Women in the Perspective of Mahabbah through a Selection of Mawar Safei’s Latest Short Stories

Abstract

This article discusses the inclination in Mawar Safei’s latest short stories to promote Islamic spirituality through her female characters. This inclination was confirmed and recommended to obtain new insight in female character-building by a female writer. The female characters in her works opened the door for a wider discussion for scholars of Malay Literature. On average, studies on this topic generally address the same problem: the need to elevate the role of female characters within an Islamic context. There are three dominant polemical strands within the effort to dignify female characters within the Islamic context. Firstly, with reference to research findings that acknowledges significant Malay-Muslim female characters within a Western intellectual model. Secondly, the opposition to and rejection of Western framework by local scholars in their study of Malay-Muslim female characters. Thirdly, the injustice in providing justification for the aspirations of female characters within the works of female writers themselves. Following these polemical strands, this study opts to discuss female characters through an Islamic-based analytical framework, the Mahabbah (Love of Allah) to strengthen the Islamic identity within Malay Literature studies. The discussion on female characters through the Mahabbah concept then focuses on the works of female writers, with the selection of Mawar Safei as one of the more prolific female writers, active in her promotion of Islamic and tasawwuf values in her works. The Mahabbah concept as applied in this study is taken from the Mahabbah concept by Jalaluddin Rumi that offered concepts of Mahabatullah (Love of Allah). This concept is then applied to the four latest short stories of Mawar Safei: (Cinta, 2020; Pencinta, 2020; Ibrahim, 2020; Ephesus, 2021). The analysis and findings of this study conclude that the female characters in Mawar Safie’s works reflect the female character par excellence in their expression of the love of the Divine. The Islamic spiritual education reflected in Mawar Safie's short stories further also contributes to efforts in helping the community and youth, especially women, to build a high personality and spirituality. The reflection of the superiority of women's personalities sketched by Mawar Safei’s in turn can form a circle of civilized and prudent society.