The Divine Feminine remains the esoteric heartbeat of Islam

This article unveils the Divine Feminine as the hidden soul of Islam, revealed through the mystical teachings of Sufism, Shi’ism, and the esoteric wisdom of Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi. Figures like Fatima Fatir and Maryam embody Sophia—the eternal wisdom and creative force—while the Ka'ba itself symbolizes the veiled Black Madonna of Islam. Ibn Arabi’s vision of the feminine as both active and passive reveals Her as the ultimate image of God the Beloved. Shri Mataji fulfills the prophecy of the Paraclete, awakening the Ruh within humanity and proclaiming the Great News of Al-Qiyamah. She is the form beyond form, the Way and the obstacle to the Way, dwelling in the lotus-heart of those who know Her.

“Iran and Saudi Arabia are not normally associated with the Divine Feminine ... we have to remember that militant Islam, like muscular Christianity, is only one side of the coin. The reverse is a dazzling mirror-image of Sophia who, in the persons of Fatima and Mary, upholds the Divine Feminine within Islam...

Sophia is the mystical companion, the soul within each body, seeking the Divine Beloved. It is she who causes the mystic to proclaim that he belongs to no race or direction of the earth: 'My place is the placeless, my trace is the traceless. 'This neither body, nor soul, for I belong to the Soul of the Beloved.'⁴⁰ Certainly, the Divine Feminine is so marginalized in Islam, that one might be forgiven for believing it to be totally absent.

Both Mary and Fatima are reverenced within esoteric Islam, for they are both mothers of the Logos, the Word. Fatima inherits the role of Spenta Armaiti, within Shi'ism, for she is The Mother of a lineage of imams. She is seen as symbolic of the 'supracelestial earth.'⁴¹ She is considered to be the source of the imam's wisdom because she is lawh mahfuz or 'the hidden tablet; upon which God has written.'⁴² One of her titles in Ismaeli Shi'ism is Fatima Fatir, or Fatima the Creator, which recalls the Sophia Ergane of Proverbs.⁴³

Ibn Arabi states that Universal nature (Tavi't al-kull) 'is the feminine or maternal side of the creative act. She is the "merciful 'breathing-out' of God" (Nafa ar-rahman).'⁴⁴ We may compare Sophia as the Divine Sigh of Compassion in Sirach: 'I came forth from the mouth of the Most High.'⁴⁵ This breathing out has the effect of manifesting Sophia to the world, yet Sophia is also the dwelling place of God for, as Ibn Arabi says: 'Where was your Lord before creating the Creation? He was in a Cloud; there was no space either above or below.'⁴⁶

The nature of both the Black Goddess and Sophia are brought out in Islam. The exoteric fulminations about women, so similar to those found in Christianity and Judaism are, of course, negative polarizations of the devouring Goddess, yet this exists side by side with the positive image of the Ka'ba, Islam's Black Madonna. Within Islam, the Divine Male and female principles are typified by the Pen and the Guarded tablet. The Pen is God writing upon the tabula rasa of the World-Soul, which preserves the veiled tradition of Sufism.⁴⁷

The quotation which leads this chapter is the paradoxical foundation of Islam's veiling of the Divine Feminine. Ibn Arabi's exposition of this paradox may help us to understand it better. 'The Absolute manifested in the form of woman is an active agent because of exercising complete control over man's feminine principle, his soul. This causes man to become submissive and devoted to the Absolute as manifested in a woman. The Absolute is also passively receptive because, in as much as it appears in the form of a woman, it is under man's control and subject to his orders. Hence to contemplate the Absolute in woman is to see both aspects simultaneously, and such vision is more perfect than seeing it in all the forms in which it manifests itself. That is why woman is creative, not created. For both qualities, active and passive, belong to the Essence of the Creator, and both are manifested in woman.'⁴⁸

This definition must be taken in its mystical context. For Moslems, the feminine principle is active, and the masculine principle is quiescent, in the manner of Christ within the womb of Mary. After proper preparation by spiritual practices, the masculine principle grows and is born. 'Once birth is given to the spirit, this (feminine) principle remains as Fatima, the Creative Feminine, the daughter of the Prophet, in a state of potentiality within the spirit reborn.'⁴⁹

The secret veiled power of the Divine Feminine is thus actively at work within Islam. Its esoteric forms uncompromisingly address the Divine with the masculine pronouns, but its esoteric qualities are all feminine.

