SUFI STORIES #10. RABIA AL ADAWIYYA – THE FIRST & MOST FAMOUS FEMALE SUFI SAINT

In 1990 I was the VP of an Islamic NGO. We had a small library and I took the opportunity to read some of the books there. One of the books that fascinated me was about the most famous female Sufi Saint of all time, Rabia Al Adawiyya of Basra (Iraq), may Allah sanctify her soul.

However, after reading the book, I ordered it to be taken off the shelves, until I could confirm if some parts of her story was true or fabricated.

Rabia was famous because of her intense and undivided, unconditional love for God. According to the story, she loved God so much that she refused to marry because she did not want to share her love and devotion for God with anyone.

She had asked one of her suitors, the famed Sufi Saint Hassan Al Basri, that if she were to marry him could he guarantee her Paradise? Of course he replied that he could not even guarantee his own fate, what more to guarantee hers. She replied that she had no reason to marry him because she was already very much in love with the Owner of Paradise! She however, was not interested in Paradise, but was besotted with its Owner.

That reasoning is against the teachings of Islam. The Prophet (PBUH) taught us that those who can marry but refuse to do so do not belong to his community (Ummah). Secondly, The Prophet (PBUH) himself was also intensely in love with God, but that did not stop him from marrying (many times). Marriage and building families are important duties for the Muslims as these are necessary for the fulfilment of the potentials that we were created for, and for the continuation of the human species. These were the reasons I ordered the book to be embargoed.

At that time the NGO was organizing Yusuf Islam’s (Cat Stevens) lecture tour to Malaysia. We had discussions with the religious authorities at the Islamic Centre (Pusat Islam) to finalize the program. At one of those meetings there was an Indian Muslim lady dressed in white sitting behind me. She was an observer invited by the religious officers.

After the meeting, she approached me and said this: “AsSalaamu alaikum Shaykh, I am so in love with Allah that I find it difficult to get married”. Her name was Zarina Ibrahim.

I was stunned. That happened just less than 1 week after I doubted Rabia’s story. I realized that the story was true, and that there are people in this world whose love for God is so intense that they are not prepared to risk diluting that love. However, these are exceptional people who God uses as examples to show us how deep the love for Him can be. We try to emulate their love for God but do not follow their celibacy. Instead we should follow the prophets who fulfilled the human responsibilities (marriage and having children) without diluting their love for God.

Then I told Zarina that she was like Rabia Al Adawiyya. She asked who Rabia was, as somebody else had also made the same remark to her. So I told her about the lady Saint, and that God had sent her to me to clear my doubt about Rabia the Saint of God!

Today I will share some stories about Rabia. In the next episode I will write about the modern-day Rabia that God sent to me (Zarina Ibrahim).

Rabia Al Adawiyya (or Rabiah Al Adawiyah) was born in Basra (Iraq) in 714 or 717CE to very poor parents. After getting 3 daughters, her father prayed to God that He might give him a son who could help bring income to the family when he grows up. To “entice” God to give him a son, he promised that he will put his next (fourth child) in the service of God, without saying “provided it is a son”.

God accepted his promise, but instead, he got a fourth daughter, who he named Rabia (arba’a means four in Arabic).

Soon after she was born, miracles started to happen.

Once when her father had no money even to buy oil for the lamp to light up the house, he dreamt of The Prophet (PBUH) who said:

"Your newly born daughter is a favourite of the Lord, and shall lead many Muslims to the right path. You should approach the Amir of Basra and present him with a letter in which should be written this message: 'You offer Durood (praises and salutations to The Prophet PBUH) to the Holy Prophet one hundred times every night and four hundred times every Thursday night. However, since you failed to observe the rule last Thursday, as a penalty you must pay the bearer four hundred dinars'".

He dutifully carried out the instructions. The Amir (Ruler) was jubilant that The Prophet acknowledged his Durood, and was more than happy to give the money to him, plus another 1000 dinars to the poor. The Amir also pledged to give him whatever he required henceforth.

Rabia grew up to become the most famous female Muslim Saint, renowned for her extreme virtue, piety, renunciation, asceticism and unrivalled love, devotion and surrender to God. Her concept of Divine Love influenced many Sufis after her.

When asked why she wished to put out the fire of Hell and burn the rewards of Paradise, she said:

“I do not want to worship from fear of punishment or for the promise of reward, but simply for the love of Allah."

When asked why she performed a thousand ritual prostrations both during the day and at night, she answered:

"I desire no reward for it; I do it so that the Messenger of God, may God bless him and give him peace, will delight in it on the day of Resurrection and say to the other prophets, 'Take note of what a woman of my community has accomplished'".

Rabia used to spend the nights praying and speaking to her “Lover” while others were spending the nights with their human lovers.

Her most famous prayer was this:

"O Lord, if I worship You because of Fear of Hell, then burn me in Hell;

If I worship You because I desire Paradise, then exclude me from Paradise;

But if I worship You for Yourself alone, then deny me not your Eternal Beauty."

There are many fascinating stories/legends about her.

One such legend is about her pilgrimage to Mecca. Her donkey died in the middle of the desert. The people on the caravan she was with offered to help her, but she refused, saying she would stay in the desert and trust in Allah. It was said that she prayed to God, and he restored the donkey's life.

Whatever the truth of the many legends ascribed to her, there is no doubt that Rabia was a woman of powerful faith, and that her influence spread far beyond her lifetime. 

She died in Jerusalem in 801 while in her 80’s. As she passed away, those present heard a voice saying, "O soul at peace, return unto Thy lord, well pleased."

You can read more about this great female Sufi Saint and the greatest Lover of God here:

https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Rabia_Basri

Salam/Peace. See you at my next SUFI STORIES post!