback
Page Count 176
Imprint Oneworld Publications
Publisher Oneworld Publications