Sa'diyya Shaikh (born 1969) is a South African scholar of

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

and feminist theory. She is an associate professor of religion at the University of Cape Town. Shaikh studies

Sufism Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...

in relation to feminism and feminist theory. Shaikh is known for work on gender in Islam and 'Ibn Arabi.

Biography

Sa'diyya Shaikh was born in 1969 in Krugersdorp, South Africa to Indian Muslim parents. She grew up under the apartheid regime and witnessed the anti-apartheid movement which influenced her to seek liberatory readings of the Qur'an and the Islamic tradition. Shaikh has published works on Muslim women and

gendered violence Gender-related violence or gender-based violence includes any kind of violence directed against people due to their gender or gender identification. Types of gender-related violence include: * Violence against women (sometimes referred to simply as ...

, feminist approaches to the Qur'an and hadith, contraception and abortion in Islam, and gender and Islamic law. Shaikh was a 2016-2017 fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg Zu Berlin on the project "Gender, Justice and Muslim Ethics." Shaikh is the author of ''Sufi Narratives of Intimacy: Ibn 'Arabi, Gender, and Sexuality.'' The book explores the thought of Ibn 'Arabi from a feminist perspective. Shaikh is the co-author of ''The Women's Khutbah Book: Contemporary Sermons on Spirituality and Justice from around the World.'' Two

khutbahs ''Khutbah'' ( ar, خطبة ''khuṭbah'', tr, hutbe) serves as the primary formal occasion for public preaching in the Islamic tradition. Such sermons occur regularly, as prescribed by the teachings of all legal schools. The Islamic tradition ...

of Shaikh are featured, "Spirituality of the Ordinary" and "Divine Love, Human Love: Marriage as Heart-Cultivation".

Works

* Daniel C. Maguire and Sa'diyya Shaikh (eds). 2007. V''iolence Against Women in Contemporary World Religions: Roots and Cures''. Cleveland, Ohio: The Pilgrim Press * Shaikh, Sa'diyya. 2012. ''Sufi Narratives of Intimacy: Ibn 'Arabi, Gender and Sexuality''. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina PressReviews of ''Sufi Narratives of Intimacy: Ibn 'Arabi, Gender, and Sexuality'' * * Smith, Anthony Paul (2017). "Sufi narratives of intimacy: Ibn 'Arabi, Gender, and Sexuality." ''Theology And Sexuality.'' Routledge. 22 (16): 126 - 128 * Hammer, J. (2012). Sufi narratives of intimacy: Ibn 'Arabi, gender, and sexuality. CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, 49 (12): 2301 *

Fatima Seedat Fatima Seedat is a South African feminist, Islamic scholar and women's rights activist. She is known for her scholarly work on gender and Islamic law, and Islam and feminism. Career Seedat researches gender and Islamic law, Islam and femi ...

and Sa'diyya Shaikh. 2022. ''The Women's Khutbah Book: Contemporary Sermons on Spirituality and Justice from around the World''. Yale University Press.

References

1969 births Living people Women scholars of Islam Proponents of Islamic feminism Scholars of Sufism South African Muslims South African women academics People from Krugersdorp South African people of Indian descent South African feminists Ibn Arabi scholars Academic staff of the University of Cape Town {{Islamic-scholar-stub South African Sufis