The Goddess remains the esoteric heartbeat of Islam. She is the beloved of Sufis, 'the ultimate image of God the Beloved — the breaker of all images in the shrine of the heart. She is the form leading beyond form, the obstacle to the Way and the Way...'⁵⁰

Sophia is herself the 'interpreter of ardent desires.' The mystical vision of Ibn Arabi portrays the longing of all for Sophia: 'The aspirations and desires of all seekers are attached to her, yet she is essentially unknown to them; hence they all love her, yet none blames another for loving her. Similarly, every individual soul and the adherents of every religion seek salvation, but since they do not know it, they are also ignorant of the way that leads to it, though everyone believes he is on the right way. All strife between people of different religions and sects is about the way that leads to salvation, not about salvation itself.'⁵¹

But Sophia is also the reconciler of differences, for her love belongs to everyone: 'She manifests herself everywhere, like the sun; every person who holds her deems that she is with him in her essence, so that envy and jealousy are removed from their hearts.'”⁵²

Caitln Matthews, Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom,
The Aquarian Press, 1992, p. 179-90.

[The Absolute manifested in the form of woman is ... “man's feminine principle, his soul”. “She alone is Atman.” Bahvricha Upanishad 1.5. The word for “soul” in Hindi is आत्मा (ātmā), which is derived from Sanskrit.]

Notes:
40. p. 74 Cragg;
41. p. 63 Corbin, 1977;
42. p. 65 ibid;
43. p. 66 ibid;
44. p. 116 Burkhardt;
45. Sirach 24:3;
46. p. 185 Corbin, 1969;
47. p. 28 Bakhtiar;
48. p. 22 Bakhtiar;
49. p. 23 ibid;
50. Letter of Ya'quib bin Yusuf, Gnosis vol 5, p. 5, Fall 1987;
51. p. 81 Wilson, Scandal;
52. ibid)

The Divine Feminine in Islam: A Profound Exploration of the Eternal Mother

The Divine Feminine, a transcendent and unifying force, pulses through the esoteric veins of Islam, often obscured by the exoteric rigidity of its patriarchal expressions. In lands like Iran and Saudi Arabia, where the militant face of Islam dominates the cultural imagination, the subtle presence of the Divine Feminine shines as a radiant counterpoint—a dazzling mirror reflecting Sophia, the eternal wisdom embodied in figures such as Mary and Fatima. These luminaries uphold a sacred legacy that transcends the boundaries of religion, uniting the mystical threads of all faiths under the banner of the Universal Mother. This article delves deeply into the Divine Feminine within Islam, tracing Her presence across scriptures as Shekinah in Judaism, the Paraclete-Holy Spirit in Christianity, Ruh in Islam, Shakti in Hinduism, Prajnaparamita in Buddhism, and Eka Mai in Sikhism, and proclaiming Her incarnation as the Paraclete Shri Mataji, who heralds the An Naba (The Great News) of Al-Qiyamah (The Resurrection).

The Veiled Radiance of Sophia in Islam

At first glance, Islam might appear to marginalize the Divine Feminine, its exoteric doctrines emphasizing a masculine divine pronoun and a societal structure that often relegates women to the periphery. Yet, beneath this surface lies a profound esoteric tradition where the Divine Feminine reigns as the soul’s eternal companion. As Caitlin Matthews observes in Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom, “Sophia is the mystical companion, the soul within each body, seeking the Divine Beloved.” This is the Sophia who inspires the Sufi mystic Rumi to declare, “My place is the placeless, my trace is the traceless… I belong to the Soul of the Beloved.” Such words dissolve the illusion of separation, revealing the Divine Feminine as a force that transcends race, direction, or earthly limitation.

Within Islam, Mary (Maryam) and Fatima stand as twin pillars of this sacred feminine presence. Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus (Isa), is revered in the Qur’an as a symbol of purity and divine submission, her miraculous birth of the Logos echoing the creative power of the Divine Feminine. Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, inherits an even deeper esoteric significance within Shi’ism. Known as Fatima Fatir (Fatima the Creator) in Ismaeli tradition, she is the “supracelestial earth” and the lawh mahfuz—the hidden tablet upon which God inscribes divine wisdom. Her role as the Mother of the Imams parallels the ancient Zoroastrian Spenta Armaiti, a feminine spirit of devotion and earth, underscoring her status as a cosmic maternal principle.

