XIV. The Communion of Saints

It is clear from the foregoing that women saints received much veneration during their life-time, and they shared the worship bestowed on Muslim saints after their death. To them prayers were offered directly and intercession was made to God in their name, while their tombs and the shrines erected to their memory were the object of pilgrimages from different parts, whence came worshippers to seek a blessing through their mediation with God. There is every evidence that the cult of the Saints was accepted and developed by the Muslim mystics, and not by the mystics only, with as ardent a faith as by the Catholic Church itself, and indeed the belief in the Communion of Saints and their intercessory power may have been derived, like much else in Islamic mysticism, from the early Christian Church. It is noteworthy that the Sufi writers honour Our Lady Mariam, the spotless Mother of Jesus, above all women, above men too, and acknowledge that she reached perfection. The Saints were God’s chosen — the elect of the elect — and therefore between them existed a spiritual bond which could not be severed in this life or the next. The author of the “Siyar al-Şalihāt” tells of a woman saint who addressed Dhū al-Nūn al-Mişrī by name, and when he inquired how she knew him, she said, “God created the spirits two thousand years before their bodies, then He set them around His throne. Those who recognised one another became intimate and those who had nothing to do with^1,2 each other, did not become friends. My spirit recognised your spirit in that beginning of things. ” Abū Sa’id b. Abi al-Khayr also says that God created the souls four thousand years before He created their bodies and placed them near to Himself and there He shed His light upon them. He knew how much each soul received as its share from that light and He bestowed His favour on the souls in proportion to the share received; so that they remained tranquil in that light and became nourished thereby. Those who in this world live in fellowship and agreement with one another must have been on terms of intimacy there. Here they have friendship with one another and are called the friends of God and they are in that state because they love one another for the sake of God… If one be in the East and one in the West, they find fellowship and comfort in conversing with one another and although one belong to an early age and another to a later, yet (the latter) finds benefit and comfort only by the speech of the former. This clearly involves the doctrine of immortality, including the survival of personality, and the Communion of Saints, who belong not only to the church visible, but to the church invisible, and here again, of course, there can be no distinction of sex. The saints on earth are still in fellowship with those “whose course is run”. These appear in dreams and visions to their brethren still in this world and relate their experiences in that new life beyond the grave and give counsel and reproof to those left behind. It is related that ‘Abda bint Abi Shuwal, the servant of Rabi’a al-‘Adawiyya, a year or so after the saint’s death saw her in a dream and asked her concerning the state in heaven of other saints, especially ‘Ubayda bint Abi Kilāb, described as one of the greatest and noblest and most fearless of the saints, of whom ‘Abd^3,4,5 al-Wahid b. Zaydı said: “I have seen saints old and young, men and women, and I have seen neither woman nor man nobler or with better intellectual gifts than her”. She said to Mālik b. Dīnār, whom we have already mentioned as being one of Rabi’a’s associates, “O Abū Yahya, when will the God-fearing servant reach the highest degree of all?” He replied, “ Oh, ‘Ubayda, when the servant reaches that stage than which there is none higher, there will be nothing to hinder him from arriving at God Himself “, and ‘Ubayda gave a loud cry and fell down unconscious. In the abovementioned vision, ‘Abda questioned Rabi’a about this saint’s station in heaven, and she replied,” Indeed, she has gone beyond us to a high degree “. ‘Abda said,” Why is that, when you were esteemed among the people (while on earth) more than she? “Rabi’a said,” Because she paid no attention to any state, whether it were morning in this world, or evening “. Then ‘Abda asked concerning Abū Mālik, another Sufi, and Rabi’a said:” He visits God when he chooses ”. ‘Abda asked, “What is Bashr b. Mansür doing?” Rabi’a said, “Oh, he was given more indeed than he asked for”. ‘Abda then said, “Shew me a means by which I may approach nearer to Almighty God”, and Rabi’a said, “Think on Him often, and so you may speedily be given that which shall bring you rest”. Another story already related shews that Rabi’a’s followers believed that her personality survived after death and that