Sufi Narratives of Intimacy

“Elegant in its prose and complex in its arguments, this book is a very significant, thoughtful contribution to an emerging tradition of engaged and self-reflective Muslim scholarship on pre-modern texts in conversation with questions, approaches, and concerns of contemporary Muslim societies. . . . Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers.” — CHOICE

“[A] pioneering study. . . [that] begins to open new vistas in the study of this complex and difficult author.” — Times Literary Supplement

“Innovative and unique. . . A groundbreaking feminist study. . . rich, original, and illuminating.” — Religion and Gender

“The most theoretically informed and conceptually innovative approach to this fascinating material to date.” — Journal of Sufi Studies

“Through an attentive reading of references to women and gender across Ibn ‘Arabi’s corpus, Shaikh uses the monumental Sufi thinker’s work to argue for a comprehensive rethinking of the gendered theological anthropology that is foundational to various systems of Muslim ethics.” — Journal of Religious Ethics

“Shaikh’s groundbreaking Sufi Narratives of Intimacy not only makes a significant contribution to the growing body of scholarship on issues of gender and Islam, but also serves as an eloquent and accessible introduction to the life and work of Muhyi al-Din ibn Arabi, unquestionably one of the most important voices in the Islamic tradition.” — American Journal of Islamic Sciences

“A very important, and . . . seminal book which should be read by anyone concerned about gender relationships, whether they are within the Islamic tradition or not.” — Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ’Arabi Society

“A revolutionary work of scholarship. Sufi Narratives of Intimacy should become the indispensable starting point for all theologically oriented studies of gender in Islam. This is a work that cannot be ignored — it should become a classic of Sufi studies.” — Vincent J. Cornell, Emory University

“Sa'diyya Shaikh has written a brilliant and exciting work of engaged scholarship that has few equals, if any. Her book — a pioneering endeavor in Islamic as well as feminist studies — is a most fruitful engagement between current Islamic feminist concerns and gender discourses of Ibn 'Arabi, a towering intellectual figure of the Sufi tradition.” — Ahmet Karamustafa, Washington University in St. Louis