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The Tao of Islam: A Sourcebook on Gender Relationships in Islamic Thought
The Tao of Islam is a rich and diverse anthology of Islamic teachings on the nature of the relationships between God and the world, the world and the human being, and the human being and God. Focusing on gender symbolism, Sachiko Murata shows that Muslim authors frequently analyze the divine reality and its connections with the cosmic and human domains with a view toward a complementarity or polarity of principles that is analogous to the Chinese idea of yin/yang.
Murata believes that the unity of Islamic thought is found, not so much in the ideas discussed, as in the types of relationships that are set up among realities. She pays particular attention to the views of various figures commonly known as "Sufis" and "philosophers," since they approach these topics with a flexibility and subtlety not found in other schools of thought. She translates several hundred pages, most for the first time, from more than thirty important Muslims including the Ikhwan al-Safa', Avicenna, and Ibn al-'Arabi.
Murata believes that the unity of Islamic thought is found, not so much in the ideas discussed, as in the types of relationships that are set up among realities. She pays particular attention to the views of various figures commonly known as "Sufis" and "philosophers," since they approach these topics with a flexibility and subtlety not found in other schools of thought. She translates several hundred pages, most for the first time, from more than thirty important Muslims including the Ikhwan al-Safa', Avicenna, and Ibn al-'Arabi.
410 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
52 people are currently reading
1241 people want to read
About the author
Sachiko Murata
14 books75 followersSachiko Murata (村田幸子, born 1943) is a professor of religion and Asian studies at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She is a 2011 Guggenheim Fellow. (Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 4, 2021
The more I read this book the more it hurt my head.
The bulk of this book is made up of long excepts of Muslim scholars; this is base on the premise that "Our authors were sincere Muslims. As such, they put God first. Once God is first and the ego is second, certain conclusions follow" (p. 321). Murata says that in the conclusion, which I think can be a far reach. Not once does she consider that the thoughts or opinions of such scholars are based on their sociocultural understanding of male and female, but rather she takes them as Islamic truths. What do these truths entail?
Firstly of course, that women are insuffient intellectually and religiously before men. (Probably why I couldn't understand the points made!) However, she insists that we must read in between these lines, as womens' lack actually makes them better servants of God than men, who feel more superior (p. 177).
Further, commentaries of Eve being taken from Adam's ribs persist, even though this notion doesn't exist in Islam. This idea is then taken to state that a man needs a woman as a whole needs its part, and a woman needs a man as a part needs its whole (p. 181).
The book tries to demonstrate genders as yin and yang, both being able to contain both yin and yang. However, even when trying to elevate the status of women, it still becomes diminished. It is argues that the ultimate reality is female, but this must be hidden "because of the social dangers inherent in such a perspective" (196). Murata states:
"The "patriarchal" view of God is normal for the Sharia that pertains to all Muslims, but the "matriarchal" view pertains to the spiritual path, the Tariqa, so not everyone can appreciate it." (P. 208)
This ~hidden~mysterious~female~energy must be hidden and protected from the masses.... even though it is true reality and the path of the soul!
Unfortunately, it only got sickeningly worse. Ultimately, while the man is attributed to the Active Intelligence, the woman is linked with the soul enticing to evil. Not only that, but men who do not use their active intelligence become reduced to women - Murata goes on to quote commentaries of even Iblis being referred to as a woman because of his pride and ego (p. 316). Not only that, but the woman also reaches a human status, when she becomes a man! A scholar is quoted to have said, "If someone wants to see a man hidden in women's clothing, let him look at Fatima."
Murata tries to explain that "by calling a woman a "man" the Sufis meant to show that she had attained to the fullness of the human state in which the soul serves the intellect, One can hardly be a perfect woman without first being perfectly human. In other words, a female human being can be fully female only when she is a "man" in the normative sense" (p. 318).