she had passed into the heavens, and there are countless similar stories of the saints, after their deaths, appearing in dreams to those still in this world and revealing to them something of the wonders and the joys awaiting them there. One of the Sufis relates: “I was invoking Rabi’a^6,7,8,9 al-‘Adawiyya in prayer, and I saw her in a vision, and she said, ‘Your offerings are presented to us on trays of light covered with veils of light “. Another story of a God-fearing woman tells how, in her sleep, she entered Paradise and saw all the Blessed standing at the gates of Paradise, and she asked,” Why are the people of Paradise waiting? “and she was told,” They have come to behold this woman by whose approach Paradise itself is honoured “, and the dreamer asked,” Who is this woman? “and she was told,” Umm Sawdā, called Sha’wāna “, who was the woman’s sister, and the dreamer goes on: While I was thus (astonished), behold she was taken by an angelic being who flew with her into the air, and when I saw her, I cried out,” O my sister, do you not see where I am, from where you are? If it be allowed, let me join you “, then she smiled at me and said,” You may not approach me now, but I bid you remember two things, your need of sorrow in your heart and your need to let the love of God conquer your desires so that they may hurt you no more till death “. We find that the reverence felt for the saints of Islām was extended, very early in its history, to their last resting-places, and, later, costly shrines were erected and frequently mosques built to their memory. Naturally the graves of the Prophet’s family were the first to be so honoured. Chief among these was the reputed tomb of Fatima, the Prophet’s daughter, at Medīna, still visited by Muslim pilgrims from all over the world, and Burton relates that the following prayer is offered at her grave: Peace be upon thee, daughter of the Apostle of Allah! Peace be upon thee, daughter of the Prophet of Allah! Peace be upon^10,11,12,13 thee, thou daughter of Mustafa! Peace be upon thee, thou mother of the Shurafa. Peace be upon thee, O Fifth of the People, of the Garment. Peace be upon thee, O Pure Virgin. Peace be upon thee, O daughter of the Apostle. Peace be upon thee, O spouse of our lord ‘Ali al-Mustāza. Peace be upon thee, O mother of Hasan and Husayn, the two Moons, the two Lights, the two Pearls, the two Princes of the Youth of Heaven and Coolness of the Eyes (i.e. joy and gladness) of true Believers! Peace be upon thee and upon thy sire, al-Mustafa, and thy husband, our lord ‘Ali! Allah honour his face and thy face and thy father’s face in Paradise, and thy two sons, the Hasanayn! And the mercy of Allah and His blessings! ‘Ali Mubarak gives an account of some of the shrines of women accounted as saints, to be found in Cairo, including that of Sayyida Ruqayya, presumably the daughter of Muhammad, who married first ‘Utbal and then ‘Uthman, of which he says: The sanctuary of Sayyida Ruqayya is to be found near the gateway which leads to the shrine of the Lady Nafisa, near to the mosque of Shajarat al-Durr (The Spray of Pearls) on the right of the road from the shrine of Sayyida Sakīna, looking on to the memorial of Nafisa. It contains a hostel for Sufis and a place for prayer and taps of water and many trees and a number of graves, among them the tomb of Sayyida Ruqayya, and over this is a canopy of wood, ornamented with ivory and mother-ofpearl, and above it a dome has been built and every year a Mawlid is celebrated for her and visitors come every week and verses are recited, telling of her fame. The yearly revenue of this shrine is over thirteen thousand piastres.^{14,15,16,17,18,19,20}

The tomb of Umm Kulthūm, daughter of ‘Ali and Fatima, is described by Ibn Battuta as being near Damascus, and he says: It is said that her name was Zaynab and that the Prophet gave her the name of Umm Kulthūm, because of her likeness to her aunt, Umm Kulthum, his own daughter. Near the tomb is a noble mosque, around which are dwelling-houses, and it is endowed and the people of Damascus call it the shrine of the Lady Umm Kulthūm. The same writer, in describing his visit to Hebron, says: Near the Mosque called Al-Masjid al-Yaqin, is a cave in which is the tomb of Fatima, daughter of Husayn b. ‘Alī, and on the upper part of the tomb and the lower, are two tablets of marble, on one of which is written, engraved in excellent script, “In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. To Him be glory and everlasting (dominion). To Him belong what He has created and produced. Upon His creatures He has imposed mortality: in the Apostle of God is an exemplar. This is the tomb of Umm Salma, Fatima, daughter of Husayn, son of ‘Ali.” On the second tablet is inscribed: “M. b. Abi Sahl the sculptor, in Cairo”, and