Yes, I know A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya. Here is a summary:

• A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya was a poetess and Muslim mystic who lived in the 16th century in the Cairo region of Egypt.
• She is considered one of the greatest poetesses of Arabic literature. Her poems often deal with mystical themes and divine love.
• She founded a Sufi order for women, which was very rare at the time for women. Her disciples were called “the sisters of purity.”
• Her most famous poems are a series of 7 mystical love poems dedicated to the Prophet Muhammad. They are known as the “Seven Odes.”
• She also wrote a commentary on the Quran considered innovative for the time and which was celebrated.

A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya was an inspiring figure, who defied the norms of her time for women. Her poetic and mystical heritage remains influential.

Here are more details about A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya’s life:

• She was born in 1517 in Cairo into a cultured family. Her father was a Muslim scholar.
• From a very young age, she showed a talent for poetry and an interest in Sufi mysticism. She studied theology, Muslim law, and literature.
• Around the age of 20, she dedicated herself entirely to mystical poetry and became a disciple of Sufi sheikhs. She was initiated into several Sufi orders.
• Around 1570, she founded her own Sufi circle for women. She gave lectures on the Quran and taught spiritual practices to her female disciples.
• Her poems and teaching earned her great fame in Cairo. She had disciples coming from different regions.
• However, some orthodox ulamas reproached her for teaching Sufism to women. But she persevered despite the criticism.
• She died in 1580 in Cairo. Her disciples preserved her poetic and mystical heritage. Her poems are still studied today.

Yes, according to biographical accounts, A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya is said to have had a profound spiritual experience of mystical awakening:

• Around the age of 40, after years of intense spiritual practices, she is said to have reached a state of fana (annihilation of the ego) which allowed her to access mystical union (unio mystica).
• This mystical experience is described as a spiritual encounter and an intimate communion with God, where she felt “intoxicated by the absolute.”
• After this, she is said to have reached a state of baqa (subsistence in God) marking a definitive awakening of her consciousness.
• This awakening is reflected in her poetry, where she expresses with strong lyricism her burning thirst for union with the divine and describes states of ecstatic rapture.
• Her poems of the “Seven Odes” celebrating mystical love for the Prophet are considered an expression of her spiritual realization.
• A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya is thus seen as an accomplished mystic who attained the highest degrees of sainthood in the Sufi tradition. Her journey continues to inspire many spiritual seekers today.

According to the available biographical sources, there is no mention that A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya was ever married or had children.

Several elements suggest she remained unmarried and childless her entire life:

• She dedicated herself to spirituality and mystical poetry from a very young age, which was her dominant passion.
• She founded a Sufi circle reserved for women, which implies she herself was unmarried. Married women would have had difficulty participating.
• No source mentions a husband or children at her side during her life. Her spiritual commitment seems to have been exclusive.
• Coming from a cultured family that encouraged female scholarship, she may have deliberately chosen to remain unmarried to devote herself to her work.
• Celibacy was seen favorably in certain Sufi circles, as it allowed one to devote oneself entirely to divine love.

Therefore, even if it cannot be stated with certainty, it is very likely that A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya led a solitary life, without marital or filial ties, in order better devote herself to her spiritual quest.

Here are some short translated excerpts of poems by A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya:

“O you whom I love, whenever I think of you, my heart exults with joy. The love of you is my dwelling place, O beloved of my soul.”

“My soul aspires to union with you, O my beloved. When will you come to quench my burning thirst?”

“I thirst for you O source of life, quench me with the water of your grace. I am enamored of your face O you the most beautiful of all creatures.”

“My heart is filled with the love of the Beloved, of this love which intoxicates me night and day.”

“O you whom I adore, I am consumed by the love I have for you. Grant me the favor of beholding your face even for an instant.”

These excerpts show the ardent mysticism of A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya, her thirst for union with the divine, recurring themes that made her Sufi poems so famous.

There are no accounts of miracles performed by A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya during her lifetime.

Several reasons may explain the absence of miracles attributed to the mystic:

• Her approach to Sufism was more focused on poetry, teaching, and inner spiritual experience than on outward displays of power.
• She did not seem to seek an image as a wonder-working saint, but rather to transmit a spiritual message through her writings and example of life.
• Being a female Sufi mystic at a time when religious circles were dominated by men, extraordinary miracles could have been ill-viewed or caused controversy.
• For her disciples, her real “miracle” was to reach such a high spiritual level through her poetry and teaching, something extremely rare for a woman at that time.
• In the Sufi tradition, true miracles are inner: the transformation of the heart, the opening of consciousness, the realization of union with God.

Thus, although A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya was regarded as a saint, it was not through miraculous deeds but rather through her mystical poetry and example that her enduring spiritual message was expressed, continuing to inspire many today.

