The Centrality of the Divine Feminine in Sufism

The Centrality of the Divine Feminine in Sufism
by Nur-i-Azal
25-Nov-2009
 
[Published in the Proceedings of the “2nd Annual Hawaii
International Conference on Arts & Humanities”, Honolulu, Hawaii.]
      ABSTRACT

This paper examines the concept of the Divine Feminine from the Sufi
tradition (and its roots) with questions regarding the Sufi definition of the Divine Feminine, the various techniques used to
experience it, the nature of the experiences, and the ultimate
intentions of the Islamic mystics known for engaging in such
practices. Through an investigation involving examinations of Sufi teachings that the female body is the locus of continuous theophany
of the Divine
in human beings, explorations of the cult of Prophet
Muhammad’s daughter Fatima, comparisons of Tantric philosophical
tendencies
shared by both the ancient Dravidian world and Islam,
analyses of songs chanted by a Sufi Order from Cairo, visionary
experiences of mystics from various traditions, and Islamic
techniques of sacred sex
as revealed in Hadith and Sufi erotic
poetry
, it has been gathered that Allah is, as defined by numerous
Sufis, the feminine form of the ultimate reality.

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Nur-i-Azal

Dear Yolanda,

by Nur-i-Azal on

The American national consumerist fad 'Thanksgiving' -- where the heavily subsidized poultry industry gets to dump overstock merchandise on the market on a mass scale -- is not something to celebrate. It is something to condemn. Unfortunately many Iranians in the United States have so closely identified themselves with the dominant white Anglo culture over there, that they seldom listen to what the indigenous peoples of North America have to say about the so-called Thanksgiving holiday. Imagine if the Nazis had won the war and they had enshrined a specific holiday for their 'final solution' and genocide against the Jews. That is exactly how Thanksgiving is seen by countless Native Americans, i.e. the original inhabitants of North America and the true human custodians of the Spirit of the Cactus in the Desert.

As for your questions: 1) yes, Muhammad (pbuh) actually condemned celibacy for religious reasons and there is a famous hadith where the Prophet (pbuh) explicitly states, "Let there be no monkery in Islam";  2) yes, again, there is a huge population of Sufis in Iran, and always has been. The majority of them living in the urban and some of the rural parts of Iran are associated with one or another of the established Orders (turuq), like the Ni'matullahi and its various sub-branches (i.e. Gonabadi, Safialishahi, Kowsariya, Shamsiya, etc), the Khaksar and its branches, the Qadiri and its countless sub-branches, the Naqshbandi, the Zahabiya (based mainly out of Shiraz), the MTO Shahmaghsoudi, the Ahl-i-Haqq and others. There are also countless more unaffiliated Sufis and many wandering qalandars. Even amongst some of the mullahs there is a small sub-culture that practices Sufism. In fact after the supporters of the clerical establishment, the next biggest Muslim population in Iran would actually be the Sufis.

Of course due to the fact that Sufism preaches an almost completely alternative praxis of Islam to the harsh, oppressive exoteric Islam predominantly practiced by the mullahs and their supporters, this sub-culture has been relentlessly persecuted by the establishment and its supporters -- and for centuries. For that reason many Sufis in Iran today more so than ever do not publicize their affiliations or beliefs for fear of persecution by the mullahs.


yolanda

.....

by yolanda on

Hi! Nur-i-Azal,

Thank you for inviting me to your blog! I read the article last night. Wow! It is a long article! It is interesting to know that the ka'aba is made of either lava, meteor, or basalt. For some reason, I think it is probably made of basalt 'cause Ka'aba is too big to be a meteor. My question is: Is that true that Virgin Mary's painting is on the wall inside the Ka'aba?

This sentence is from the article:

The Prophet Muhammad never advocated celibacy.

*****************

Is that really true that Muhammad never advocated celibacy?

I heard about Da Vinci Code, but I am not sure if Jesus was ever married.....

Are there a lot of Sufi Muslims in Iran?

Your blog picture is so beautiful, I saw a video yesterday with the same picture in it:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcXV4brcEaE

Take care and happy Thanksgiving!

Delaram Banafsheh (Yolanda)

"Cactus in the Desert"


Nur-i-Azal

LOVE'S AWAKENING

by Nur-i-Azal on

1

Ho, Saqi, haste, the beaker bring,

Fill up, and pass it round the ring;

Love seemed at first an easy thing --

But ah! the hard awakening.

2

So sweet perfume the morning air

Did lately from Her tresses bear,

Her twisted, musk-diffusing hair --

What heart's calamity was there!

Within life's caravansari

What brief security have I,

When momently the bell doth cry,

"Bind on your loads; the hour is nigh!"

3

Let Wine upon the prayer-mat flow,

And if the taverner bids it so;

Whose wont is on this road to go

Its ways and manners well doth know.

4

Mark now the mad career of me,

From wilfulness to infamy;

Yet how to conceal that mystery

Whereof men make such festivity?

A mountain sea, moon clouded o'er,

And nigh the whirlpool's awful roar --

How can they know our labors sore

Who pass light-burdened on the shore?

5

Hafiz, if thou wouldst win Her grace,

Be never absent from thy place;

When thou dost see the well-loved Face,

Be lost at last to time and place.