under that these verses: “Thou hast made to dwell the one, whose dwelling-place was my heart, In spite of me, between the earth and the stone, O tomb of Fatima, daughter of the son of Fatima, Daughter of the Imāms, daughter of the glittering stars. O tomb, how much lies within thee of religion and piety, Of chastity, of reserve and of modesty.” The Lady Nafisa, already mentioned as famous for her good works and her miracles, is one whose intercession is much sought after. Her grave is one of the privileged places where those who desire can go to pray with the sure expectation of being heard: “That saintly woman, who, so long as she lived, never denied^21,22,23 the exercise of her power before the Throne of God, to the unfortunate and oppressed, does not refuse their petitions, now that she has passed away, and God leaves no request unheard, for the fulfilling of which the holy Nafisa lends her intercession “. Her shrine is in Cairo and is mentioned by Ibn Battuta, who says that in the necropolis of Qarāfa at Old Cairo is the mausoleum of the Lady Nafisa, daughter of Zayd b. ‘Ali b. Husayn b. ‘Ali, one whose prayers were answered and who was zealous in her devotion. This mausoleum is very well built and brightly adorned. Near it is a monastery much frequented. ‘Ali Bāsha al-Mubarak also describes this sanctuary and says that the memorial of the Lady Nafisa was originally a school known as Umm al-Sultān, but it was destroyed with everything around it. This destruction, and the fact that Nafisa’s shrine was moved in consequence, is mentioned also by Ibn Khallikan. The first to build over the grave of the Lady Nafisa was the Amir of Egypt, ‘Ubayd Allah b. al-Sirrī, and this was written on the marble tablet over the gateway of her tomb. The dome over the tomb was renewed by the Khalifa al-Hafiz in A.H. 532 and he also gave orders for the marble work in the mihrab. About the year A.H. 1280 a building was erected there and dwellings built for the dervishes, and there they had lived in the writer’s time. This place had been planted out with a number of trees and the cost of erecting the building had been met by pious endowments (awqaf). Nafisa’s shrine is near the mosque of Ibn Tülūn.^{24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31}

Other shrines sacred to women of the Prophet’s family mentioned by ‘Alī Bāsha al-Mubarak are the mosque of Sayyida Zaynab, daughter of the Imam ‘Alī and granddaughter of the Prophet, after whom a whole district in Cairo is named, and the shrines of ‘A’isha, daughter of Ja’far al-Sadiq and of Umm Kulthūm, his great-granddaughter. Another very sacred mosque is that of the Lady Sakina, mentioned above, who was the daughter of the Imam Husayn. These women owed their reputation for sanctity, in part at least, to their membership of the sacred family of the Prophet, but the shrines of others were equally venerated. In connection with that early Muslim saint, Umm Harām, her biographer writes: It is by the perfect Divine favour of the Giver of all gifts in the other world that the beloved of God and the honoured Prophet has given life to the hearts of the believers by saying: “If any of the male companions or female disciples be buried in a holy place, they will intercede for such dwellers in that place as are worthy of their intercession”. So likewise in this life it is by the grace of God that as it is said by the Imam Munāwī in his comment on Jami ‘al-Saghir-whenever the people of Damascus are sorely tried by the droughts and other troubles, and with full trust appeal to that honoured lady, asking from the Giver of all good and munificence, rain and rest and deliverance from trouble and attack-the Dispeller of all cares and sorrows, God Most High, out of respect to that honoured lady, dispels their anxieties and troubles and grants them His rain and grace. And especially there is no doubt that for those who with earnest endeavour and in full faith make the customary and acceptable visitation to the honoured tomb and revered shrine which contain her sacred body, the Giver of blessings in unequalled wisdom, satisfies all their needs. It is the perfect favour and grace of God Most High, that He has made the aunt of that most glorious of created beings,^32,33 an intercessor for the inhabitants of this island and the visitors who earnestly appeal to her, so that when we confide in her exalted person we attain all our desires and aims in this world and the next. Rabi’a bint Ismā‘il was buried outside Jerusalem, to the east on the Mount of Tor, according to Ibn Khallikān (who confuses her with Rabi’a of Başra), near the mosque of the Ascension. This is evidently the same tomb as that mentioned by Ibn Battuta, among shrines which he visited in Jerusalem, as being that of Rabi’a al-Badawiyya, belonging to the Bedouins, who, he