The Principles of Sufism. 'A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah

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      كتاب

       المُنْتَخَب في أُصُول الرُتَب

       في علم التصوّف

      عائشة الباعونيّة

      The Principles of Sufism

      ʿĀʾishah al-Bāʿūniyyah

      edited and translated by

       Th. Emil Homerin

      NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS

       New York and London

      Table of Contents

      Letter from the General Editor

      Abbreviations

      Acknowledgments

      Introduction

      A Note on the Text

       Notes to the Introduction

       The Principles of Sufism

       The First Principle: Repentance (Tawbah)

       The Second Principle: Sincerity (Ikhlāṣ)

       The Third Principle: Remembrance (Dhikr)

       The Fourth Principle: Love (Maḥabbah)

       Epilogue on Love

      Glossary of Names and Terms

      Bibliography

      Further Reading

      About the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute

      About this E-book

      About the Editor-Translator

      Library of Arabic Literature

       Editorial Board

      General Editor

      Philip F. Kennedy, New York University

      Executive Editors

      James E. Montgomery, University of Cambridge

      Shawkat M. Toorawa, Cornell University

      Editors

      Julia Bray, University of Oxford

      Michael Cooperson, University of California, Los Angeles

      Joseph E. Lowry, University of Pennsylvania

      Tahera Qutbuddin, University of Chicago

      Devin J. Stewart, Emory University

      Managing Editor

      Chip Rossetti

      Volume Editor

      Shawkat M. Toorawa

      Letter from the General Editor

      The Library of Arabic Literature is a new series offering Arabic editions and English translations of key works of classical and premodern Arabic literature, as well as anthologies and thematic readers. Books in the series are edited and translated by distinguished scholars of Arabic and Islamic studies, and are published in parallel-text format with Arabic and English on facing pages. The Library of Arabic Literature includes texts from the pre-Islamic era to the cusp of the modern period, and will encompass a wide range of genres, including poetry, poetics, fiction, religion, philosophy, law, science, history, and historiography.

      Supported by a grant from the New York University Abu Dhabi Institute, and established in partnership with NYU Press, the Library of Arabic Literature will produce authoritative Arabic editions and modern, lucid English translations, with the goal of introducing the Arabic literary heritage to scholars and students, as well as to a general audience of readers.

      Philip F. Kennedy

       General Editor, Library of Arabic Literature

      In memory of

      Farouk Mustafa

      dedicated teacher, master translator, respected colleague,

      and a very kind man.

      “To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.”

      Thomas Campbell

      Abbreviations

Ar.	Arabic
ca.	circa, approximately
d.	died
EI	Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1st edition
EI2	Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition
EI3	Encyclopaedia of Islam Three, 3rd edition
EQ	Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān
fl.	flourished
r.	ruled

      Acknowledgments

      This project has taken shape over a number of years, and has had the support of many institutions and foundations. I am grateful for the support of the Fulbright Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Research Center in Egypt, and the University of Rochester. In Egypt, I was greatly assisted by Dār al-Kutub al-Miṣriyyah, the Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo, the American University in Cairo, and the American Research Center in Egypt. I would also like to acknowledge the dedicated work of the editors of the Library of Arabic Literature, especially Tahera Qutbuddin and Shawkat Toorawa, who proofread the entire manuscript and made valuable corrections and suggestions. I also wish to thank a number of friends and colleagues who have also graciously given me their support for this project, including Fatima Bawany, Daniel Beaumont, Kenneth Cuno, Bruce Craig, Li Guo, Aḥmad Harīdī, Carl Petry, Marlis Saleh, John Swanson, Edward Wierenga, and, with love, Nora Walter.

      Introduction

      ʿĀʾishah al-Bāʿūniyyah (d. 923/1517) was an exceptional Muslim scholar. She was a mystic, and a prolific poet and writer, composing more works in Arabic than any other woman prior to the twentieth century. In her writings, ʿĀʾishah often speaks of her abiding love for God and His prophet Muḥammad, and her quest for mystical union. These concerns are central to The Principles of Sufism, a mystical guide book that ʿĀʾishah compiled to help others on this spiritual path. Drawing lessons and readings from a centuries-old Sufi tradition, ʿĀʾishah advises the seeker to repent of selfishness and turn to a sincere life of love. Fundamental to this transformation is the recollection of both human limitations and God’s limitless love. In The Principles of Sufism, ʿĀʾishah recounts important stages and states on the path toward mystical union, as she urges her readers to surrender themselves to God and willingly accept His loving grace.

      Life

ʿĀʾishah al-Bāʿūniyyah was born