Rabi'a The Mystic and her Fellow-Saints in Islam: Being the Life and Teachings of Rabi'a al-Adawiyya Al-Qaysiyya of Basra together with some account of the place of the Women Saints in Islam

by Margaret Smith

For centuries there has been fascination, within and beyond the Islamic world, with the mystical teachings of Sufism, and with the role of the Islamic 'saints' whose life and work were important to Islamic theology. Margaret Smith's classic work, Rabi'a the Mystic, describes the teaching, life and times of one of the great women of the Islamic tradition, Rabi'a of Basra. This study has never been bettered. It is now reissued unchanged, but with a new introduction by Professor Annemarie Schimmel. This emphasises the importance of the book - and of Rabi'a herself - and questions of major importance the nature of mystical belief and experience, the Sufi tradition, and the role of women in the Islamic world.

Genres: Islam, Religion, Biography

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Margaret Smith (1884–1970) was a British orientalist specializing in comparative religion and Sufism.

Reviews

[Rahim Manji · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine book on the woman Sufi saint, Rabia-al-Adiwaaya. I picked it up (and liked it) for it's non-traditional topic; before this book, I hadn't though deeply about Islamic mysticism, nor had I realized that women saints existed in Islam. Would have preferred that the book focus more exclusively on her life and work, instead of branching to numerous Sufi saints and their work. That is to say, I think the breadth came at the expense of depth. Nonetheless, for people who are unacquanited with the exoteric branches of Islam, this is a good and educational book -

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and inspiring.

[Leyla 🤎🧸🫧 · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5

[NZ]

An attempt at biography and contextualization of the freedwoman Rabia al-Basri, a famous Sufi ascetic— understandably light on the biography because of the limited surviving sources regarding her. There is a certain explanation of Sufiism's development as it relates to syncretizing Islam with certain Catholic & Buddhist practices (moreso the former) but seems blind to the influence of Persianization in the region despite freely touching on the subject of Persia's formidable poetry tradition. The first (on Rabia herself) and second (on Sufi philosophy) sections were the ones I spent the most time. The third (on women in the first several centuries after the revelation of Islam) was the most 'entertaining' story-wise but clearly where the author was most out of her depth and hearkened back to Orientalist tropes for support. For people interested in gender developments under Muslim I recommend Women, Islam, and Abbasid Identity by Nadia Maria El-Cheikh. There are others on the subject of Gender In/And IslamTM but I found that one really fantastic.

[C F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though a little outdated, this foundational and hagiographic study of Rabi’a is intriguing and an essential read for anyone interested in Islamic mysticism, generally, and Muslim women, specifically.

[Julia Carrigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This certainly reads like a PhD dissertation, which it was. The first third, detailing everything known about Rabia's life, is very beneficial and beautiful. The second third, a general overview of Sufi doctrine, is interesting but offers no particularly unique insight. The third third, an overview of women saints in Islam, is orientalist and upsetting; the sections are incohesive; some are incredibly boring, many are flatly incorrect and harmful. I highly recommend the first third, suggest perusal of the second if you're interested, but would encourage you to abandon ship by the third section.

[Daune Robinson Calovini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smith does a great job of compiling all the hagiographical stories of Rabi'a from the Sufi tradition. She spends more time on her sources and citations than she does on the actual biography, but I like how she divides the book into biography, Rabi'a's theology and then, the women in Islam who were obviously influenced by her. Not at all the nurturing type personality I expected from someone that an early biographer called "a second Mary." I was inspired, though.

[Fahad Khan]

asad

[Abcd]

good