She concluded her last chapter saying "In short, if we look at the dominant qualities in most people from the point of view of the Islamic sapiential tradition, we see that they are "women," since they are passive toward the pig, the dog, and the satan. In the qualitative perspective, the fact that "women fall short in intelligence and religion," as the Prophet said, is self-evident. Intelligence and religion are the hallmarks of guidance. "Woman" in the negative sense of the term refers to someone dominated by the soul that commands to evil. By definition such a soul has turned away from guidance by following ignorance and satan. Everyone who follows satan is a "woman"" (p. 318).
In her postscript, Murata argues against those who criticize this way of thinking by saying, "They cannot grasp that the primary thrust of the discussion concerns male and female qualities, not men and women" (p. 322), as if that changes... anything?! She concludes that the heirarchy must be acknowledged and established in society (I.e dominant patriarchal society), because if the "feminine" "yin" "Taoist" (vs. Confucionist) takes over society, everything will be in shambles (p. 325).
Welp.... my head doesn't hurt any less. Nor my heart. As a female reading the commentaries of scholars, all male, it was clear to me that their interprations could be largely symbolic, using examples and defining male and female as they understood it in their time. Through this text, however, Murata tries to cement those views as legitimate and factual basis of Islam's conception of gender, which creates a very limited, narrow, and biased representation of the female in Islam.
The bulk of this book is made up of long excepts of Muslim scholars; this is base on the premise that "Our authors were sincere Muslims. As such, they put God first. Once God is first and the ego is second, certain conclusions follow" (p. 321). Murata says that in the conclusion, which I think can be a far reach. Not once does she consider that the thoughts or opinions of such scholars are based on their sociocultural understanding of male and female, but rather she takes them as Islamic truths. What do these truths entail?
Firstly of course, that women are insuffient intellectually and religiously before men. (Probably why I couldn't understand the points made!) However, she insists that we must read in between these lines, as womens' lack actually makes them better servants of God than men, who feel more superior (p. 177).
Further, commentaries of Eve being taken from Adam's ribs persist, even though this notion doesn't exist in Islam. This idea is then taken to state that a man needs a woman as a whole needs its part, and a woman needs a man as a part needs its whole (p. 181).
The book tries to demonstrate genders as yin and yang, both being able to contain both yin and yang. However, even when trying to elevate the status of women, it still becomes diminished. It is argues that the ultimate reality is female, but this must be hidden "because of the social dangers inherent in such a perspective" (196). Murata states:
"The "patriarchal" view of God is normal for the Sharia that pertains to all Muslims, but the "matriarchal" view pertains to the spiritual path, the Tariqa, so not everyone can appreciate it." (P. 208)
This ~hidden~mysterious~female~energy must be hidden and protected from the masses.... even though it is true reality and the path of the soul!
Unfortunately, it only got sickeningly worse. Ultimately, while the man is attributed to the Active Intelligence, the woman is linked with the soul enticing to evil. Not only that, but men who do not use their active intelligence become reduced to women - Murata goes on to quote commentaries of even Iblis being referred to as a woman because of his pride and ego (p. 316). Not only that, but the woman also reaches a human status, when she becomes a man! A scholar is quoted to have said, "If someone wants to see a man hidden in women's clothing, let him look at Fatima."
Murata tries to explain that "by calling a woman a "man" the Sufis meant to show that she had attained to the fullness of the human state in which the soul serves the intellect, One can hardly be a perfect woman without first being perfectly human. In other words, a female human being can be fully female only when she is a "man" in the normative sense" (p. 318).
She concluded her last chapter saying "In short, if we look at the dominant qualities in most people from the point of view of the Islamic sapiential tradition, we see that they are "women," since they are passive toward the pig, the dog, and the satan. In the qualitative perspective, the fact that "women fall short in intelligence and religion," as the Prophet said, is self-evident. Intelligence and religion are the hallmarks of guidance. "Woman" in the negative sense of the term refers to someone dominated by the soul that commands to evil. By definition such a soul has turned away from guidance by following ignorance and satan. Everyone who follows satan is a "woman"" (p. 318).
In her postscript, Murata argues against those who criticize this way of thinking by saying, "They cannot grasp that the primary thrust of the discussion concerns male and female qualities, not men and women" (p. 322), as if that changes... anything?! She concludes that the heirarchy must be acknowledged and established in society (I.e dominant patriarchal society), because if the "feminine" "yin" "Taoist" (vs. Confucionist) takes over society, everything will be in shambles (p. 325).
