Exploring Feminine Spirituality: Elif Shafak and Mohammed Alwan's Literary Portrayals of Women in Sūfī Tradition

Jamal Ali Assadi

doi:doi:10.11648/j.allc.20230803.11

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Exploring Feminine Spirituality: Elif Shafak and Mohammed Alwan's Literary Portrayals of Women in Sūfī Tradition

Jamal Ali Assadi

Published in Arabic Language, Literature & Culture (Volume 8, Issue 3)

Received: 15 October 2023 Accepted: 1 November 2023 Published: 11 November 2023

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Abstract

Modern Arabic fiction has been known to skillfully depict women with contemporary meanings, frequently drawing on various contexts, including the Sūfī tradition. Women are portrayed as an all-encompassing symbol, playing a pivotal role in helping the protagonist achieve great ambitions and transform the world around them. This portrayal of women in Arabic literature draws inspiration from medieval Sūfī writers who assigned glamorous names to female characters, making them the central focus of their writings. Women were considered earthly mistresses in Sūfī practices, helping Sūfī practitioners reach their ultimate goal, God. This Sūfī tradition has had a profound impact on modern-day Middle Eastern writers such as Elif Shafak and Mohammed Alwan. They have utilized Sūfī practices in their novels, gaining new insights into the dynamic potential of the motif and a new critical approach. In Elif Shafak's novels, women are depicted as Sūfī figures with a transformative power that can change individuals and societies. In contrast, Mohammed Alwan portrays women in a more mystical light, embodying the divine and uniting the physical and spiritual. Both writers draw from Sūfī practices to create female characters who challenge traditional gender roles and promote a more inclusive and spiritual understanding of womanhood. By employing Sūfī practices, these writers provide a fresh perspective on the representation of women in modern Arabic literature. They highlight the empowering nature of Sūfī practices, where women are elevated to a central role, challenging patriarchal norms and providing a pathway for female empowerment.

Published in	Arabic Language, Literature & Culture (Volume 8, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.allc.20230803.11
Page(s)	27-35
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Mystic Motif, Contemporary Arabic Literature, Critical Approaches, Female Protagonists, Elif Shafak, and Mohammed Alwan

References

[1]	Addas, Claude, Ibn Arabi: The Voyage of No Return (Second ed.) (Cambridge: Islamic Texts Society; 2019). 51.
[2]	Al-Qadi, Abu Bakr, "The Forty Rules of Love: A Critical Study," Al-Fath Website, 13-7-2019. 16.
[3]	Alwan, Mohammad Hassan, A Little Death (Beirut: Dar Al-Saqi, 2017). (All quotations are cited in the text and and are translated to English by the authors). 6.
[4]	Am’adsho, Farid, The Sūfī Dimension in the Moroccan Novel (Morocco: Tangier Literary Publishing, 2009). 38.
[5]	Beard, Mary (21 August 2020). "How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division by Elif Shafak review – a poignant look back at another age". the Guardian. Retrieved 28 June 2021. 115.
[6]	Farah, Nathalie, “Successfully Tracing the Footsteps of History,” Weekend Review (May 10, 2017).
[7]	Iannone. C. 1994. “Is There a Woman’s Perspective in Literature?” Academic Questions 7 (1): 63-76. 74-75.
[8]	Lewis, Franklin D., Rūmī: Past and Present, East and West: The life, Teaching and Poetry of Jalal Al-Din Rūmī (Oneworld Publication: 2008). 9.
[9]	Sa’doun, Nadia Hannawi, “The Narrative of fiction between the Historical and Imaginative in The 40 Rules of Love," Fiqr: The Journal of Cultural Thinking (8), 2017. 3-4.
[10]	Schimmel, Annemarie, The Triumphal Sun: A Study of the Works of Jalaloddin Rūmī (SUNY Press: 1993). 51.
[11]	Seyyed, Hossein Nasr, Islamic Art and Spirituality (SUNY Press: 1987). 115.
[12]	Shafak, Elif, The Forty Rules of Love (Britain: Viking, 2010). 14, Henceforth, all quotations are cited in the text.

