The Principles of Sufism. 'A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah
alluded to in the Qurʾān (Q Aʿrāf 7:172):
«And when your Lord drew from the loins of the children of Adam their progeny and made them bear witness against themselves: “Am I not your Lord?”; They said, “Indeed, yes! We so witness . . . ”»
ʿĀʾishah al-Bāʿūniyyah, Ibn al-Fāriḍ, and many other Sufis believed that God called forth humanity to take this covenant prior to creation, thus bringing about the original loving encounter between the divine spirit within each human being, and God. Recollection of this moment is thought to result in the annihilation of selfishness and the spirit’s return to abide lovingly in God’s oneness.
The Principles of Sufism
In her verse, ʿĀʾishah al-Bāʿūniyyah often alludes to Sufi teachings, which she attempts to elucidate in her prose writings on Sufism. Those of her works that survive give us an idea of the mystical influences on her, which include al-Nawawī’s (d. 676/1277) book on prayer, The Book of Recollections (Kitāb al-Adhkār); al-Jurjānī’s (d. 816/1413) Sufi lexicon, The Book of Definitions (Kitāb al-Taʿrīfāt), and al-Anṣārī’s (d. 481/1089) spiritual guidebook, Stages for the Wayfarers (Manāzil al-sāʾirīn). Additional important sources for ʿĀʾishah’s mystical ideas and teachings are most readily apparent in the Sufi guidebook she composed entitled al-Muntakhab fī uṣūl al-rutab fī ʿilm al-taṣawwuf. Loosely rendered as The Principles of Sufism, a more exact translation is Selections on the Principles of the Stations in the Science of Sufism. “Selections” refers to ʿĀʾishah’s many quotations that form the basis of this book, drawn from the Qurʾān, hadith collections, Qurʾānic commentaries, spiritual guidebooks, hagiographies, and mystical epistles by earlier Sufi masters, including al-Kalābādhī (d. 380/995), al-Sulamī (d. 412/1021), and especially, al-Qushayrī (d. 465/1074). ʿĀʾishah also quotes a number of later Sufi authorities, including Ibn al-ʿArīf (d. 536/1141), ʿUmar al-Suhrawardī (d. 632/1234), and Ibn ʿAṭāʾ Allāh al-Iskandarī (d. 709/1309).
In the Principles of Sufism, ʿĀʾishah compares Sufism to a tree with many branches, yet having four essential roots or principles: repentance (tawbah), sincerity (ikhlāṣ), recollection (dhikr), and love (maḥabbah). She discusses each principle in detail in separate sections, beginning each section with relevant verses from the Qurʾān, along with Sufi commentaries on them. She then quotes a number of prophetic traditions, carefully noting her sources in most instances, demonstrating once again her extensive religious education and erudition. Next, ʿĀʾishah cites aphorisms by early Muslim forbearers (salaf), and then sayings, teachings, and stories of later Sufi masters. ʿĀʾishah concludes each section by integrating this material with her own observations on the subject and poetic verses inspired by God.
Throughout The Principles of Sufism, ʿĀʾishah al-Bāʿūniyyah follows in the classical Sufi tradition by stressing God’s omnipotence, while affirming that the all-powerful God is also all-merciful and forgiving. A person seeking God’s favor must repent and discipline selfish human nature, so that God’s grace may be seen within the heart. Then, the believer can cultivate a sincere devotional life to God and serve humanity based on love. An essential means to attain and maintain a religious life of love is remembrance of God. ʿĀʾishah quotes God’s vow in the Qurʾān (Q Baqarah 2:152): «Remember Me, and I will remember you,» urging the seeker to pray and remember God often. In the Sufi tradition, remembrance also refers to the practice of meditation on God, which may lead to mystical union with Him. ʿĀʾishah regards remembrance as both a process and a mystical state. As a process, remembrance of God is a way to purify oneself of selfishness and hypocrisy, and a means to ward off Satan. As a mystical state, remembrance differs in its effects depending on the believer’s spiritual level; common people are calmed and blessed by praising God, while religious scholars who think about God gain theological insight into His nature. By contrast, the practice of remembrance among the spiritually advanced mystics leads to their purification and a tranquil state in God. For a powerful remembrance, ʿĀʾishah recommends that seekers recite and meditate on the declaration of faith found in the Qurʾān (Muḥammad 47:19): There is no deity but God!»11
In The Principles of Sufism, ʿĀʾishah singles out verses from the Qurʾān and traditions from Muḥammad regarding God’s love of humanity and His promise to forgive the sins of those who repent. ʿĀʾishah urges all sincere believers to love God, His prophet Muḥammad, and fellow believers. Significantly, for those graced by God, this love will eradicate selfishness and even the sense of self, as God overwhelms them in union with Him. ʿĀʾishah reinforces this point with a saying popular among the Sufis known as the “Tradition of Willing Devotions”:
God said, “My servant draws near to Me by nothing more loved by Me than the religious obligations that I have imposed upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me by acts of willing devotion such that I love him. Then, when I love him, I become his ear, his eye, and his tongue; his heart and reason; his hand and support.”12
ʿĀʾishah states that love is God’s greatest secret; it is an endless sea without a shore which many people and religions of the past have tasted, but none more so than the most blessed of all creation, the prophet Muḥammad, and his spiritual, saintly descendants (awliyāʾ, lit. “protected friends”). God has transformed them and all those He loves by means of a mystical experience beyond description. Their hearts then become places of spiritual vision where the truth of the divine essence is revealed. As love draws seekers ever closer to their divine Beloved, God bestows His love as an act of unearned grace. Ultimately, the lovers lose all sense of self when the truth of oneness appears, and their mystical death leads them to the bliss of eternal life, as ʿĀʾishah declares in verse at the end of The Principles of Sufism,
God looked with favor on a folk,
so they stayed away
from worldly fortunes.
In love and devotion, they worshipped Him;
they surrendered themselves
with the best intention.
They gave themselves up to Him
and passed away from existence
with nothing left behind.
Then with kindness and compassion,
He turned to them
and revealed to them His essence.
And they lived again
gazing at that living face
as His eternal life appeared.
A Note on the Text
This Arabic edition and English translation of The Principles of Sufism are based on al-Muntakhab fī uṣūl al-rutab fī ʿilm al-taṣawwuf, manuscript 318 (Taṣawwuf Taymūr) in Cairo’s Dār al-Kutub al-Miṣriyyah, and dated 1071/1661. ʿĀʾishah’s writings have been carefully read and copied in Arabic for centuries, and so they deserve a reasonable counterpart in English. Further, when translating her verse, I have been concerned not only with a poem’s form and content, but also with its tones, moods, and deeper meanings. Toward this end, my own method of translation generally follows that laid out by Robert Bly in The Eight Stages of Translation.13 All translations, including of the Qurʾān, are my own. Dates are generally cited in their Islamic Ḥijrī year followed by their Common Era equivalent: e.g., 923/1517.
Notes to the Introduction
| 1 | This account of the life and work of ʿĀʾishah al-Bāʿūniyyah is drawn from Homerin, “Living Love,” 211–16, and Emanations, 11–27. |
| 2 |
ʿĀʾishah al-Bāʿūniyyah, Mawrid, 104–5; also quoted |