The biographical sources do not provide many details about the exact circumstances of A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya’s death. However, some elements can be pieced together:

• She died in 1580 in Cairo, the city where she spent her entire life.
• She was around 63 years old when she passed away, which was an advanced age at that time.
• There is no indication that she died a violent death or under dramatic conditions. Her passing thus seems to have been from natural causes related to her age.
• Being a respected figure, she probably received honorable funeral rites with the presence of her disciples and admirers.
• According to some sources, she died on a Friday, the holy day in Islam, which was seen as an auspicious sign.
• Her death was likely deeply felt as a great loss by her close disciples who continued to keep her memory and poetic legacy alive.
• She was very likely buried in Cairo, but the exact location of her grave is unknown.

Although details are lacking, it can be assumed A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya experienced a peaceful end of life, surrounded by her disciples, after decades dedicated to mystical poetry.

Unfortunately, there are very few direct testimonies from A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya’s disciples who followed her Sufi teachings.

Nevertheless, some elements from secondary sources can be mentioned:

• According to chronicles of the time, she reportedly had several dozen female disciples who regularly attended her teaching circles.
• These women came from different social backgrounds, some were slaves, others were literate women from high society.
• Reported testimonies describe the admiration and devotion these women felt for A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya.
• Some women devoted themselves entirely to her, to the point of renouncing marriage.
• Her disciples called her “our mother” and served her with zeal. They cherished her poems and sermons.
• After her death, several women continued to perpetuate her memory and teaching.

Even if details are lacking, these elements show the profound influence A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya had on her female disciples at a time when few women could teach Sufism.

Unfortunately, the Sufi order founded by A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya did not survive after her death. Several factors explain its disappearance:

• It was an order reserved for women, which was very unusual at the time. Without A’isha’s charisma and authority, it did not last.
• Her disciples seem to have dispersed after her death, even if some preserved her heritage. But the organized core did not hold together.
• Sufi orders were generally structured around a male line of transmission from master to disciple. A female order had less legitimacy.
• As religious orthodoxy strengthened over the centuries, a mystical female order had less and less of a place.
• Unlike others, A’isha did not appoint a successor to take over leadership of the order after her.
• Her poems and example survived, but not the institution itself.

Unfortunately, this innovative female Sufi circle created by this independent and talented mystic did not survive the centuries. It remains, however, a unique and inspiring experience in the history of Sufism.

Here are a few other short excerpts from A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya’s poems, again in English translation:

“You who reign over my heart, I sought you so long before finding you within me.”

“The song of love resonates ceaselessly within me like the cooing of the turtledove.”

“O my beloved, how carefree my heart is when you are present, and how sorrow fills it when you distance yourself.”

“I am distraught with love for you, consumed by an ardent passion. Come extinguish this blaze burning within me.”

“You are the joy of my heart, you the chosen one I have favored over all humanity.”

“Here I stand before you, my heart brimming with wild delight. Grant me but a single glance, O you whom I adore.”

One finds in these verses all the mystical fervor that permeates A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya’s Sufi poetry, oscillating between laments of absence and explosions of joy in evoking the divine union.

There are few details on exactly how the meetings of the Sufi circle for women founded by A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya were conducted. However, we can imagine that:

• The meetings took place in A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya’s home in Cairo, probably in a reserved space.
• They brought together several dozen women, from different social backgrounds. Some attended regularly.
• The meetings probably began with recitations of Sufi poems, prayers, and devotional singing.
• A’isha then gave oral teachings in the form of sermons or commentaries on spiritual texts.
• There may have been discussions between A’isha and her disciples on mystical questions.
• Meditation, contemplation, or dhikr (divine invocation) practices were probably taught.
• The women could also recite their own devotional poems during these meetings.
• The atmosphere was certainly imbued with spiritual fervor, mystical emulation, and great deference towards the Sufi mistress.

Even if details are lacking, one can imagine the effervescence these exceptional female Sufi circles must have sparked at that time.

The term “sohbet” refers in the Sufi tradition to the meetings where the spiritual master addresses his disciples. It is a moment of sharing and teaching.

Although it is not known if this term was used at the time, it is highly likely that the gatherings led by A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya with her female disciples corresponded to this practice of sohbet:

• Sohbet generally refers to a conversation of a spiritual nature, where the master transmits his experience.
• It can include the recitation of Sufi poems, the study of sacred texts, question-and-answer sessions.
• The atmosphere is informal but imbued with respect for the Sufi master.
• For A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya, these meetings were an opportunity to share her mystical experience and guide disciples.
• Her Sufi poems were certainly recited and commented upon.
• She probably also clarified points of Sufi theology and answered disciples’ questions.
• Sohbet aimed to let participants taste the essence of spiritual teaching.

We can therefore assume that despite the absence of the term at the time, the essence of Sufi sohbet transpired in the circles led by this great female mystic A’isha al-Ba’nuiyya.