Appealing to Sufis

From Islamic Studies to Gender-Focused Sufism

Abstract

For a few decades, Muslim women’s feminist engagement has widely spread throughout the world. To achieve gender equality, some feminist scholars of Sufism seek to reinforce their arguments by referring to prominent Sufis, such as Rābiʿah al-ʿAdawīyah and Ibn ʿArabī. While Rābiʿah, a female Sufi, is respected by male Sufis, Ibn ʿArabī, one of the most influential Sufi thinkers, demonstrates a unique idea about the relationship between men and women. In the formation of such discourse, these feminist scholars have considered Sufism from a gender perspective—that of gender-focused Sufism. In other words, Sufi studies have expanded the horizon of understanding Sufi thought. Moreover, some Muslim feminist scholars have attempted to bring about reform at the level of Islamic law based on the discourses of gender-focused Sufism. Here, gender-focused Sufism is discussed not only in the context of academic study but also in that of Islamic practice. I argue that the academic study of Sufism also constitutes part of the discursive tradition of Sufism.