Rabia al Basri – Highly Acclaimed Women Sufi Saint.

 

Dear friends in the holy month of Ramzan I was reading an article on Rabia al Basri, one of the greatest women sufi saint in Islam. I liked a lot & thought of sharing with you all.

Rabia al Basri, The highly acclaimed woman sufi saint of 8th century (717 – 801) She was born in Basra, Iraq, Came from a poor family and was the fourth daughter thus she was named 'Rabia' meaning the Fourth.

Due to a famine in Basra which made Rabia a orphan she was kidnapped while in a Caravan and sold in the market as a slave she used to do all chores and keep fasts in the day and at night remember Allah and pray, Then one night her master was awokened to see light above Rabia's head he become shocked that he was keeping a saint as a slave and called her in the morning and set her free and seeked forgiveness.

She gained high position and reputation among her fellow-saints of her time. Her life of poverty, dedication, full dependence upon Allah's will, demureness, desirelessness, and proudlessness are good ideals and lessons for humanity.

From then on Rabia al basri went to solitude and seclusions and prayed in the wildernesses and deserts, She approached Allah by herself without a teacher or guide and sacrificed her whole being in love and awe. She kept little possessions and had a Brick as a pillow, A broken jug to do ablutions, and a mat to pray on.

She was the first to introduce that Allah should be worshipped out of love and not fear, She had many diciples and followers and had many proposals for marraige that she rejected even a proposal from the Amir of Basra himself She rejected due to that she had no time and no ''Other'' in her heart except Allah.

Here is an incident I like to refer, I just love this message,

One day Hazrat Hasan Basri saw Hazrat Rabia near a lake. He threw his prayer rug on top of the water and said: "Rabia come! Let us pray two raka'ts here." She replied: "Hasan, why you are showing off your spiritual power?, She threw her prayer rug into the air and flew up onto it and said "Come up here, Hasan, where people can see us." Then she said: "Hasan, what you did fishes can do, and what I did flies can do. But the real Power is outside these Miracles One must apply oneself to Allah alone.

I would like to share her most famous poem, O Lord !

O Lord,

If tomorrow on Judgment Day

You send me to Hell,

I will tell such a secret

That Hell will race from me

Until it is a thousand years away.

O Lord,

Whatever share of this world

You could give to me,

Give it to Your enemies;

Whatever share of the next world

You want to give to me,

Give it to Your friends.

You are enough for me.

O Lord,

If I worship You

From fear of Hell, burn me in Hell.

O Lord,

If I worship You

From hope of Paradise, bar me from its gates.

But if I worship You for Yourself alone

Then grace me forever the splendor of Your Face.

(Translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut - 'Perfume of the Desert' )

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