My Soul is a Woman: The Feminine in Islam

Description

An internationally acclaimed scholar, who has dedicated more than fifty years of her life to understanding the Islamic world. Annemarie Schimmel examines a much-misunderstood feature of Islam: the role of women. Schimmel is critical of those--especially Western feminists--who take Islam to task without taking the time to comprehend the cultures, language, and traditions of the many societies in which Islam is the majority religion. Shattering stereotypes, Schimmel reconstructs an important but little-known chapter of Islamic spirituality. With copious examples, she shows the clear equality of women and men in the conception of the Prophet Muhammad, the Quran, the feminine language of the mystical tradition, and the role of holy mothers and unmarried women as manifestations of God. This work is studded with luminous texts from Arabic, Turkish, Persian, and particularly Indo-Muslim cultures, which reveal how physical love can give expression to the highest forms of mysticism. Preface 9 Introduction 17 Chapter 1 • Women and the Prophet 26 2 • Women in Sufism 34 3 • Women in the Quran and in the Tradition 54 4 • Woman or "Man of God": The Education of the Soul (nqfs) 69 5 • The Old Woman 81 6 • The Mothers 89 7 • Woman as Manifestation of God 98 8 • The Brides of God 107 9 • Woman-Souls in Indo-Pakistani Poetry 118 10 • Sasst's Wanderings 139 11 • Sohm Mehanwal 156 12 · Omar Maru1 169 Epilogue 180 Bibliography 182