Thursday, June 26, 2025
Aisha al-Manoubia: The Sufi Saint Who Broke Barriers and Spread Spirituality
By Afroz Khan, New Age Islam
26 June 2025
Aisha al-Manoubia, a 13th-century Sufi saint from Tunisia, dedicated her life to spirituality, charity, and education. Defying gender norms, she led the Shadhili order, freed slaves, and supported women’s rights. Her legacy endures in Tunisian culture despite attacks on her shrine.
Key Point:
1. Aisha al-Manoubia, 13th-century Tunisian Sufi saint, devoted her life to spirituality.
2. Rejected marriage to focus on meditation, charity, and women’s rights.
3. Led the Shadhili Sufi order, earning the title Qutb.
4. Freed slaves and educated all genders equally.
5. Her legacy persists in Tunisian culture despite shrine attacks.
-----
Sufism is a branch of Islam that has spread throughout the world and Sufi women have gained fame just as much as Sufi men.
One such female Sufi saint was born in the village of Manoubia near Tunisia and dedicated her life to Allah by practicing Sufism deeply.
Aisha al-Manoubia, born in the 1190 or 1198, her father was a local sheikh and came from a wealthy family, her grandfather had completed his Hajj, Aisha al Manoubia started feeling the desire to be a saint since childhood, she studied with the Sufi order Shadhili Tariqas.
She learned the Quran from her father as a child and from the age of nine began spending most of her time in solitude. She loved to meditate and pray in solitude. When she was a little older, her father tried to marry her off, but she had no interest in married life. She wanted to spend her life in devotion and meditation, so she left Manoubia and moved to Tunisia. She left her family, chose celibacy over married life and motherhood, and dedicated her life to studying science, supporting women's rights, and spreading the Sufi understanding of Islam.
In Tunisia, she began to live as a solitary woman. She resorted to sewing, spinning and knitting to support herself and frequently visited a mosque popular among the Sufi order there. She also studied Hadith and Islamic jurisprudence.
Aisha al-Manoubia used to go to places (taverns) to preach religion and Sufism which were considered forbidden and undesirable for women. She had to face criticism for this many times but she believed that the misguided people needed education more.
She used to provide education to both men and women equally. People often criticized her for this too but her dedication to spirituality and Sufism was so great that she did not care about all this and continued to give her teachings. She also preached at the Safsafa Mosque (now a dargah) and had discourses with the Sultan, Abu Zakariya Yahya. She also spent long periods of seclusion in the countryside for spiritual contemplation. She is believed to have read the Quran 1,520 times.
Aisha al Manoubia was also very famous for her charity, she was always ready to help the needy and herself lived only on the essentials, she had special sympathy and used to help unmarried, divorced, and widowed women. At that time in Tunisia, the inhuman practice of buying slaves was prevalent. It is believed that in her lifetime she bought and freed many slaves.
She traveled widely to propagate Sufism and religious education and made people aware of Sufism. By the age of 50, her reputation as a saint was definitely established. When al-Shadhili left Tunisia, he gave his cloak and ring to Aisha al Manoubia as a symbol of his authority. In an official ceremony, she was given the name Qutb (meaning pivot), and she became the leader of the Tunisian order of Sufis, overseeing the imams.
She was considered one of the four spiritual protectors of Tunisia, and her memory is deeply embedded in Tunisian culture.
A legend associated with Aisha al-Manoubia is very famous. Once she ordered the sacrifice of a bull. On her orders, the bull was sacrificed and the whole village was invited to a feast. When the feast was over, the people returned to find the bull alive and in its place.
After her death in 1267, she was buried in the El Gorjani mausoleum with special ceremonies. A district of Tunis is named after her and even today people there name their daughters after her.
Her hometown built a mausoleum in her memory but in 2012, radical Islamists burned down her shrine in an attack on the country's Sufi heritage. However, it has since been renovated and reopened to the public. It is staffed by women, and is particularly popular with female visitors. Her legacy remains strong within Tunisian folk culture, where her generosity is captured in traditional songs.
Aisha Al Manoubia dedicated her entire life to spreading Sufism and spirituality in Tunisia. She educated society, often breaking gender barriers. Aisha Al Manoubia was truly a spiritual saint who saw all mankind as equals without any distinction between men and women. She was a respected woman of Islam.
---
Afroz Khan is a teacher by profession. She primarily writes about women and Islam. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Education.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/aisha-manoubia-sufi-saint-spirituality/d/135991
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment