GENDER DALAM PERSPEKTIF TASAWUF

Gender equity poses a controversial issue in Islam. It is found in the tradition of classical fiqh that there were a number of Islamic regulations which essentially discredited woman. This comes to be an object for modem fiqh, however, to deconstruct it by referring to the spirit of justice between sexes. Different from fiqh, Islamic sufism regards individuals not based on their gender status, but on the level of their ads of self-purifying (takhalltj and self- enriching with divine spirit (tahalli) in order to spiritually submit to God (tajalli). It provides both man and woman an equal rights in order for each to come into the highest level of spirituality, Habib Allah (the beloved of God), without any discrimination. The history suggests that there were several great sufi women who could come into this highest level of spirituality, and were therefore called Habib (ah) Allah, and among them was RabTah al-'Adawlyah