Book & Author
Professor Dr Annemarie Schimmel: My Soul Is a Woman — The Feminine in Islam
By Dr Ahmed S. Khan
Chicago, IL

 

Professor Dr. Annemarie Schimmel (1922-2003) was one of the 20th century’s most acclaimed scholars, who dedicated more than fifty years of her life, to explain Islam to the West and in the process shattered various myths and stereotypes that were promoted by the colonial era orientalists. She was a seeker of truth and wisdom. She traveled all over the Muslim world and Pakistan to understand Muslims and Islam and the messages of mystical poetry of Sufi saints.

Two factors distinguish Professor Schimmel’s scholarship from her contemporary Orientalists. First, she had an apolitical approach to scholarly inquiry. Unlike other orientalists who projected a distorted image of Muslims and Islam because of their use of the political and colonial lens, she never incorporated politics into her scholarly ventures. Second, she believed in a holistic approach to scholarly inquiry. In contrast to her contemporary orientalists, Professor Schimmel, in explaining Islam, took time to comprehend the culture, language and traditions of many Islamic societies, before arriving at the conclusion of a scholarly inquiry. Thus, she was successful in explaining Islam to the West in an unbiased manner.

Annemarie Schimmel was born on April 7, 1922, in Erfurt, Germany. She graduated from high school at 15 and completed a doctorate in Arabic and Islamic Studies at 19. After completing her second doctorate, in comparative religion, she began teaching Persian and Arabic poetry at the University of Marburg in Germany. Later, she served as professor of religious studies at the University of Ankara, Turkey (1954-59). During her stay in Turkey her translation of Rumi’s poetry furthered her interest in Allama Iqbal. On the insistence of her Turkish friends, she translated ‘Jawednama’ into Turkish. This led to her first visit to Pakistan in 1958, which opened a new door in her scholarship and inquiry that ultimately took her to Harvard University. During her tenure at Harvard (1967-1992) as professor emerita of Indo-Muslim Culture in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Department, she authored volumes of articles and more than eighty books covering a wide spectrum of topics and issues related to Islamic Studies, Sufism, Iqbal, and Rumi. Professor Schimmel left behind an intellectual legacy, in the form of her writings and lectures that will continue to provide a bridge of understating between the East and the West.

After retiring from Harvard in 1992, she went back to Bonn, and spent most of her time lecturing and writing. Professor Schimmel was a sought-after speaker. She had a unique style of lecturing; she would clinch her purse with both hands, close her eyes, and deliver her lectures with precision during the allocated time. She used to say that she could lecture without a manuscript in German, English and Turkish, or with a manuscript (and open eyes) in French, Arabic, Persian, and Urdu. Professor Schimmel’s scholarship served as a bridge between the East and the West, cultures and religions. She once observed that her lifelong intellectual goal was "to awake understanding for Islam," arguing that "Islam was among the most misunderstood religions."

In My Soul Is a Woman — The Feminine in Islam Professor Dr Annemarie Schimmel examines a much-distorted aspect of Islam — the role of women. Professor Schimmel is critical of those especially Western feminists — who take Islam to task — without taking the time to comprehend the cultures, language, and traditions of the many societies where Islam is the majority religion. In her narrative she shatters the stereotypes by reconstructing an important but little-known chapter of Islamic spirituality. With ample examples, she shows the clear equality of women and men in the conception of Prophet Muhammad [pbuh], the Qur’an, the feminine language of the mystical tradition, and in the role of holy mothers and unmarried women as manifestations of God. The book was originally published in German under the title Meine Seele ist eine Frau: Das Weibliche im Islam. Susan H. Ray has done an excellent job of translating it into English.

The book has twelve chapters covering an array of topics that include Women and the Prophet [pbuh], Women in Sufism, Women in the Qur’an and in the Tradition, Woman or ‘Man of God’: The Education of the Soul (nafs), The Old Woman, The Mothers, Woman as Manifestation of God, Woman-Souls in Indo-Pakistani Poetry, Sassi’s Wanderings, Sohni Mehanwal, and Omar Marui. The work is embedded with brilliant quotes from Arabic, Turkish, Persian texts — illustrating how physical love can give expression to the highest forms of mysticism.

In the preface, the author reflecting on the background of the book observes: “The number of books dealing with women in Islam is growing by leaps and bounds: sociological studies are under way, medical problems are being examined, and the positive as well as negative aspects of the harem are under investigation. Works about Arabic and Turkish woman rulers are being researched and written, not to mention those relating to sexual problems and the raising of children. In short, the topic of ‘the woman in Islam’ is now in vogue. Feminists particularly are eagerly trying their hand at it, albeit very frequently without sufficient knowledge of the historical facts and, even worse, to a great extent ignorant of Islamic languages and literatures. Wiebke Walther's impressive study Women in Islam still provides a solid foundation for further research. Nor should we omit Sachiko Murata's thought-provoking work The Tao of Islam, which examines the relations between the sexes in Islam from the standpoint of a scholar widely read in Islamic Jurisprudence as well as its mysticism.”

