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Sufi Women 


WOW Section:

  1. I was surprised by the character of Ghufayra Al- Abida. She was blind, and when “ a man said to Ghufayra, ‘How devastating is blindness!’ To which she replied: ‘Being veiled from God is worse. And the blindness of the heart from understanding the intent of God’s commands is eve greater!” (Sufi Women, p. 39). Being blind in the modern world is difficult, even with the assistance of technology. However, Ghufayra’s relationship to God is far more greater and outweighs her blindness. This shows how religion was importance to both men and women during this time period.
  2. Unlike modern philosophy, the idea of dreams in Sufi Women were defined strictly. “It is clear how seriously dreams were taken as heralds of desinies by the early Muslim mystics. At- Tir- midhi’s record of his wife’s dreams allows us an insight into the importance assigned to dreams as instruments of spiritual teaching” (Sufi Women, p. 71). In the writing, dreams are a method of connection between the Gods and the followers, which is way less complicated than modern philosophy.

HUH Section:

  1. I was confused by the character of Sha’wana and the fact that “she was so impressed with her own limitations in regard to God and her longing for union with her Creator that she would continually weep. Still, in the midst of her weeping, she would conduct gatherings of lovers of God” (Sufi, Women, p. 7). I don’t understand why she would weep all the time longing for union with her Creator, even if religions direct the followers that the Creators are in their heart. I also don’t know why if she was such a devoted religious follower, why God never sent a messenger to direct her so she weeps less for the benefit of herself.
  2. Sufi Women mentioned that dreams “represent a hierarchical distinction between those who worship God externally and those who worship God both externally and internally” (Sufi Women, p. 13). Does this mean that religion defines a person’s fate, and God is selfish that they choose whoever worship more to be favored in life? Wouldn’t that mean the characteristic of this religion is based on the selfishness of the Gods? Surely, this lessened the barriers between women and men, and generated equal power, but is God essential for breaking such barriers?

Critical Questions:

  1. Does God create equality?
  2. Does God reflect pain on people for the purpose of enjoyment or improvement?