Rabi'a from narrative to myth : the many faces of Islam's most famous woman saint, Rabi'a al-'Adawiyya / Rkia Elaroui Cornell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cornell, Rkia Elaroui, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Muslim women saints.

Rābiʻah al-ʻAdawīyah, -801?.

Rābiʻah al-ʻAdawīyah.

Physical Description:

xiv, 402 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

London : Oneworld Academic, 2019.

Summary:

"Rabi'a al-'Adawiyya is a figure shrouded in myth. Certainly a woman by this name was born in Basra, Iraq, in the eighth century, but her life remains recorded only in legends, stories, poems and hagiographies. The various depictions of her--as a deeply spiritual ascetic, an existentialist rebel and a romantic lover--seem impossible to reconcile, and yet Rabi'a has transcended these narratives to become a global symbol of both Sufi and modern secular culture. In this groundbreaking study, Rkia Elaroui Cornell traces the development of these diverse narratives and provides a history of the iconic Rabi'a's construction as a Sufi saint. Combining medieval and modern sources, including evidence never before examined, in novel ways, Rabi'a from narrative to myth is the most significant work to emerge on this quintessential figure in Islam for more than seventy years"--Publisher's website.

Contents:

Introduction: Rabi'a, "the woman who never dies"

Rabi'a the teacher

Rabi'a the ascetic

Rabi'a the lover

Rabi'a the Sufi

Rabi'a the icon (I) : the Sufi image

Rabi'a the icon (II) : the secular image

Epilogue: Rabi'a the myth and the narrative.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 379-393) and index.

ISBN:

9781786075215

1786075210

OCLC:

1035135590

Publisher Number:

99980047897