Jessika Kenney on “Rabiah al Basra” | #HistoricMuslimah Ramadan Series

Ramadan #HistoricMuslimah #16: "Rabiah al Basra" | Today, Khateebah & Mu'adthinah Jessika Kenney enlightens us about the true nature of Rabiah al Basra, the famous Muslimah that is most known for re-introducing the concept of Love back into early Sufi Islamic teachings. Jessika shows us how the gendered way that Rabiah is usually mistranslated is very harsh; however, when one goes back to the original text, we see a much warmer depiction of Rabiah, one that is rooted in love and ecstatic joy. Jessika treats us with a beautiful recitation of the original Persian poetry of Farid Din Attar as he describes Rabiah in 'The Conference of the Birds.'

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M O R E F R O M J E S S I K A K E N N E Y "Singing A Shining Steed: The Mystical Origins of the Buraq" by Jessika Kenney https://youtu.be/6j8fo4CPsB0 "Exploring Wudu, Water, and the Concept of 'Purity' in Islam" Khutbah by Jessika Kenney https://youtu.be/flrQ9md8nsU Adthans by Mu'adthinah Jessika Kenney: https://soundcloud.com/search?q=women...

B I O Jessika Kenney is a vocalist, composer/improviser, and teacher. Jessika's singing can be heard on Ideologic Organ, Black Truffle, Weyrd Son, SIGE, Present Sounds, and other labels. She performs regularly with writers/scholars Red Pine (Bill Porter), Fatemeh Keshavarz, and Anne Carson. At international festivals, Jessika has performed her own compositions as well as music of Annea Lockwood, Hossein Omoumi, Morton Feldman, Giacinto Scelsi, and others. In 2015, her LP ""ATRIA"" (based on writings attributed to Sunan Kalijaga, who brought Islam to Java in the 15th century CE) was released alongside a sound, calligraphic score, sculpture, and video installation filling five rooms at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle. Jessika taught from 2007-2015 at her alma mater, Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. She has studied sindhenan with many great musicians of Javanese gamelan in and outside Indonesia, particularly the late, great pesindhen Nyi Supadmi (d. 2015). She has studied Persian radifs with Ostad Hossein Omoumi (UC Irvine) since 2004. Kenney received the 2014 James Ray Distinguished Artist Award, and for collaborations with her husband Eyvind Kang, the 2015 Stranger Genius Award. She is VoiceArts faculty at California Institute of the Arts and lives in Pasadena, CA. In 1997, Jessika had her first masjid experience in the Kauman neighborhood of Surakarta, Central Java, and she has been involved in Islamic and Sufi culture ever since.

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A B O U T The Women's Mosque of America is the nation's first women-led Muslim house of worship and a registered 501(c)3 non-profit. The Women's Mosque of America strives to uplift the entire Muslim community by empowering Muslim women and girls through more direct access to Islamic scholarship and leadership. The Women's Mosque of America provides a safe space for women to feel welcome, respected, and actively engaged within the Muslim Ummah. It complements existing mosques, offering opportunities for women to grow, learn, and gain inspiration to spread throughout their respective communities. The Women's Mosque of America provides women-led Friday jumma'a services for women and children (including boys 12 and under) once a month in Southern California. In addition, The Women's Mosque of America provides programming, events, and classes open to both men and women that aim to increase community access to female Muslim scholars and female perspectives on Islamic knowledge and spirituality.

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