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Hazrat Rabia Al Basri (Rah) belonged to a poor-class but dignified
family. At her birth, there was not even any oil or cloth to cover her.
Her mother asked her husband to borrow some oil from a neighbor, but he
had resolved in his life never to ask for anything from anyone except
the Creator. However, to satisfy his wife, he went to the neighbor’s
house, knocked on the door and came away before anyone opened it. On his
return, he told his wife that the door was not opened. Grief-stricken,
he fell asleep.
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In a dream, he saw Rasoolalah (PBUH) telling him, “Do not grieve; this
girl born to you is exceptionally fortunate and holy.
Growing up, she was brought apart from her family and enslaved to a
commoner. She used to work all day long for the household and engage in
prayers nightlong. Once the master of house saw her praying at night and
her face surrounded by white light asking for freedom from slavery so
that she can freely pray day and night; upon hearing it, the master at
once decided set her free and even offered himself instead to serve her
while she can be the master. From stories of Kaaba reaching Hazrat Rabia
Al Basri (Rah) herself to her remarkable comments and philosophies of
loving Allah solely for Allah, are utterly moving and inspiring.
In a dream someone asked her, “What happened when Munkar and Nakeer came
to you?” Hazrat Rabia said, “When they asked me, “Who is your Rabb?” I
said, “Go back! Say to Allah: When you had never forgotten this weak
woman despite your remembrance of entire creation, how can she forget
You when on earth You were her only remembrance? Why do you send Angels
to question her?”
“I will not serve Allah like a laborer, in expectation of my wage.”
- Rabia Al Basri (Rah)
Hazrat Rabia (Rah) in her yearning for Allah, prayed to be shown His
Vision.
A Voice said to her, “If you desire Me, I shall reveal a manifestation (Tajalli)
of myself and in a moment you will be reduced to ash.”
Hazrat Rabia said: “O Allah! I lack the power for Your Tajalli. I wish
for the rank of Faqr (i.e. an extremely lofty spiritual status of divine
proximity).”
The Voice said: “O Rabia! Faqr is the famine of My Wrath. We have
reserved it exclusively for those Men (Awliyah) who have completely
reached us. There remains not even the distance of a hair between them
and us. At that juncture, we rebuff them and distance them from Our
Proximity. Inspite of this, they do not lose hope in us. They again
commence their journey towards us. While this is their condition, you
are still wrapped in the veils of time. As long as you are with the
folds of these veils and have not entered into Our Path with a true
heart, it is improper for you to even mention Faqr.”
The Voice then commanded Hazrat Rabia (Rah) to lift her gaze towards the
heaven. As she complied, she observed a vast rolling ocean of blood
suspended in space. The Voice said, “This is the ocean of tears of blood
of My Lovers who are lost in My Absorption. This is their first stage
(in their journey to reach Allah).”
“Go after the Gardener, not after the garden.”
- Rabia Al Basri (Rah)
One day, she was seen running through the streets of Basra carrying a
torch in one hand and a bucket of water in the other. When asked 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.”
We do not see such epitome of strength, courage, ranking and power in
religious history other than a handful of women. Hazrat Rabia Al Basri
(Rah) is definitely someone we all need to study about and draw
inspiration from. |