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Assadi, J. A. (2023). Exploring Feminine Spirituality: Elif Shafak and Mohammed Alwan's Literary Portrayals of Women in Sūfī Tradition. Arabic Language, Literature & Culture, 8(3), 27-35. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.allc.20230803.11

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ACS Style

Assadi, J. A. Exploring Feminine Spirituality: Elif Shafak and Mohammed Alwan's Literary Portrayals of Women in Sūfī Tradition. Arab. Lang. Lit. Cult. 2023, 8(3), 27-35. doi: 10.11648/j.allc.20230803.11

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AMA Style

Assadi JA. Exploring Feminine Spirituality: Elif Shafak and Mohammed Alwan's Literary Portrayals of Women in Sūfī Tradition. Arab Lang Lit Cult. 2023;8(3):27-35. doi: 10.11648/j.allc.20230803.11

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@article{10.11648/j.allc.20230803.11,
  author = {Jamal Ali Assadi},
  title = {Exploring Feminine Spirituality: Elif Shafak and Mohammed Alwan's Literary Portrayals of Women in Sūfī Tradition},
  journal = {Arabic Language, Literature & Culture},
  volume = {8},
  number = {3},
  pages = {27-35},
  doi = {10.11648/j.allc.20230803.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.allc.20230803.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.allc.20230803.11},
  abstract = {Modern Arabic fiction has been known to skillfully depict women with contemporary meanings, frequently drawing on various contexts, including the Sūfī tradition. Women are portrayed as an all-encompassing symbol, playing a pivotal role in helping the protagonist achieve great ambitions and transform the world around them. This portrayal of women in Arabic literature draws inspiration from medieval Sūfī writers who assigned glamorous names to female characters, making them the central focus of their writings. Women were considered earthly mistresses in Sūfī practices, helping Sūfī practitioners reach their ultimate goal, God. This Sūfī tradition has had a profound impact on modern-day Middle Eastern writers such as Elif Shafak and Mohammed Alwan. They have utilized Sūfī practices in their novels, gaining new insights into the dynamic potential of the motif and a new critical approach. In Elif Shafak's novels, women are depicted as Sūfī figures with a transformative power that can change individuals and societies. In contrast, Mohammed Alwan portrays women in a more mystical light, embodying the divine and uniting the physical and spiritual. Both writers draw from Sūfī practices to create female characters who challenge traditional gender roles and promote a more inclusive and spiritual understanding of womanhood. By employing Sūfī practices, these writers provide a fresh perspective on the representation of women in modern Arabic literature. They highlight the empowering nature of Sūfī practices, where women are elevated to a central role, challenging patriarchal norms and providing a pathway for female empowerment.
},
 year = {2023}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Exploring Feminine Spirituality: Elif Shafak and Mohammed Alwan's Literary Portrayals of Women in Sūfī Tradition
AU  - Jamal Ali Assadi
Y1  - 2023/11/11
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AB  - Modern Arabic fiction has been known to skillfully depict women with contemporary meanings, frequently drawing on various contexts, including the Sūfī tradition. Women are portrayed as an all-encompassing symbol, playing a pivotal role in helping the protagonist achieve great ambitions and transform the world around them. This portrayal of women in Arabic literature draws inspiration from medieval Sūfī writers who assigned glamorous names to female characters, making them the central focus of their writings. Women were considered earthly mistresses in Sūfī practices, helping Sūfī practitioners reach their ultimate goal, God. This Sūfī tradition has had a profound impact on modern-day Middle Eastern writers such as Elif Shafak and Mohammed Alwan. They have utilized Sūfī practices in their novels, gaining new insights into the dynamic potential of the motif and a new critical approach. In Elif Shafak's novels, women are depicted as Sūfī figures with a transformative power that can change individuals and societies. In contrast, Mohammed Alwan portrays women in a more mystical light, embodying the divine and uniting the physical and spiritual. Both writers draw from Sūfī practices to create female characters who challenge traditional gender roles and promote a more inclusive and spiritual understanding of womanhood. By employing Sūfī practices, these writers provide a fresh perspective on the representation of women in modern Arabic literature. They highlight the empowering nature of Sūfī practices, where women are elevated to a central role, challenging patriarchal norms and providing a pathway for female empowerment.