Welp.... my head doesn't hurt any less. Nor my heart. As a female reading the commentaries of scholars, all male, it was clear to me that their interprations could be largely symbolic, using examples and defining male and female as they understood it in their time. Through this text, however, Murata tries to cement those views as legitimate and factual basis of Islam's conception of gender, which creates a very limited, narrow, and biased representation of the female in Islam.
July 3, 2011
Not only explaining about gender symmetry in Islam, Murata also explains Taoism quite extensively. I've read this book twice already. It's definitely worth having.
April 17, 2009
Buku pertama yg bikin kepala terasa jungkir balik ^ ^
pertama kali baca buku ini pas kelas 5 SD. masa-masa dimana masih menganggap Enid Blyton adalah pengarang terkeren di dunia. masih dimabuk petualangan ala trio detektif, 5 sekawan, sapta siaga, dkk. Jadi pas baca buku ini... he... he...
Lagipula saat itu belum tau apa yang dimaskud dg Tao. pokoknya seperti berbau China gituh. dan dibaca itu pun karena warna covernya yang merah menyala :D
Baru dibaca ulang pas kelas 1 SMA. dan bukunya sangat bagus dan tidak mengerikan seperti yang semula dikira.
Seperti halnya buku Murata lainnya, buku ini bercerita tentang relasi gender dalam dunia Islam yang sering dicitrakan negatif oleh Barat. Secara jernih, runut, detail, dan mendalam, Murata dengan cemerlang mengupas sisi feminisme dalam Islam denga langsung menohok karena merujuk langsung dalam jantung teologi Islam, Tuhan Yang Esa.
Dengan cemerlangnya, Murata berhasil menghadirkan bahwa Tuhan yang disembah, bukanlah semata Tuhan Langit Yang Maha Tinggi dan Kudus, tapi juga Tuhan Bumi Yang Maha Personal dan Maha Perhatian. Mengambil sudut pandang teologi kosmik ajaran Lao Tze dg agama Tao-nya, Murata menggambarkan bahwa Tuhan bukanlah semata 'sesosok' maskulin yang Maha Kuat, Maha Kuasa, Maha Keras (azabnya), dan keMahaan maskulin lainnya. Tapi Tuhan juga bisa tampil (dan selalu) hadir dalam 'wujud' feminim. Dialah yang Maha Pemurah, Maha Penyayang, Maha Pengertian, Maha Lembut, Maha Bijaksana, dsb.
Jelas, sisi 'dualisme' ini adalah esensi utama ajaran Tao, yin dan yang.
Jarang sekali buku yang menggambarkan inti suatu agama dilihat dari sudut pandang agama lain tanpa menimbulkan bias dan kesan subjektif. Jelas Murata telah berhasil melakukannya. Dengan sangat cemerlang.
Buku yang wajib dibaca bagi mereka yang berpendapat bahwa Islam tidak berpihak pada feminisme. dan juga siapaun yang ingin mengenal Tuhan secara lebih personal dan intim. jangan sampai kita menyembah Tuhan karena takut semata, tapi kita menyembah-Nya karena kita mencintai-Nya.
pertama kali baca buku ini pas kelas 5 SD. masa-masa dimana masih menganggap Enid Blyton adalah pengarang terkeren di dunia. masih dimabuk petualangan ala trio detektif, 5 sekawan, sapta siaga, dkk. Jadi pas baca buku ini... he... he...
Lagipula saat itu belum tau apa yang dimaskud dg Tao. pokoknya seperti berbau China gituh. dan dibaca itu pun karena warna covernya yang merah menyala :D
Baru dibaca ulang pas kelas 1 SMA. dan bukunya sangat bagus dan tidak mengerikan seperti yang semula dikira.
Seperti halnya buku Murata lainnya, buku ini bercerita tentang relasi gender dalam dunia Islam yang sering dicitrakan negatif oleh Barat. Secara jernih, runut, detail, dan mendalam, Murata dengan cemerlang mengupas sisi feminisme dalam Islam denga langsung menohok karena merujuk langsung dalam jantung teologi Islam, Tuhan Yang Esa.
