Rabia Basri

Rabia Basri is one of the earliest mystic saints of Islam. She renounced her worldly life and devoted herself entirely to praying God.

Both in a humble family of Basra in 713 A.C., she was the fourth daughter of her parents. A strange story is related about her birth. On the night of her birth, there was nothing in the house-not even oil to light the house, or a small rag to swaddle the newly born child. Her mother implored her father to borrow some oil from a neighbour. This was a moment of trial for the poor father, who had promised to God not to extend his hand for help before any mortal being. Reluctantly he went to a neighbour's house, tapped his door, but there was no reply. He thanked God for being able to keep his promise. He came back and went to sleep. That night he had a dream in which the Prophet of Islam congratulated him on his newly born child who was destined to rise to a great spiritual position in Islam.

Rabia lost her parents at an early age. Her three sisters also died in a famine which ravaged Basra. She fell into the hands of a tyrant who sold her as a slave for a paltry sum. Her new master was no less a tyrant.

Little Rabia spent most of her time in carrying out the orders of her master. She spent the nights in praying. One night her master detected signs of her spiritual greatness. She was praying to God: “Almighty, You have made me the slave of a human being and I am duty bound to serve him. Had I been free I would have devoted every moment of my life to praying to You”. Suddenly a halo of sacred light encircled her head and her master was awe-stricken to see this sight. The next morning he set her free.

Rabia, being free, retired to a secluded place, for a life of meditation. Later she moved to a cell near Basra. Here she led a strictly ascetic life. A worn out mat, an earthen pot and a brick formed her entire belongings.

She wholly devoted herself to prayers, had only a wink of sleep before the dawn and regretted even that much.

A number of good offers of marriage were made to her. These included those from the Governor of Basra and the celebrated mystic saint, Hasan Basri.

But Rabia was so much devoted to God that she had little time for worldly affairs, hence she declined them.

Rabia had many eminent desciples including Malik bin Dinar, Raba-al-Kais, Shaikh al-Balkhi and Hasan of Basra. They often called on her to seek her counsel or prayers or listen to her teachings.

Once Hazrat Sufian Soori, a respected and devout Muslim came to Rabia, raised his hands and prayed: "Almighty, I seek worldly welfare from Thee".

Ftabia wept over it. When asked for it, she replied: "The real welfare is acquired after renouncing the world and I find that you seek it in this world only".

A person once sent forty dinars to her. She wept and raised her hand towards the sky: "You know it well that I never seek worldly welfare from you, although You are the Creator of the world. How can I then accept money from a person who is not the real owner of it?"

She enjoined her disciples not to disclose their good work to anyone and to conceal it just as they conceal their evil deeds.

Considering illness as her Lord's will, Rabia always bore it with exemplary courage and fortitude. No pain however severe ever disturbed or distracted her in devotion to God. She often remained unaware of the injury, until pointed out by others. One day she struck her head against a tree and started bleeding. Someone drew her attention to it saying, "Don't you feel pain"? "I am entirely devoted to God.* I am fully in communion with Him: He has made me occupied with things other than you generally perceive," she replied calmly.

Rabia was the foremost mystic to preach disinterested love for God— a concept which was later adopted by other mystics. She would often urge: "I do not serve God for any reward— have no fear of hell or love of paradise. I will be a bad servant if I serve for material benefit. I am duty bound to serve Him only for His love."

Once someone asked her whether she hated Satan. She replied: "No, the love of God has left no room for the hatred of Satan."

She was a mystic of a very high stature and belonged to the first group of Muslim mystics. She enriched Islamic literature by expressing her mystical experiences in high class verses.

She died in Basrah in 801 A.C. and was buried in the house in which she lived. Her funeral was attended by a large number of saints, sufis and devout Muslims.

There are many things and sayings attributed to.

When questioned by someone as to why she did not seek help from her friends, she replied, "I should be ashamed to ask for this world's good from Him to Whom it belongs, then why should I seek anything from those to whom it does not belong."

"Will God forget the poor because of their poverty or remember the rich because of their riches? Since He knows my state, there is hardly any need for me to pin-point His attention to it. What He Wills, we should also will".

Miracles were attributed to her as to other Muslim saints. Food was supplied to her guests by miraculous means. It was said that when she was dying, she bade her friends to depart and leave the way free for the messengers of God. As they went out, they heard her making confession of faith to which a voice responded: "O Soul be at rest, return to thy Lord, satisfied with Him, giving satisfaction to Him".

Among the prayers recorded of Rabia, is one which she offered at night upon her roof. "O, my Lord, the stars are shining and the eyes of men are closed and the kings have shut their doors and every lover is along with his beloved and here am I alone with Thee".

Again she prayed: "O, my Lord, if I worship Thee from the fear of hell, burn me therein, and if worship Thee for hope of paradise, exclude me therefrom, but if I worship Thee for Thine own sake, then withhold not from me Thy Eternal Beauty".