VL  - 8
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Author Information

Jamal Ali Assadi

English Language and Literature, The College of Sakhnin (R. A), Academic College for Teacher Education, Sakhnin, Israel

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APA Style

Assadi, J. A. (2023). Exploring Feminine Spirituality: Elif Shafak and Mohammed Alwan's Literary Portrayals of Women in Sūfī Tradition. Arabic Language, Literature & Culture, 8(3), 27-35. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.allc.20230803.11

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ACS Style

Assadi, J. A. Exploring Feminine Spirituality: Elif Shafak and Mohammed Alwan's Literary Portrayals of Women in Sūfī Tradition. Arab. Lang. Lit. Cult. 2023, 8(3), 27-35. doi: 10.11648/j.allc.20230803.11

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AMA Style

Assadi JA. Exploring Feminine Spirituality: Elif Shafak and Mohammed Alwan's Literary Portrayals of Women in Sūfī Tradition. Arab Lang Lit Cult. 2023;8(3):27-35. doi: 10.11648/j.allc.20230803.11

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@article{10.11648/j.allc.20230803.11,
  author = {Jamal Ali Assadi},
  title = {Exploring Feminine Spirituality: Elif Shafak and Mohammed Alwan's Literary Portrayals of Women in Sūfī Tradition},
  journal = {Arabic Language, Literature & Culture},
  volume = {8},
  number = {3},
  pages = {27-35},
  doi = {10.11648/j.allc.20230803.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.allc.20230803.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.allc.20230803.11},
  abstract = {Modern Arabic fiction has been known to skillfully depict women with contemporary meanings, frequently drawing on various contexts, including the Sūfī tradition. Women are portrayed as an all-encompassing symbol, playing a pivotal role in helping the protagonist achieve great ambitions and transform the world around them. This portrayal of women in Arabic literature draws inspiration from medieval Sūfī writers who assigned glamorous names to female characters, making them the central focus of their writings. Women were considered earthly mistresses in Sūfī practices, helping Sūfī practitioners reach their ultimate goal, God. This Sūfī tradition has had a profound impact on modern-day Middle Eastern writers such as Elif Shafak and Mohammed Alwan. They have utilized Sūfī practices in their novels, gaining new insights into the dynamic potential of the motif and a new critical approach. In Elif Shafak's novels, women are depicted as Sūfī figures with a transformative power that can change individuals and societies. In contrast, Mohammed Alwan portrays women in a more mystical light, embodying the divine and uniting the physical and spiritual. Both writers draw from Sūfī practices to create female characters who challenge traditional gender roles and promote a more inclusive and spiritual understanding of womanhood. By employing Sūfī practices, these writers provide a fresh perspective on the representation of women in modern Arabic literature. They highlight the empowering nature of Sūfī practices, where women are elevated to a central role, challenging patriarchal norms and providing a pathway for female empowerment.
},
 year = {2023}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Exploring Feminine Spirituality: Elif Shafak and Mohammed Alwan's Literary Portrayals of Women in Sūfī Tradition
AU  - Jamal Ali Assadi
Y1  - 2023/11/11
PY  - 2023
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.allc.20230803.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.allc.20230803.11
T2  - Arabic Language, Literature & Culture
JF  - Arabic Language, Literature & Culture
JO  - Arabic Language, Literature & Culture
SP  - 27
EP  - 35
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2639-9695
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.allc.20230803.11
AB  - Modern Arabic fiction has been known to skillfully depict women with contemporary meanings, frequently drawing on various contexts, including the Sūfī tradition. Women are portrayed as an all-encompassing symbol, playing a pivotal role in helping the protagonist achieve great ambitions and transform the world around them. This portrayal of women in Arabic literature draws inspiration from medieval Sūfī writers who assigned glamorous names to female characters, making them the central focus of their writings. Women were considered earthly mistresses in Sūfī practices, helping Sūfī practitioners reach their ultimate goal, God. This Sūfī tradition has had a profound impact on modern-day Middle Eastern writers such as Elif Shafak and Mohammed Alwan. They have utilized Sūfī practices in their novels, gaining new insights into the dynamic potential of the motif and a new critical approach. In Elif Shafak's novels, women are depicted as Sūfī figures with a transformative power that can change individuals and societies. In contrast, Mohammed Alwan portrays women in a more mystical light, embodying the divine and uniting the physical and spiritual. Both writers draw from Sūfī practices to create female characters who challenge traditional gender roles and promote a more inclusive and spiritual understanding of womanhood. By employing Sūfī practices, these writers provide a fresh perspective on the representation of women in modern Arabic literature. They highlight the empowering nature of Sūfī practices, where women are elevated to a central role, challenging patriarchal norms and providing a pathway for female empowerment.

VL  - 8
IS  - 3
ER  -

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