Dengan cemerlangnya, Murata berhasil menghadirkan bahwa Tuhan yang disembah, bukanlah semata Tuhan Langit Yang Maha Tinggi dan Kudus, tapi juga Tuhan Bumi Yang Maha Personal dan Maha Perhatian. Mengambil sudut pandang teologi kosmik ajaran Lao Tze dg agama Tao-nya, Murata menggambarkan bahwa Tuhan bukanlah semata 'sesosok' maskulin yang Maha Kuat, Maha Kuasa, Maha Keras (azabnya), dan keMahaan maskulin lainnya. Tapi Tuhan juga bisa tampil (dan selalu) hadir dalam 'wujud' feminim. Dialah yang Maha Pemurah, Maha Penyayang, Maha Pengertian, Maha Lembut, Maha Bijaksana, dsb.
Jelas, sisi 'dualisme' ini adalah esensi utama ajaran Tao, yin dan yang.
Jarang sekali buku yang menggambarkan inti suatu agama dilihat dari sudut pandang agama lain tanpa menimbulkan bias dan kesan subjektif. Jelas Murata telah berhasil melakukannya. Dengan sangat cemerlang.
Buku yang wajib dibaca bagi mereka yang berpendapat bahwa Islam tidak berpihak pada feminisme. dan juga siapaun yang ingin mengenal Tuhan secara lebih personal dan intim. jangan sampai kita menyembah Tuhan karena takut semata, tapi kita menyembah-Nya karena kita mencintai-Nya.
December 5, 2020
I just pray felicity and goodness for Mrs. Sachiko Murata in the both worlds. And leave it to the readers- especially Muslim readers- to experience this tremendous and extraordinary work by their own hearts. A whole tradition has been unearthed and explained in a manuscript for generations to come. And may God shower His blessings and closeness on our elders, the guiding lights of the Prophetic ﷺ way, and may He make us follow in their footsteps and keep on passing the Muhammadan ﷺ light onto the next generations.
April 5, 2008
It is a taoistic philosophy, a yin and a yan, to be matched to Islamic philosophy, to verify how gender to be viwed in Islam. In this point, we can see that none male nor female is more powerful. They look equal. A nice work of Murata.
August 24, 2008
The stars is not enough to rate the book
The Prophet's Path, the way of love
Only by this love you'll rise above
Like a dove that been set free
Love with longing is the key
.. [DEBU]
Great book...
The Prophet's Path, the way of love
Only by this love you'll rise above
Like a dove that been set free
Love with longing is the key
.. [DEBU]
Great book...
Read
July 27, 2008This book is great. Man to woman relation is viewed by cosmic perspective of Islamic philosophy. It's a guide book to view man to woman relation in a beautiful way. Not antagonistic as how feminism of the west has taught us.
Anyway, i'm searching this book. For those who have a copy of this back, please inform me solstance@gmail.com. I hope i can photocopy it for i really need it.
Anyway, i'm searching this book. For those who have a copy of this back, please inform me solstance@gmail.com. I hope i can photocopy it for i really need it.
July 19, 2007
read it while study in paris (van java) :p
read it in Bahasa translation
improve (in great scale!!!) my interpretation about balance in Islam world
read it in Bahasa translation
improve (in great scale!!!) my interpretation about balance in Islam world
November 1, 2010
Saya merekomendasi sekali buku The Tao Of Islam karangan Sachiko Murata Penerbit Mizan. Dalam buku inidiuraikan Allah menciptakan Makrokosmos, dan Mikrokosmos (manusia).
October 28, 2024
I was introduced to this textbook by the late, great Laleh Bakhtiar in early 2019. She recommended it to me as I was struggling to fit my faith into my life.
The book argues that questions like "What does gender signify in the worldview of Islam?" cannot be addressed "on the level of the Sharia, which simply presents human beings with a list of dos and don'ts". The author is also not interested in reviewing feminist critique of Islamic society, which often centers a Western, orientalist gaze.
