A woman who fell in love with God

By Hassan Bendouz

Morocco News Tribune

 

Agadir, Morocco— Rabiaa Aladiawiya is the woman whose name was engraved in the eternal history of Mankind. She is one of the most influential females in Islam and a central figure in the world of Sufism.

She was given birth in a poor surrounding but a highly respected family. Years before her birth, her parents had vision that their daughter would be a virtuous saint and a spiritual leader.

She was the fourth daughter among her siblings and therefore named her “Rabia”, which means «The fourth».

She has a very unique ethical philosophy, which can be summed up in the concepts of cherishing goodness, neither for the sake of avoiding a punishment nor for the purpose of seeking a reward behind it.

One day, she was seen walking the neighborhoods of Basra holding a torch in one hand and a bucket of water in the other. When people asked her what she was doing, she said, “I want to put out the fires of Hell, and burn down the rewards of Paradise. They block the way to God. I do not want to worship from fear of punishment or for the promise of reward, but simply for the love of God,”

Not too many people in the Islamic world know this legendary woman, nor did religious or educational institutions devote enough analysis and study to her privileged knowledge and thinking on the issues of honor, goodness and divinity.

The story of Rabiaa Started in the deep desert of Basra in Iraq between the years of 95 and 99 After the Hijra of the Prophet Mohamed, may peace be upon him.

When Rabiaa was Eleven, her father passed away leaving behind him four daughters and a heavy burden on his wife. The latter, finding herself hopeless and alone in a tough society, decided to leave to Basra where she could work to assure a better living for her daughters. In their way to Basra, Their caravan fell into the hands of robbers. The chief of the robbers took Rabia captive, and sold as a slave her to a wealthy man in the market.

Rabia’s remarkable beauty and magical voice made her a precious treasure for her master. He took her to Baghdad where he exploited her talents in singing, playing the flute and entertaining wealthy people of Baghdad. She was even sent her to wedding parties and celebrations where she would dance and sing for the public.

Most of all, Rabia worked thoroughly hard but spent long nights awake to pray and meditate. Her “master” eavesdropped her once in the middle of the night while praying, “Ohh God! You know well that my keen desire is to carry out your commandments and to serve them with all my heart, O light of my eyes. If I were free I would pass the whole day and night in prayers. But what should I do when you have made me a slave of a human being?”, Her voice filled with shoreless passion and sincere tears.

Right from that moment Rabiaa has completely changed her way of living and decided to stop singing, dancing, and entertaining her master’s guests. He began to ill-treat her, to beat her, and even to burn parts of her body in hope to compel her to submit to his desires.

After a period of time her master, seeing that he could not influence her in any way, and because she was no longer of any use to him, decided to sell her. So he put a cord around her neck and took her to the slave market of Baghdad. There a holy man took Rabi`a to his home, promised her a decent life, and guaranteed her that he did not want any personal  benefits  from buying her, except that she could worship God and enjoy her freedom in his house.

Until her last breath in being, she lived a life of material deprivation and complete simplicity. She spent endless nights in deep contemplation and prayer.

She had many offers of marriage but refused them all because her love to God has overwhelmed all her heart to the point that she could add any man’s love next to the one of God.

She prayed: “O God! If I worship You for fear of Hell, burn me in Hell,

and if I worship You in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise.

But if I worship You for Your Own sake, grudge me not Your everlasting Beauty.”

She introduced the ideal concept of “Divine Love”. She was the first to tackle the idea that God should be loved for God’s own sake, not out of fear. She desired neither fame nor power but her whole life was pure passion, and unconditioned love for God.