The mallika of mysticism

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Sadia Dehlvi [1]

Rabia of Basra is the most famous woman in the history of Islamic mysticism. A lifelong celibate, her devotion to God was so complete that she is credited with enriching the philosophy of Sufism with the concept of divine love.

The celebrated prayer of the eighth century mystic best defines the Sufi way: “Oh God, if I worship in the fear of hell, burn me in hell, and if I worship thee for the desire of paradise, exclude me from paradise, but if I worship thee for thine own sake, withhold not thine everlasting beauty.” Rabia believed that God should be loved for His sake alone and this love should not be driven by fear or hope.
Rabia means “fourth” and she was one of four sisters. Born into the poorest of homes, Rabia was orphaned in childhood, separated from her sisters in a storm, kidnapped and sold into slavery. Despite all these tragedies, Rabia’s love for God left no room in her heart for any worldly desire or relationship.
During the day Rabia served her master and spent the nights in prayer. One night as she prayed, the master saw a light over her head that miraculously illuminated the whole house. On realising that Rabia was consumed by the love of God, he freed her. Rabia began to live in the wilderness amongst the deer, mountain goats and donkeys. Her belongings were a broken pitcher, reed mat and a brick pillow.
Rabia’s biographers record innumerable anecdotes that throw light on her life, philosophy and unique relationship with God. Once Rabia noticed a man wearing a bandage round his head and enquired of his health. He told her that he had a severe headache. She asked, “How old are you?” “Thirty,” he replied. Rabia then questioned if he had ever endured suffering in his life. On hearing him reply in the negative, Rabia said, “For 30 years you have enjoyed good health and never once worn the bandage of gratefulness. But as soon as your head hurts, you put on the bandage of complaint.”
Even during her lifetime, Rabia was recognised for her piety and was visited by the Sufis and scholars of the time. Rabia expressed her love for God in short poems, like this one:
Brothers, my peace is my aloneness,
My beloved is alone with me there, always,
I have found nothing in all the worlds,
That could match His love.
This love that harrows the sands of my desert,
If I come to die of desire,
And my beloved is still not satisfied,
I would live in eternal despair,
To abandon all that He has fashioned,
And hold in the palm of my hand, certain proof that he loves me,
That is the name and the goal of my search.