Instead, this book borrows the concept of Yin & Yang from Taosist theology to reframe the investigation of gender in Islam. It re-examines passages of the Quran and the Hadith with a symbolic lens, where "man", "woman", "masculine", and "feminine" begin to take on much broader meanings than what we might literally understand them to be.
While I find this central argument of this book deeply compelling, the vast majority of the book does not argue anything at all. Long passages are spent luxuriating in Sufi text, exploring a range of different interpretations, symbolisms, sentiments... It is a relaxed read that meanders through a wide range of Sufi thought, without ever holding one against any other as The Truth.
The greatest value of this book is actually the amount of effort taken to translate Sufi writings from the greats like Al Arabi, Kashani, Abi Taleb, Rumi, etc. and to present them in these chapters in ways that seem to reflect their original intentions. These isoteric texts were, I imagine, not supposed to be used as arguments or proofs, but rather as portals to the Sufi path of cleansing one's heart. And that is how Murata presents them, like an indulgent menu of intricate interpretations for our delight.
It took me two years to finish reading this book, and some passages spoke to me more than others. This book is indeed a Sourcebook on Islamic Thought - a big, hefty textbook - within a loose framing of relevance or comparison to Yin and Yang. It will not answer literal questions about what Muslims should or shouldn't do in gender relations. It is intended to expand the reader's view of gender altogether.
I would recommend this book to any students of Sufi Islam (and isoteric religions in general), as well as to Muslims who are seeking philosophical and spiritual guidance on the topics of gender and sexuality.
The book argues that questions like "What does gender signify in the worldview of Islam?" cannot be addressed "on the level of the Sharia, which simply presents human beings with a list of dos and don'ts". The author is also not interested in reviewing feminist critique of Islamic society, which often centers a Western, orientalist gaze.
Instead, this book borrows the concept of Yin & Yang from Taosist theology to reframe the investigation of gender in Islam. It re-examines passages of the Quran and the Hadith with a symbolic lens, where "man", "woman", "masculine", and "feminine" begin to take on much broader meanings than what we might literally understand them to be.
While I find this central argument of this book deeply compelling, the vast majority of the book does not argue anything at all. Long passages are spent luxuriating in Sufi text, exploring a range of different interpretations, symbolisms, sentiments... It is a relaxed read that meanders through a wide range of Sufi thought, without ever holding one against any other as The Truth.
The greatest value of this book is actually the amount of effort taken to translate Sufi writings from the greats like Al Arabi, Kashani, Abi Taleb, Rumi, etc. and to present them in these chapters in ways that seem to reflect their original intentions. These isoteric texts were, I imagine, not supposed to be used as arguments or proofs, but rather as portals to the Sufi path of cleansing one's heart. And that is how Murata presents them, like an indulgent menu of intricate interpretations for our delight.
It took me two years to finish reading this book, and some passages spoke to me more than others. This book is indeed a Sourcebook on Islamic Thought - a big, hefty textbook - within a loose framing of relevance or comparison to Yin and Yang. It will not answer literal questions about what Muslims should or shouldn't do in gender relations. It is intended to expand the reader's view of gender altogether.
I would recommend this book to any students of Sufi Islam (and isoteric religions in general), as well as to Muslims who are seeking philosophical and spiritual guidance on the topics of gender and sexuality.
May 4, 2025
Insightful and informative, a “sourcebook” packed with references and passages from a variety of scholars and philosophers. Comparisons with Daoism are valuable and give a lot of insight into the parallels across beliefs and cultures that look at the one Truth. Sometimes the passages went on for a bit too long and there were points of discussion that did not appeal to me in the slightest, but otherwise Murata’s commentary hits the nail on the head:
“If certain Muslims evaluate "women" negatively, the problem may be that they are unable to see beyond surface appearances and elementary Islamic teachings. In recent times most Muslims, especially those involved with public affairs, have lost sight of the sapiential current of their religion. They understand something about the Sharia, and perhaps Kaläm, both of which stress God's incomparability and the yang divine names.”