says, is not to be confused with the celebrated Rabi’a al-‘Adawiyya, of Başra. This tomb was an object of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages, and is still reverenced in the grotto sacred also to St Pelagia and the prophetess Hulda. Another interesting shrine in Syria is a walī near Damascus, on an ancient platform surrounded by a grove of oak trees, which is known as Umm Shaqaqif (= the Mother of Pieces). The saint in whose honour the shrine is held sacred was one of four maidens each under the protection of a particular saint. She was called Fatima, according to one version of the legend, and ‘Arjā (= the lame) according to another. She was lame, blind in one eye, bald, poor and in rags. She went with her companions to draw water at a spring, at which the four patron saints were seated. The other three girls drew their water and departed. ‘Arjā, when she drew up her jar, found only the handles, her saint had shattered it. When urged to desert him, she refused, and, touched by her devotion, he first restored the jar, then, at her request, healed her lameness, cured^{34,35,36,37,38} her blindness, gave her flowing hair, clothed her decently and bestowed wealth upon her. So she returned to her home, became an object of worship, and, when she died, was buried on this spot. Such is the legend connected with this shrine, which is still accounted a place of blessing. The women of the neighbourhood come and break jars in fulfilment of their vows, because ‘Arjā‘s jar was broken. The tomb of Rabi’a al-‘Adawiyya was at Başra and is mentioned among the Sufi shrines to be found there by Maqdīsi, who wrote in A.D. 985. Her grave was visited as a place of pilgrimage. An Indian shrine mentioned by Ibn Battuta is of great interest, and, from the fact that it bestows sanctity on those who visit it, we may assume that its inmate was reckoned a saint after her death, if not before. This is the tomb of Radiyya, daughter of the Sultan Shams al-Din of Delhi. We are told by the historian Firishta that… this princess was adorned with every qualification required in the ablest kings and the strictest scrutineers of her actions could find in her no fault but that she was a woman. In the time of her father, she entered deeply into the affairs of government, which disposition he encouraged, finding she had a remarkable talent in politics. In that year in which he took the fort of Gwalior, he appointed her regent in his absence. When he was asked by the Umarā why he appointed his daughter to such an office in preference to so many of his sons, he replied that he saw his sons gave themselves up to wine, women, gaming and the worship of the wind (flattery); that therefore he thought the government too weighty for their shoulders to bear and that Radiyya, though a woman, had a man’s head and heart and was better than twenty such sons. After her father’s death, Radiyya denounced one of her brothers, who had murdered another, and was^39,40,41 supported by the populace, who put the murderer to death and accepted Radiyya as their Sultan in A.D. 1236. Sultāna Radiyya, upon her accession, changing her apparel, assumed the imperial robes, and every day gave public audience from the throne, revising and confirming the laws of her father, which had been abrogated in the last reign, and distributing justice with an equal hand. Ibn Battuta tells us that she ruled with absolute authority for four years. She rode on horseback, armed, and after the manner of men, and never veiled her face. Finally, she was overthrown in favour of a younger brother, and married one of her relatives. Radiyya and her husband took up arms against the new Sultan, but were defeated, and Radiyya took to flight and was murdered for the sake of her costly clothing. She was buried in the marshes where she had been murdered and over her tomb was built a dome. At the time of Ibn Battuta’s visit, her tomb was visited and was a place where blessing could be gained. It was on the bank of the great river known as al-Jown, at a distance of three miles from Delhi. Other more modern shrines of women saints to be found in India include that of Haro Ana, which is to be found four miles from Chauter (Baluchistān). A few flags and a wooden shed mark the place. She was a Tehānri woman, famed for her virtue, who lived a virgin all her life. In her life-time she was credited with miraculous powers and given lands by the Wanéchis. On her death-bed she told her relations to bury her body on a spot by which the enemies of the Wanéchis had to pass, assuring them that the enemies would either not come that way or, if they did, would suffer for it. So she was buried at the west end of Wani, since called the Haro Ana Pérai. When, in the nineteenth^42,43,44 century, the Wanéchis were raided, they prayed