Expounding further on the background of the book, the author states: “My intention with this book is not to suddenly join the stream of feminist criticism but rather to explore a new approach, one that, I hope, will lead to a better understanding of the woman's role in Islamic mysticism. In the early 1950s Professor Friedrich Heiler, a specialist in the history of religion, held regularly scheduled courses and seminars on the position of women in various religions. I had the opportunity to work very closely with him, and thus owe many new insights to his stimulating discussions. It was partly the influence of Professor Heiler, then, and partly because of personal reasons that I published a number of research articles on the woman's place in Sufism in the early 1950s. This topic, initially and very capably presented by Margaret Smith in her standard work on the great Rabia (Rabia the Mystic and her Fellow Saints in Islam [1928]), was a source of unending fascination for me—not only because of its literary importance but also because I had the personal good fortune of becoming acquainted with saintly and mystical women leaders in the Islamic world in the course of visiting the graves of such, often legendary, women in Turkey, India, and Pakistan. To one of them, the Turkish mystical writer Samiha Ayverdi (1906 -1993), this book is dedicated in gratitude; I am indebted to her for many invaluable insights.”

Discussing the role of women viz a viz Sufism, the author notes: “All classical works and all Sufis, however, eagerly admit that the central figure in the early history of Sufism was a woman by the name of Rabia al-Adawiyya. Tradition has it that it was she who first introduced the element of absolute love of God into the strictly ascetic Sufism of the eighth century. She deserves her place of honor in the history of Islamic mystical love. It was Rabia about whom people said: ‘When a woman walks in the way of God, she cannot be called a 'woman.' ‘ Such a woman, tradition never tires of reminding us, is a ‘man,’ and the use of the word ‘man’(rajul in Arabic, mard in Persian, er in Turkish) represents an additional difficulty in understanding the role of women in the theory and practice of mysticism.”

Expounding on ‘Women and the Prophet [pbuh]’ the author cites a hadith and presents the special place of Hazrat Khadija [RA]: ‘God has made dear to me from your world women and, fragrance, and the joy of my eyes is in prayer.’ This saying of the Prophet Muhammad [pbuh] has been quoted a number of times now— so how is it possible that Islam should have come to be known as a religion with a negative view of women? And yet, over the centuries and under the influence of growing legalistic and ascetic movements, the woman in Islam has been relegated to a position far removed from the one she knew and enjoyed during the times of the Prophet [pbuh] and his successors. This is why it is impossible to overestimate the role the Prophet's [pbuh] first wife, Khadija [RA], played in defining the woman's place in Islam. This widowed merchant woman was already the mother of several children when she proposed marriage to her significantly younger co-worker Muhammad [pbuh] and subsequently bore his children. She was also the one who consoled and supported him after his first visions and auditions and who convinced him that the revelations he experienced in the cave at Mount Hira during his meditations were not of demonic but rather of divine origin. Khadija [RA] rightfully bears the honorary titles Mother of Believers and The Best of Women, khair un-nisa (the latter still a favorite name for women). Modern Muslims, including a majority of women Muslims, repeatedly stress her essential contribution to the early history of Islam. She loved Muhammad [pbuh] deeply…”
Discussing ‘Women in Sufism,’ the author observes: “…in the early 1630s the oldest daughter of the Mogul emperor Shah Jahan (ruled 1628-1658), Princess Fatima Jahanara, was initiated into the mystical path along with her younger brother, the heir apparent Dara Shikoh. These royal children were inspired by the saint Mian Mir in Lahore (d. 1635) ... The princess made such progress along the path that her actual master, Mian Mir's successor Molla Shah (d. 1661), would have named her his successor if the rules of the order would have allowed such a thing…The order into which Fatima Jahanara and her brother had been initiated was the Qadiriyya. In the fourteenth century, this order, founded in the twelfth century in Iraq, was established in the subcontinent, first in southern India and then later in the Punjab. However, the Mogul family usually preferred the Indian Chishtiyya order, and it was in keeping with this tradition that the princess made a pilgrimage to Ajmer after recuperating from severe burns. In this she was following the example set by her great grand-father Akbar. To this day, Ajmer in Rajastan remains the center of the Chishtiyya order, whose founder, Muinuddin Chishti, is buried there…As patroness of mystical literature, Jahanara either ordered translations of many works of classical literature or had them explained by commentaries. Her niece Zeb un-Nisa (d. 1689), the daughter of her strictly orthodox brother Aurangzeb (who had Dara Shikoh executed), was also inclined to mysticism and poetry, while the other daughters of the emperor made a name for themselves by giving gifts and alms to the mystics of Delhi.”
Reflecting on the relationship between love and shame, the author notes: “’Love is the abandonment of shame’ says an ancient Sufi proverb, and Sohni says the same through the mouth of Shah Abdul Latif:

Reason, religion and shame—
love has conquered all three!
After all, the loving one, the loving soul, stands beyond the pale of external norms.”

