Women and Sufism

 

Women and Sufism

How women and Sufism actually support each other, but in history they don't even talk about it much. How did it happen?

Sufyan At-Tsauri, a Sufi cum leader of jurisprudence, met a holy woman, Rabiah al-Adawiyah. "Assalamu'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu, Ya Allah grant salvation (assalamah)".

Hearing At-Tsauri's speech, Rabiah sobbed. "Why are you crying?". 

"How come. Salvation (assalamah) is leaving the world and its contents, while you are still struggling (muthollihun) in it." 

This story is the opening of the first hagiographic book about women and Sufism, about holy women in the history of Sufism, Dzikrun Nisaail Muta'abbidaat fit Tasawufi , by Sheikh Abdurrahman Assulami.

Rabiah , a woman freed from the clutches of slavery in Basra, a city that became the center of asceticism in the early days of Islam. By hagiographers, Rabiah is described as possessing her human perfection; the tips of his fingers shone like lights in the night; and his students once asked him to come out of his seclusion room because of admiration to see the aura of human perfection.

"The beauty of God ( Jamalul Allah ) lies within, and what is the external (physical) aspect is only the radiance of the inner aspect," said Rabiah to her students.

There is not enough place to explain how the Sufis and hagiographers praise this holy woman from the city of Basrah, Iraq, Maulan Rumi repeatedly calls her dala Matsnawi . Likewise Shaykh Fariduddin Attar in Illahinamma . In terms of spiritual attainment, Rabiah “is clearly superior to many men, and that is why she is called the 'crown of men',” says Muhammad Zihni in Masyaharin Nisaa .

There are many other women with human perfection in the history of Sufism. Maryam Al-Basriyah (student of Rabiah); Bahriyah Al-Mausuliyah; Rihana Waliha; Rabiah As-Syamiyah; Sya'wana; Fatima An-Naisyafur; Rabiah bint Ismail; Fatima Al-Kattani; and many others. There is no great Sufi who is separated from the luminescence of the holy woman's aura. Hasan Al-Bashri cannot be separated from Rabiah al-Adawiyah; Imam Ghazali from the story of Sya'wana; Abu Hafs al-Suhrawardi (author of Awaariful Maarif ) from a melodious busker he met near the Kaaba; Hagiogarfer and the theoretician of Sufism At-Tirmizdi were accompanied by his famous ascetic wife.

Shaykhul Akbar Ibn Arabi, who is famous for his open and courageous attitude about women, had a spiritual relationship with a number of holy women. At the beginning of his suluk journey, the kibrit Ahmar told his admiration for his teacher, Fatimah Valencia (originally Fatimah binti Al-Mustannah) to whom he listened and recited the letter of Al-Fatehah. Then the story of his meeting with Fahrun Nisaa, his teacher's brother Abi Syuja' bin Rustam, also the daughter of the teacher Sayyidah Nizam ( lady Nizam ) who because of the spiritual strength of both inspired Ibn Arabi to write the book of poetry Tarjumanul Asywaq (survivor of longing) which is famous for the complexity of word order and meaning that.

In the treasures of Suluk, there is no known gender division as in the treasures of fiqh or ushuludin, both of which have the status of science below the rank of Suluk. There are no men and women by gender. It's not hard to prove it. I took the explanation of the Sufism expert from Iran, Laleh Bachtiar, who summarized the debate about women and men in the treasures of Sufism.

Women and men are potentials in every person, both male and female. Masculinity and femininity are the inner potential of every human being. Elements of yin and yang as described by Sechiko Murata in his thick book. Suluk or the journey of inner cleansing is a journey that is described as a feminine journey, namely a journey in sensitivity, longing, patience, and readiness to bear the burden towards self-perfection. The management and training of the feminine element in every person will in time connect with the masculine element in him, and the two inner poles that lead man to his God.

In fiqh treasures, the fact that there are fiqh scholars who capture the spirit of sharia regarding the equality of women and men, but it is very difficult to change the fiqh narrative that is biased by men. Very different from Suluk or Sufism. The following are some examples of the explanations of Sufism scholars regarding the equality status of women and men.

Verse 34 of Surah an Nisaa, Ar-Rijaalu Qowwamun 'ala Nisaa . That is, men are leaders for women. According to Shaykh Abdul Qodir Jaelani in his commentary, the word ar-rijaalu is al-musta'dilatul mustaqimatul 'uquuli or more or less "those who have intellectual maturity" are "ar-Rijaal". Ar-Rijaal does not designate biological gender at all.

Sheikh Abul Qasim bin Abdul Karim bin Hawazin Al-Qusyairi an-Naishaburi in his commentary, Lathaaiful Isyaarat , verse 34 of Surah An-Nisa shows that the word ar-rijaalu shows the virtue caused by power ( al-Quwah ) as a support for responsibility ( hamlun ), and responsibility is not always related to the physical and self (gender) but to the strength of the heart and firmness ( himam). So the word ' rojulun ' or man ( mard in Persian)

Meanwhile, Shaykhul Akbar Ibn Arabi in his commentary says that Ar-Rijaalu is al-Afraad al-Waashilun or "personalities who have arrived (to enlightenment, understanding and the next stage). Even in another book, Ibn Arabi (in Insanul Kamil) he cites the rarely mentioned hadith of Kanjeng Prophet SAW, Kamula min rijaali katsiiruna wa Kamulat min nisaai Maryamu bintu 'Imran wa Aasiyah imroatu Firaunu ( Many men have achieved perfection, and have ( until) perfection (of women) achieved Maryam bint Imran and Asiyah his wife Pharaoh).

Not only that, this Sufi person from the West (Spain), asserts that the biological aspect is the roughest surface of human nature. Every human being has the same opportunities and rights in perfecting his or her own quality regardless of biological gender.

Sufis such as Ibn Arabi view that this life is a journey uphill and climbing (which is hard) towards Allah SWT which is described with the image of femininity, even (he concluded) Allah SWT himself reminds humans that the essence that cannot be touched by humans is feminism, namely essence.  Wallahu'Alam bis Shawab