at Haro Ana’s shrine, recovered their cattle and defeated the enemy. In the Punjab, in Multan, is to be found the tomb of Mai Sapuran, a woman who was a Nunari by caste and became one of the disciples of the saint ‘Abd al-Hakim (who died in A.D. 1732). Her shrine is in the village called by her name. She was reputed to be able to spread out her prayer-carpet on the waters of the Rārī and to kneel for prayer upon it, and both she and her descendants had the power to cure the bites of mad dogs. Among these shrines also is that of Bibi Nāhzan, to be found near Kalāt, who sank into the earth together with her maid when they were persecuted by some infidels, and this shrine also is visited by persons who have been bitten by mad dogs, while those who pay a fixed contribution to the shrine believe that they secure immunity from cholera. Another shrine in Kalāt is that of Bibi Nani, who guards the water-supply and who is said to have been a daughter of Ya ‘Alī. Probably she was originally a goddess of the old Persians and Bachīns. There is the tomb of a girl saint to be found at Elbasan, in Central Albania, where both Christians and Muslims worship at the shrine. This saint is supposed to have come from Khorasan. Her father tried to compel her to marry and betrothed her to a young man. She lay down to sleep, died and was buried on the spot. There is a wooden sarcophagus, with a stone pillar at the head, but without any date or name. The saint’s blessing is sought by the childless, and for the sick, and an elaborate ritual is gone through. The water^45,46,47,48 of a pitcher left in the tomb all night is drunk by those who seek the saint’s favour and hope for the blessing of children. Candles are also brought to the tomb and lighted on Thursday evenings. The shrine of a famous woman saint among the Kabyles is that of Lalla Imma Tifellut, in the mountainous region inhabited by the Beni Şalah. The time at which she lived is unknown, but details of her history have been handed down. She was the most beautiful maiden of the mountain, a model of purity and chastity in her youth. When a too-ardent admirer abducted her as she came down one evening to draw water as usual, and carried her off upon his mule, at the end of the journey, when he drew aside the curtains of the palanquin, he found that a dove had taken the place of his captive. Then this maiden, who had shewn herself so averse to marriage and the attentions of men, in later life became a kind of feminine demon, a Circe whose love was said to mean death, so that her tribe were doubtful whether she was to be regarded as a daughter of Satan or as an angel. But one day she left her dwelling for the summit of the mountain and there went into retreat. Clothed in wool, with a hempen girdle, she spent her days and nights in prayer and communion with God-a Magdalene reclaimed from her sins. She took staff in hand and went among the Kabyle tribes seeking to revive the Muslim faith among the lukewarm, but with little success. At last her asceticism and her constant prayers had their reward and she received the gift of prophecy and the power to work miracles, and she was now accepted by all as a saint and all the good fortune which came to the Beni Şalah was attributed to her. When she died, she was buried with great pomp at the foot of the cedar where she had lived, in accordance with her own^49,50 wish. Her tomb was enclosed in a chapel of stone and a small dome indicates the spot where her much venerated remains rest. The shrine is surrounded by cedar trees, which are accounted too sacred ever to be cut down or damaged. Even the eggs and the nestlings of the birds belonging to the grove enjoy the protection of the saint. Other shrines of women saints among the Kabyles include that of an unknown saint whom the Beni Şalah call Lalla Tawrirt, the Lady of the Hill; the hawitha of Lalla Imma Mr’ita, in the midst of a cemetery; that of Lalla Imma Wachaa on the left side of the valley of al-Guethran; and the oak shrine of Lalla Imma Mimen, on the right side of the valley Beni-Azza. All these saints, who were holy women during their earthly existence and who died in the odour of sanctity, have their day of pilgrimage and their annual festival. They have also their religious serviteurs, who are usually people of the same district as those who erected either the chapel in which repose the mortal remains of these saints, or the shrine which recalls the place where they prayed or had their dwelling-place. All these shrines of women saints have been venerated by Muslims, in some cases for centuries past, and are still the object of veneration to-day. Of the festivals held at the shrines of women saints, and the part which these sanctuaries occupy in popular Islām to-day, more will be said in the next chapter.^51,52,53