Reflecting about pious women, the author cites Nizamuddin Auliya: “ ‘When a wild lion leaves the jungle and enters an inhabited area, no one asks: 'Is it male or female?' for all the children of Adam, men as well as women, are called to piety and to the service of God.’…That means, the concepts ‘man’ and ‘woman’ are earthly, bound to the ephemeral form made of dust, whereas the soul has nothing to do with dust.”
Expounding on ‘Women in the Qur’an and in the Tradition,’ the author states: “The Qur’an speaks of ‘pious and believing women,’ muminat, muslimat, and even mentions them in the same breath with pious and believing men; moreover, these women are expected to perform the same religious duties as the men are…The woman's position as depicted in the Qur’an is a definite improvement over conditions existing in pre-Islamic Arabia. Women were now able to retain and make their own decisions about the property they either brought with them into or earned during their marriage and were now permitted, for the first time, to inherit…The Qur’an mentions only one woman by her actual name. This is Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus, who is highly revered in Islam. As one tradition has it, she will be the first to enter paradise. It was for her that the dried up palm tree bore sweet dates as she clung to it during the labors of childbirth, and her newborn infant testified to her purity (Sura 19:24, 30-33). She is the silent, humble soul who would deserve special and extensive study.”

Discussing the honor and pivotal role of ‘The Mothers,’ the author observes: “The Qur’an exhorts believers to honor their parents as long as they live (Sura 17:23). But the sayings of the Prophet [pbuh] emphasize a person's duties toward his or her parents even more strongly: ‘Be good to your parents, for only then will your children be good to you, and be yourselves chaste, for then your wives will be chaste.’ Although both parents are to be honored and respected, the mother is the one on whom her children should lavish their love, for ‘paradise lies at the feet of the mothers.’ According to one tale, a youth came to the Prophet [pbuh] and asked: ‘Who is most deserving of my love and care?’ The Prophet [pbuh] answered: ‘Your mother!’ ‘And the next most deserving?’ ‘Your mother!’ ‘And the third?’ The Prophet [pbuh] replied: ‘Your mother!’ And Rumi’s Mathnawi (M VI, 3257) reminds us: ‘[Since] a mother's tenderness derives from God, it's a sacred duty and a worthy task to serve her.’”

Expounding further on the theme of ‘The Mothers,’ the author notes: “Every created being from minerals to man is basically a mother, for each brings forth something better from its encounter with a higher power, just as fire is engendered by the union of iron and stone. Every human act in which the active and the passive elements unite is considered a conception, and this sequence of conception and birth permeates all aspects of existence, including the union of the primordial pen with the primordial tablet. This is why even the Turkish language can call a poem that was ‘engendered; by a sudden act of inspiration a dogus, which is to say, a ‘birth’ or ‘something born,’ for, as Rumi knows, ‘whatever exists is a mother; and yet, each one is ignorant of the pains of the other’ (M III 3562).”

Advising the historians, the author observes: “Historians of religion should continue to observe the rule that requires ideal be compared with ideal, reality with reality. That's why I believe a careful study of the image of women in Islamic literature can help us better appreciate these ideals. Neither lascivious harem eroticism nor popular anecdotes about the cunning of womankind have determined the culture of Islam. Those who read the classical works of the Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and especially the Indo-Muslim world with an open eye and an open mind—and this includes works in Urdu, Sindhi, Panjabi, and other languages—will arrive at a completely different image from the one they are likely to find ‘on the street,’ as it were.”

Reflecting on her learning experience via camaraderie with Muslim women, the author states: “And during the many years in which I have shared the friendship of Muslim women, I have learned a great deal about these deeper levels. Perhaps one such insight can help set some of the prejudices aright, at least to a certain extent; after all, there ought to exist no difference between man and woman in the realm of spiritual life. As Jami says of the great Rabia,

If all women were like the one we have mentioned,
then women would be preferred to men.
For the feminine gender is no shame for the sun,
nor is the masculine gender an honor for the moon.”

My Soul Is a Woman — The Feminine in Islam is a masterpeice of Professor Dr Annemarie Schimmel’s schoalrship. She has examained the Feminine in Islam with the help of an extensive literature survey and numerious examples. It is a wonderful book for all interested in Islam, Qur’an, Hadith, Sufism, Sufi poetry and culture. Book chapters — representing different themes — can be incorporated in curricula for various social science programs.

Professor Schimmel’s illuminating scholarship has opened up new avenues of understanding for all seekers of truth and wisdom. Today, the world needs scholars like Professor Dr Schimmel who can build intellectual bridges to promote global peace, harmony, and coexistence.

(Dr Ahmed S. Khan - dr.a.s.khan@ieee.org - is a Fulbright Specialist Scholar, 2017-2022)