ʿĀʾishah al-Bāʿūniyyah (d. 923/1517) of Damascus was one of the great women scholars in Islamic history. A mystic and prolific poet and writer, ʿĀʾishah
composed more works in Arabic than any other woman before the twentieth century.
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. Homerin completed his Ph.D. with honors at the University of Chicago ('87), and he has lived and worked in Egypt and Turkey for a number of years.