“If certain Muslims evaluate "women" negatively, the problem may be that they are unable to see beyond surface appearances and elementary Islamic teachings. In recent times most Muslims, especially those involved with public affairs, have lost sight of the sapiential current of their religion. They understand something about the Sharia, and perhaps Kaläm, both of which stress God's incomparability and the yang divine names.”
January 20, 2023
Awesome ideas, really poor information architecture and writing. I learned a lot and this inspired a lot of thinking on my end, but it was a struggle to get through.
June 2, 2023
For once i felt like i could delve into gender dynamics in the hadith and Sunnah without it being clouded by some sort of post modernist ideology
very..nice...
very..nice...
February 7, 2023
It's a book that initially I was hesitant to read since it felt very technical and not easy to absorb. So it took a couple of months, and then I dove right in. And I'm reading slowly since she really packed a lot in it. It's been 8 months since I started and I'm almost finished reading it.
This book is very timely, especially in today's world, focusing on gender issues. And it's also very timely since people from all religions or no religions are attracted to the eastern traditions, including myself, before I converted to Islam.
But the reality of the verse of Qur'an in which Allah ﷻ states that He has perfected the Religion and its Islam. This book proves that all that beauty and truth you see in eastern religions is found in Islam.
And the reality is Islam is alive, and its knowledge has no limit. So dive right into your heart's content.
This book is very timely, especially in today's world, focusing on gender issues. And it's also very timely since people from all religions or no religions are attracted to the eastern traditions, including myself, before I converted to Islam.
But the reality of the verse of Qur'an in which Allah ﷻ states that He has perfected the Religion and its Islam. This book proves that all that beauty and truth you see in eastern religions is found in Islam.
And the reality is Islam is alive, and its knowledge has no limit. So dive right into your heart's content.
July 28, 2007
if you want to be understand about alternative view in gender relation in Islam you must read this book. this is a very--very--very good books for that reason. we can explore new view about cosmos constelation of micro cosmos as woman and macro cosmos as male. Sachiko Murata give me picture about gender in relate with view about yin and yang, in China cosmology. true book about the great of gender in Islam.
February 19, 2010
Sebuah buku yang coba mengangkat kembali tradisi hikmah dalam khazanah intelektual muslim, di sini penulis mencoba mengangkat kembali ajaran kuno mengenai Taoisme yang tertinggal dalam jejak Al-Quran. Sangat baik untuk para pengkaji gender (terutama kaum feminis muslim), karena disini menurut saya coba memberikan bedah alternatif ayat-ayat Quran melalui tradisi hikmah dan simbolisme puitik. Cocok juga untuk kaum spiritualis yang selalu saja berseberangan dengan kaum fuqaha (tradisi fiqh)
July 10, 2007
beraaat....
October 11, 2012
HEBAT! LENGKAP, RINCI, CEPAT DIMENGERTI... waktu itu saya sedang menulis skripsi tentang Kesadaran Spiritual... ASYIK!
April 4, 2008
Baru tau judul bahasa Inggrisnya di goodreads hehehe ketauan gak detil bacanya neh!
Read
October 14, 2008cihui !
sachiko.. sachiko..
elu emang canggih..
sachiko.. sachiko..
elu emang canggih..
Read
April 30, 2009Edisi bahasa indonesia terbitan Mizan.
Buku pemikiran pertama yang pertama kali saya punya dan baca.
Buku pemikiran pertama yang pertama kali saya punya dan baca.
Read
August 7, 2009bukunya dalam banget, untuk mengerti harus menggunakan buku pendamping, and butuh keseriusan bacanya karena terlampau kualitatif, but its good
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2010
belum baca habis....
Read
October 8, 2010this book was inspired me to more deeply in the thought of Islam.
Read
August 7, 2011not recommended
August 10, 2011
my favourite reading on gender in Islam, with Asian perspective
Read
October 10, 2011read the sheet after sheet, drag me to the more clear understanding to praise the God and Universe , so thankful mam.Schimmel..
Read
August 8, 2013this is a great book in Islam and it`s thinkers
Read
May 8, 2014i think this book is good
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews