Rabia

Tales of Rabi'a

    Instead of thinking of Islam in terms of terror and fanatics, let us look today at the great saint Rabi’a, Muslim mystic of the 8th Century, the century of Sankara in India. Rabi’a was a hermitess – one who lives alone and apart from society. She was totally devoted to God.

    Many tales are told of her. She lived in a hut, with only a mat, a pitcher, a candle, her Koran and a shawl to keep out the cold. One night a thief came and stole the shawl. Trying to go out the door, he found it would not open. He dropped the shawl. Immediately the door opened itself. But when he seized the shawl again, the door closed. After trying this several times, he heard a solemn voice from a corner of the room.

    “She has taken refuge in Me all these years; when even the Devil is afraid here, how can a thief like you dare to pick up her shawl? Be gone, you rogue, for if one friend falls asleep, there is a greater Friend (God) wide awake and watching.”

    A scholar, Malek by name, went to visit her one day. He tells us: “She had a pitcher with a crack in it, which she used for drinking and for washing. In place of a pillow, she had a brick. There was an old straw mat. My heart broke at seeing her poverty. ‘I have wealthy friends I can bring to your aid,’ he said.

    ‘You are wrong, Malek. Isn’t the One who provides for me, the same Provider for them?’ ‘Of course,’ I replied.

    ‘Do you imagine that He has forgotten the poor because they are poor, while helping the rich because they are wealthy?’

    ‘No,’ I answered.

    ‘Then since He is aware of my state,’ she went on, ‘what need is there to remind Him? If this is how He likes it, I want to like it this way too.’”

    One day people saw her running. In one hand she was carrying a burning branch, in the other a pail of water. Someone asked, “O lady of the afterlife, where are you going and what are you doing?” Rabi’a replied: “I am going to set Heaven on fire, and put out the flames of Hell. That way those who are moving towards God can overcome both these illusions and clearly see the true goal. Then, with no ulterior motives, no hopes or fears, all may truly seek God. Today you can hardly find anyone who really worships God for His own sake, without hope for Paradise (Heaven) or fear of Hell.”

From Sufi Women by Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh
Khaniqahi-Nimatullahi Publications, London, 1983