Aisha al-Ba'uniyya: A Life in Praise of Love

177 Pages·2019·3.497 MB·English

by  Th. Emil Homerin

MAKERS
of the
MUSLIM
WORLD
Aisha al-Ba‘uniyya
Aisha al-Bauniyya.indd 1 11/05/19 1:27 PM
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Series Editors: Professor Khaled El-Rouayheb, Harvard University,
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Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi, Itzchak Weismann
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Ahmad Riza Khan Barelwi, Usha Sanyal
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Amir Khusraw, Sunil Sharma
Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi, Muhammad Qasim Zaman
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Ibn ‘Arabi, William C. Chittick
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Ikhwan al-Safa’, Godefroid de Callataÿ
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Karim Khan Zand, John R. Perry
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For current information and details of other books in the series, please visit
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Aisha al-Bauniyya.indd 2 11/05/19 1:27 PM
MAKERS
of the
MUSLIM
WORLD
Aisha al-Ba‘uniyya
A Life in Praise of Love
TH. EMIL HOMERIN
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Oneworld Academic
An imprint of Oneworld Publications
Published by Oneworld Academic, 2019
This ebook published 2019
Copyright © Th. Emil Homerin 2019
The moral right of Th. Emil Homerin to be identified as the Author
of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the
Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988
All rights reserved
Copyright under Berne Convention
A CIP record for this title is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-78607-610-6
eISBN 978-1-78607-611-3
Typeset by Geethik Technologies
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In Memory of Basima Qattan Bezirgan and Ronald C. Jennings
who introduced me to the study of
Middle Eastern Muslim women who speak.
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Aisha al-Bauniyya.indd 6 11/05/19 1:27 PM
CONTENTS
Maps xi
Preface xvii
1 GOD’S BLESSINGS 1
Origins 1
Slave Soldiers 3
Mamluk Sultanate 4
Secretaries and Scholars 5
Education 6
Damascus 8
Mosques and Libraries 12
Gabriel’s Questions 14
Obedient Servant 15
Dress and Decorum 17
Saints and Shrines 18
Inner Sanctum 20
Intercession or Idolatry 21
Forgiveness and Favor 23
2 AISHA AL-BA‘UNIYYA AND
THE BELOVED PROPHET 25
Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah 25
That Sacred Place 27
Syrian Caravan 29
Damascus to Medina 31
Medina to Mecca 33
Before the Black Stone 34
Hajj 36
Dreams 38
What is a Woman to Do? 39
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viii CONTENTS
Poems of Praise 40
Mantle Ode 42
Blessings 43
Holy Prophet 45
Most Wholesome Source 47
Virtuous Life 49
Return to Heaven 50
Precious Pearls 52
3 O MY LOVE AND HAPPINESS 57
Marriage and Family 57
Sufi Way 59
Venerable Masters 61
Recalling the Lord 64
Noble Invocations 66
Taste and See 68
Hymn/Him 69
Emanation of Grace 72
Poetry of Recollection 75
He’s My Destiny 78
Old Loves for New 80
Ibn al-Farid 82
Odes in T 84
Covenant 85
Wine of Love 87
Moses of the Heart 89
Seat of Truth 91
4 TREE OF MYSTICAL LIFE 95
Principles of Sufism 95
Repentance 96
Sincerity 99
Recollection 102
Love 106
Amazing Stories 107
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CONTENTS ix
Wondrous Secret 109
Ocean Without a Shore 111
5 GATHERING UNION 115
New Challenges 115
To Egypt 118
Cairo 120
Victorious 122
Pomp and Princess 124
Among the Elite 126
Five-Fold Good Word 129
Clear Inspiration 131
Shadows of War 134
Time of Change 136
Legacy 137
Bibliography 141
Acknowledgments 149
Index 151
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