Books - Short Introduction: The Principles of Sufism by 'A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah

Raziuddin Aquil 

Here is "a masterful, elegant and readable" guide to Sufism by a female Sufi master of Damascus, 'A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah (died 1517). The book was originally written in Arabic: al-Muntakhab fi usul al-rutab fi 'ilm al-tasawwuf / Selections on the Principles of the Stations in the Science of Sufism. In short, The Principles of Sufism, emphasises on repentance (tauba), sincerity (ikhlas), remembrance (zikr), and love (muhabbat) as key elements in the Sufi path for mystical union with God. 

It draws on important and interesting insights from selections of teachings and anecdotes from the Quran, traditions relating to the Prophet, Quranic commentaries and lives of Sufi masters. Daughter of the chief judge of Damascus, Shafi'i jurist Yusuf al-Ba'uni (died 1475), whose family was related to an important branch of Qadiri silsila, 'A'ishah was trained as a Sufi master in her own right and was much respected for not only her mystical compositions, but also for piety and charisma.

The effortless and accessible English translation of the short treatise on Sufism is done by Professor Th. Emil Homerin of the Department of Religion and Classics, University of Rochester. He has previously also translated 'A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah's another work in English: Emanations of Grace: The Mystical Verse of 'A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah.

That a woman mystic could express her spiritual experiences in writing and command respect as an accomplished Sufi master in the fifteenth- and early-sixteenth-century once again indicates Islam's first millennium was not yet a lost case, compared to what we are faced with in the last couple of centuries.