Aisha Abd al-Rahman (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

: عائشة عبد الرحمن; 18 November 1913 – 1 December 1998) was an Egyptian author and professor of literature who published under the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Bint al-Shaṭiʾ ( بِنْت ٱلشّاطِئ"Daughter of the Riverbank").

Life and career

She was born on 18 November 1913 in

Damietta Damietta ( arz, دمياط ' ; cop, ⲧⲁⲙⲓⲁϯ, Tamiati) is a port city and the capital of the Damietta Governorate in Egypt, a former bishopric and present multiple Catholic titular see. It is located at the Damietta branch, an easte ...

in the governorate of Domyat, Egypt, where her father taught at the Domyat Religious Institute. When she was ten, her mother, though

illiterate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, hum ...

, enrolled her in school while her father was traveling. Though her father objected, her mother later sent Aisha to El Mansurah for further education. Later, Aisha studied Arabic at

Cairo University Cairo University ( ar, جامعة القاهرة, Jāmi‘a al-Qāhira), also known as the Egyptian University from 1908 to 1940, and King Fuad I University and Fu'ād al-Awwal University from 1940 to 1952, is Egypt's premier public university ...

earning her undergraduate degree in 1939, and an M.A. degree in 1941. In 1942, Aisha began work as an Inspector for teaching of Arabic literature for the Egyptian Ministry of Education. She earned her PhD with distinction in 1950 and was appointed Professor of Arabic Literature at the University College for Women of the

Ain Shams University Ain Shams University ( ar, جامعة عين شمس) is a public university located in Cairo, Egypt. Founded in 1950, the university provides education at the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels. History Ain Shams University was ...

.Larousse Dictionary of Women, edited by Melanie Parry, Larousse, 1996 She wrote fiction and biographies of early Muslim women as well as

literary criticism Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. ...

.Arab Women Novelists: The Formative Years and Beyond by Joseph T. Zeidan, State University of New York Press, 1995 She was the second

modern Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosophy ...

woman to undertake

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , si ...

exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Biblical works. In modern usage, exegesis can involve critical interpretation ...

. She did not consider herself to be a

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

, but her works reflect the belief that female authors are more capable of analyzing the life stories of women than male authors, because men are "ignorant of female instinct". She was married to Sheik

Amin el-Khouli Amin may refer to: People * Amin (name), a masculine given name and also a surname * Al-Amin, the sixth Abbasid caliph, who ruled from 809 to 813 * Amin (Qing dynasty), an Imperial Prince of the Qing Dynasty * Amin, an arbitrator who assessed and ...

, her teacher at Cairo University during her undergraduate years. She died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

following a

stroke A stroke is a disease, medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemorr ...

in Cairo.Associated Press (December 2, 1998) Prominent Egyptian Islamic writer, Abdul-Rahman dies at 85. She donated all her library to research purposes, and in 1985 a statue was built in her honor in Cairo.

Selected bibliography

The author of "more than forty books and one hundred articles",Philip Mattar, ''Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East & North Africa: A-C'', Macmillan Reference USA (2004), p. 475 her notable publications include: *''The Egyptian Countryside'' (1936) *''The Problem of the Peasant'' (1938) *''Secret of the Beach and Master of the Estate: The Story of a Sinful Woman'' (1942) *''New Values in Arabic Literature'' (1961) *''Contemporary Arab Women Poets'' (1963)

References

External links

Bint Al-Shati’a, Aishah Abdul-Rahman: A Brilliant Female Scholar in the Islamic and Arab World

Muhammad Amin A study of Bint al-Shati's Exegesis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rahman, Aisha Abd 1913 births 1998 deaths Egyptian feminists Cairo University alumni Ain Shams University faculty 20th-century Egyptian women writers 20th-century Egyptian writers