Date: Saturday, October 2, 2010, 5:00 p.m.

Chapter: Illinois

Speaker: Th. Emil Homerin, University of Rochester

Location: The Oriental Institute, La Salle Bank Room, 1155 East 58th Street

This lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 773-702-1062, or go to arcechicago.com. 

Description: A’ishah al-Ba’uniyah (d. 1517) was one of the greatest women scholars in Islamic history. A mystic and prolific poet and writer, A’ishah composed more works in Arabic than any other woman prior to the 20th century. Often, she expressed her great devotion to God and His prophet Muhammad, and spoke of love and longing on the mystical quest for union. She also alluded to her extensive education and mystical training, and her own particular life experiences that are often reflected in her verse. Though many of her works are lost today, several still exist in manuscript including her poetic collection The Emanation of Grace and the Gathering Union. This is a remarkable autobiographical collection of over 300 poems, which span much of A’ishah’s mystical life, from her days as a novice and student, to her later years as a Sufi master. In this presentation, A’ishah's life and mystical training will be discussed along with a reading of her poems.

About the speaker: Th. Emil Homerin is Professor of Religion in the Department of Religion & Classics at the University of Rochester, where he teaches courses on Islam, classical Arabic literature, and mysticism. He is an expert of the Sufi movement in Egypt. Among his many publications are From Arab Poet to Muslim Saint (2001), his anthology of translations, Ibn al-Farid: Sufi Verse & Saintly Life (2001), The Wine of Love and Life (, 2005) and several chapters on Islam in the volumes The Religious Foundations of Western Civilization (2006) and Introduction to World Religions (2010)..