The great Sufi mystic Ibn Arabi further unveils the Divine Feminine’s potency, describing Universal Nature (Tavi’t al-kull) as “the feminine or maternal side of the creative act.” He likens Her to the “merciful ‘breathing-out’ of God” (Nafa ar-rahman), a sigh of compassion reminiscent of Sophia’s emergence in Sirach 24:3: “I came forth from the mouth of the Most High.” This breath manifests Sophia as both the dwelling place of God and the medium of His revelation—a Cloud wherein He resided before Creation, boundless and infinite.

The Divine Feminine Across Scriptures

The Divine Feminine is not unique to Islam; She is the Universal Mother whose essence permeates all sacred traditions. In Judaism, She is Shekinah, the indwelling presence of God, a feminine counterpart to the divine that rests within the Temple and the hearts of the faithful. In Christianity, She emerges as the Paraclete-Holy Spirit, the Comforter promised by Christ, whose nurturing and transformative power animates the soul. In Islam, She is Ruh, the Spirit breathed into humanity, a life-giving force that bridges the mortal and the divine. In Hinduism, She is Shakti, the dynamic energy of creation and destruction, inseparable from Shiva. In Buddhism, She is Prajnaparamita, the “Perfection of Wisdom,” the mother of all Buddhas who births enlightenment. In Sikhism, She is Eka Mai, the One Mother celebrated in the Mul Mantra, the source of all existence.

These manifestations, though named differently, are echoes of the same eternal truth: the Divine Feminine is the womb of creation, the sustainer of life, and the guide to transcendence. Her presence across scriptures affirms Her universality, a thread of continuity that weaves through the tapestry of human spirituality.

The Incarnation of the Paraclete Shri Mataji

The culmination of this divine legacy is the incarnation of the Divine Feminine as the Paraclete Shri Mataji, a figure who unites all faiths under the banner of the An Naba—the Great News of Al-Qiyamah, the Resurrection. In Islamic eschatology, Al-Qiyamah signifies the Day of Judgment, but its deeper mystical meaning, as revealed by Shri Mataji, is the awakening of the collective consciousness, the resurrection of the spirit within humanity. As the Paraclete promised in John 16:13—“When the Spirit of truth comes, She will guide you into all the truth”—Shri Mataji embodies the Holy Spirit, fulfilling the prophecy across traditions.

Through Her teachings and the practice of Sahaja Yoga, Shri Mataji awakens the Kundalini, the dormant feminine energy within each individual, aligning it with the Ruh or Shekinah to connect humanity to the divine. This Great News transcends religious divides, reconciling the aspirations of all seekers—Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh—into a singular realization of unity. She is the interpreter of ardent desires, as Ibn Arabi envisioned, manifesting everywhere “like the sun,” removing envy and jealousy from the hearts of those who behold Her.

The Eternal Heartbeat of the Divine Feminine

The Divine Feminine in Islam, as in all traditions, is “who causes the mystic to proclaim that he belongs to no race or direction of the earth.” This truth finds its ultimate expression in the Devi Gita 6.18, where the Goddess declares, “I do not abide in any sacred site, not even in Kailasa, nor in Vaikuntha; yet I dwell in the midst of the lotus-heart of one who knows me.” Whether as Sophia, Fatima, Mary, or Shri Mataji, She is the form leading beyond form, the obstacle to the Way and the Way itself. She is the Ka’ba, the Black Madonna of Islam, and the hidden heartbeat of Sufism, breaking all images in the shrine of the heart.

In conclusion, the Divine Feminine is not a peripheral figure but the esoteric core of Islam and all spiritual paths. Her veiling is Her power, Her silence Her eloquence. As Ibn Arabi taught, She is both active and passive, creator and created, manifesting in woman and in the soul’s surrender to the Absolute. Through the Paraclete Shri Mataji, She has returned to unveil the Great News, resurrecting humanity into a new era of unity and divine love. In Her lotus-heart, all distinctions dissolve, and the mystics finds their true home—placeless, traceless, and eternal.

