The Economics of Female Piety in Early Sufism
This paper examines the economics of female piety between the third/ninth and sixth/twelfth centuries. It traces Sufi approaches to poverty and working for a living (<i>kasb</i>) as well as <i>kasb</i>’s intersection with marriage and women. Rereading Sufi and non-Sufi biogra...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/9/760 |
| _version_ | 1797517334494052352 |
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| author | Arin Salamah-Qudsi |
| author_facet | Arin Salamah-Qudsi |
| author_sort | Arin Salamah-Qudsi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper examines the economics of female piety between the third/ninth and sixth/twelfth centuries. It traces Sufi approaches to poverty and working for a living (<i>kasb</i>) as well as <i>kasb</i>’s intersection with marriage and women. Rereading Sufi and non-Sufi biographies and historiographies reveals that there were wealthy women who initiated marriage with renowned Sufis to gain spiritual blessings, and others who financially supported their husbands. While the piety of male Sufis was usually asserted through material poverty, the piety of female mystics was asserted through wealth and almsgiving. This paper examines this piety through different female kinships—whether mothers, wives or sisters. Similar to the spousal support of wives for their husbands, sisters very often acted as an impressive backup system for their Sufi brothers. Mothers, however, effected a great socio-religious impact through the cherished principles of a mother’s right to control her son and a son’s duty to venerate his mother. This devotion was often constraining financially and Sufis needed to pay attention to the financial implications while still pursuing progress on the Sufi path. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:15:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-34d6ff85ea6347deaee91b77e3b0a010 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:15:14Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-34d6ff85ea6347deaee91b77e3b0a0102023-11-22T15:04:15ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442021-09-0112976010.3390/rel12090760The Economics of Female Piety in Early SufismArin Salamah-Qudsi0Department of Arabic Language and Literature, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, IsraelThis paper examines the economics of female piety between the third/ninth and sixth/twelfth centuries. It traces Sufi approaches to poverty and working for a living (<i>kasb</i>) as well as <i>kasb</i>’s intersection with marriage and women. Rereading Sufi and non-Sufi biographies and historiographies reveals that there were wealthy women who initiated marriage with renowned Sufis to gain spiritual blessings, and others who financially supported their husbands. While the piety of male Sufis was usually asserted through material poverty, the piety of female mystics was asserted through wealth and almsgiving. This paper examines this piety through different female kinships—whether mothers, wives or sisters. Similar to the spousal support of wives for their husbands, sisters very often acted as an impressive backup system for their Sufi brothers. Mothers, however, effected a great socio-religious impact through the cherished principles of a mother’s right to control her son and a son’s duty to venerate his mother. This devotion was often constraining financially and Sufis needed to pay attention to the financial implications while still pursuing progress on the Sufi path.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/9/760<i>arfāq al-niswān</i> (women’s donations)sistersmothers<i>ḥaqq al-wālida</i> (mother’s right)povertycharity |
| spellingShingle | Arin Salamah-Qudsi The Economics of Female Piety in Early Sufism Religions <i>arfāq al-niswān</i> (women’s donations) sisters mothers <i>ḥaqq al-wālida</i> (mother’s right) poverty charity |
| title | The Economics of Female Piety in Early Sufism |
| title_full | The Economics of Female Piety in Early Sufism |
| title_fullStr | The Economics of Female Piety in Early Sufism |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Economics of Female Piety in Early Sufism |
| title_short | The Economics of Female Piety in Early Sufism |
| title_sort | economics of female piety in early sufism |
| topic | <i>arfāq al-niswān</i> (women’s donations) sisters mothers <i>ḥaqq al-wālida</i> (mother’s right) poverty charity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/9/760 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT arinsalamahqudsi theeconomicsoffemalepietyinearlysufism AT arinsalamahqudsi economicsoffemalepietyinearlysufism |