From his Mother Nūr al-Anṣāriyya to his Šayḫ Fāṭima bt. Ibn al-Muṯannā: Important Female Figures around Muḥyī l-Dīn b. al-ʿArabī (d. 638/1240)

Abstract

Muḥ yī l-Dīn b. al-ʿArabī (d. 638/1240), well known for his favorable views on woman, is of the idea that there is a very strict love-bond in the God, man and woman trinity: God created Adam/ man in His own image, and created woman on Adam/man's image. Thus, God is the waṭ an (country of origin) of Adam, and in turn Adam is the waṭ an of woman. His mother Nūr al-Anṣ āriyya, his wife Maryam and his daughter Zaynab should be regarded as the immediate important women around him. As he believed that man and woman were equal in everything, he followed both female and male šayḫ s. Ibn al-ʿArabī's esteemed female šayḫ s include Fāt ̣ima bt. Ibn al-Mut ̠annā, about whom he used the term "Divine mother;" Šams Umm al-Fuqarāʾ, and Faḫ r al-Nisāʾ bt. Rustam, a scholar and the šayḫ of Ḥ iğāz. KeywordsMuḥ yī l-Dīn b. al-ʿArabī, Nūr al-Anṣ āriyya, Fāṭ ima bt. Ibn al-Mut ̠annā, Šams Umm al-Fuqarāʾ, Faḫ r al-Nisāʾ bt. Rustam Résumé Muḥ yī l-Dīn b. al-ʿArabī (d. 638/1240), bien connu pour ses prises de position favorables aux femmes, estimait qu'il y a un strict lien amoureux au coeur de la trinité Dieu, l'homme et la femme : Dieu créa Adam/l'homme à sa propre image et créa la femme à l'image d'Adam/de l'homme. Ainsi, Dieu est le waṭ an (pays d'origine) d'Adam et, à son tour, Adam est le waṭ an de la femme. Sa mère, Nūr al-Anṣ āriyya, sa femme, Maryam, et sa fille, Zaynab, doivent être considérées comme les femmes les plus importantes de son entourage. Croyant que l'homme et la femme étaient égaux en tout, il suivit l'enseignement de maîtres (šayḫ s) hommes et femmes. Parmi les plus estimées, nous avons retenu Fāt ̣ima bt. Ibn al-Mut ̠annā, qu'il appelait « mère divine », Šams Umm al-Fuqarāʾ et Faḫ r al-Nisāʾ bt. Rustam (une lettrée qu'il qualifia de « šayḫ du Ḥ iğāz »).