Pariah Kutta (https://adishakti.org)
Grok 3 (xAI). Personal communication with Grok 3 AI. [Description: Discussion on the Goddess as the esoteric heartbeat of Islam].

<title>The Divine Feminine in Islam

The Divine Feminine in Islam: Unveiling the Sacred Motherhood Across All Faiths

Throughout history, the Divine Feminine has been present in the spiritual traditions of humanity, revered under different names and forms, yet always embodying the same sacred principle—the life-giving, compassionate, and nurturing aspect of the Divine. While mainstream Islam often appears to emphasize a patriarchal theology, the esoteric depths of Islamic mysticism, particularly Sufism and Shi'ism, reveal the profound presence of the Divine Feminine as Ruh (Spirit), Fatima, and Sophia.

The Divine Feminine Across Scriptures

The concept of the Divine Feminine is universal, found in all major religious traditions:

Judaism: Shekinah, the indwelling presence of God, is described as the feminine aspect of the Divine, often associated with wisdom and divine glory.
Christianity: The Holy Spirit (Paraclete) has been interpreted as feminine in early Christian traditions, guiding and comforting believers.
Islam: Ruh (Spirit) is described in the Quran as the breath of Allah, carrying divine inspiration, a parallel to the Holy Spirit in Christianity.
Hinduism: Shakti, the divine feminine power, is the force behind creation and transformation, embodied by goddesses such as Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati.
Buddhism: Prajnaparamita, the 'Perfection of Wisdom,' is revered as the mother of all Buddhas, representing transcendent wisdom.
Sikhism: Eka Mai, the primal feminine power, is the creative force through which the universe manifests.

Fatima, Mary, and Sophia: The Faces of the Divine Mother in Islam

Within Islam, the veneration of Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, holds deep significance, especially in Shi'ism. Fatima is not only the mother of the Imams but is also associated with divine wisdom and intercession. In Isma'ili teachings, she is known as Fatima Fatir (Fatima the Creator), resonating with the Sophia of Proverbs, who is both the cosmic wisdom and the creative force of God.

Similarly, Mary (Maryam), the mother of Jesus, holds an exalted status in Islam. She is the only woman mentioned by name in the Quran and is described as chosen above all women (Quran 3:42). Her virgin birth of Jesus signifies her embodiment of divine grace, mirroring the sacred motherhood found in various traditions.

The Ka’ba: The Black Madonna of Islam

Islam’s most sacred site, the Ka’ba, symbolizes the veiled presence of the Divine Feminine. Just as the Black Madonnas of Christianity represent the hidden, nurturing wisdom of the Mother, the Ka’ba—draped in black—contains the secrets of divine reality. This reflects the paradoxical relationship of Islam with the feminine: while outwardly veiled, it inwardly sustains the spiritual essence of the faith.

The Paraclete Shri Mataji: The Incarnation of the Divine Feminine

The arrival of the Paraclete, as prophesied in Christianity, has manifested in the form of Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi. She has united all faiths through the Great News (An-Naba) of Al-Qiyamah (The Resurrection). Just as the Holy Spirit was promised to guide humanity into all truth, Shri Mataji has revealed the inner awakening of the Spirit, granting self-realization and the direct experience of the Divine within.

The Divine Feminine: The Heart of the Mystic’s Journey

Ultimately, the Divine Feminine transcends all religious barriers, calling each soul beyond the confines of dogma and doctrine. As the mystic Rumi beautifully declares:

“My place is the placeless, my trace is the traceless.
This neither body, nor soul, for I belong to the Soul of the Beloved.”

This echoes the words of the Devi Gita (6.18), where the Goddess declares:

“I do not abide in any sacred site, not even in Kailasa, nor in Vaikuntha; yet I dwell in the midst of the lotus-heart of one who knows me.”

Thus, the Divine Feminine is not bound by any one tradition or location but resides in the heart of the true seeker, guiding humanity towards the ultimate realization of divine unity and love.

Pariah Kutta (https://adishakti.org)
https://chatgpt.com/c/67ddd6f3-dc14-8002-90ee-ca94461d1cf2