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vivacissimx's review
informative
fast-paced
An attempt at biography and contextualization of the freedwoman Rabia al-Basri, a famous Sufi ascetic— understandably light on the biography because of the limited surviving sources regarding her. There is a certain explanation of Sufiism's development as it relates to syncretizing Islam with certain Catholic & Buddhist practices (moreso the former) but seems blind to the influence of Persianization in the region despite freely touching on the subject of Persia's formidable poetry tradition. The first (on Rabia herself) and second (on Sufi philosophy) sections were the ones I spent the most time. The third (on women in the first several centuries after the revelation of Islam) was the most 'entertaining' story-wise but clearly where the author was most out of her depth and hearkened back to Orientalist tropes for support. For people interested in gender developments under Muslim I recommend <em>Women, Islam, and Abbasid Identity</em> by Nadia Maria El-Cheikh. There are others on the subject of Gender In/And IslamTM but I found that one really fantastic.
zerofactorial's review against another edition
2.0
This certainly reads like a PhD dissertation, which it was. The first third, detailing everything known about Rabia's life, is very beneficial and beautiful. The second third, a general overview of Sufi doctrine, is interesting but offers no particularly unique insight. The third third, an overview of women saints in Islam, is orientalist and upsetting; the sections are incohesive; some are incredibly boring, many are flatly incorrect and harmful. I highly recommend the first third, suggest perusal of the second if you're interested, but would encourage you to abandon ship by the third section.