Sayyda Rabe'ah Al-'Adawiyah [AAH]

Sayyda Rabe'ah Al-'Adawiyah [AAH]

martyr of the divine love



Sayyda Rabe'ah Al-'Adawiya [AAH]: she is Al-Basriyah bent Isma'il, the slave of people of Ataik from Bani 'Edwah. She was famous in the history for what she introduced of asceticism, piety, and knowledge of her Lord. By striving with herself, she made a great impact in the field of the call to Allah by making an example and by the righteous deeds. As she made a great contribution in the call to Allah, and she irrigated the thirst of the hearts that love the obedience to their Lord. She learned from her way the right conduct, the faith and certainity, and that all affairs are refered only to Allah, the One and the Only.

Her birth and growth:

She was born in Al-Basrah and lived for a long time. She was brought up by righteous and poor parents. She was born after three daughters, so she was named Rabe'ah [which means the fourth in Arabic]. She was wonderfully beautiful and fascinating, yet, she did not marry. That was not out of reluctance, but for being busy with the sweetness of the worship and the approchement to Allah, and also for fear of being negligent to the rights of a husband. And these are some of her good merits that we are going to try to talk about.

Her father narrated that: He saw in a vision the Prophet [PPBUH] saying to him (Do not be sad, as this newborn is an honorable lady). Then an abundant provisions was brought to them. Nevertheless, this righteous father died, he was followed by his wife without leaving Rabe'ah any sources except for a boat that was used to transport people for a few Dirhams. She went to work replacing her father. She used to sing on her way back after the hard work, as a sort of relaxation. At that time Iraq was famous for the literature and knowledge, the asceticism and religion, and the amusement, luxury and singing. One day her father, before he died, asked her "O, Rabe'ah what if we could not find any source for living but what is prohibited? she replied "O, my father, we would be patient of hunger in this worldly life, better than being patient of hell in the hereafter".

Her way to Allah:

Rabe'ah [AAH] saw in her dream: a bright light surrounding her. She swam in it. Then she heard a caller telling her to give up the amusement and singing. He told to engage instead, in a full-time devotion to pray humbly and appeal to Allah. He said that she should substitute the tones for Qur'an, so she stopped singing and replaced the poetry of entertainment with that of asceticism and righteousness, then she turned fully to the worship of her Lord, started to memorize the Qur'an, and the night prayers during the calmness of the dark.

Then, there came a famine, drought and dryness, so Rabe'ah and her sisters became vagabonds and she never met any of them again.

The ordeal increased as she was taken by a thief who sold her in slavery then the slave trader mistreated and tortured her. However she was patient and that did only increase her doting on her Lord, her solitude and her entreating.

She has never been lazed, and her will never languished or changed due to her bad conditions. One day a human wolf attacked her, but she defended her dignity and chastity until her arm was broken, then she prostrated herself to Allah to thank him for saving her. She prayed for Him to be with her in her loneliness, so she never felt lonely after that even when she was alone and without family. She was satisfied with her Lord without anyone or thing. One day her master heared her while she was praying to Allah to save her from slavery. he saw a light surrounding her, then his heart soften, so he liberated her.

She made the hereafter as her primary concern. She retired from all creatures and built a solitary Masjid for herself, where she devoted herself to worship. She went to the mosques to listen to Fiqh.

Then Allah gave her the Divine knowledge which is not found in the books and cannot be heard from the preachers. This is the knowledge that Allah, Almighty, bestows upon people of piety and certainty, then it goes on their tongues. That is what was mentioned in Hadith (The knowledg is two: a knowledge in the heart which is the usefull knowledge, and a knowledge on the tongue which is the evidence of Allah on the sons of Adam). narrated by Al-Hafez Abo-Bakr, Ibn Abdel-Barr from Gaber.

Her knowledge and Fiqh shielded her from falling into the snares of the devil and Allah saved her heart. That is the case with worshipers who are honest in their faith. [It is only those who have the Divine knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah] Fatir 35:28, and with all that she became more fearing and humble to Allah.

From her transmitted traces:

Many poems of hers were found about asceticism and longing for Allah, such as:

[My provisions are little, I do see it will get me to my destination,

am I to cry for the provisions? or to cry for my long distance?]

[O, My utmost only hope, are you to burn me with fire?

so where is my hope of you? and where is my fear of you?]

From her words:

"Nothing soothes the pain and longing of the lover of Allah, except for being with his Beloved". From her sayings, when the night comes and its curtains are loosened "My God, the sounds have quieted, the movements have calmed down, and every lover is alone with his beloved. O, ye Beloved, I retired with you, so make my retreat with you at this night, to be my saving from hell".

It was narrated that she supplicated to her Lord and said "O, My God, would you burn with fire a heart that loves you?" Then a caller cheered her: "We would never do that, so do not think ill of us".

From her recommendations:

"Hide your merits as you hide your sins". She has many serious aphorisms, and Ibn Al-Gawzy said "Rabe'ah was discerning". From the words that indicate her deep understanding, is her saying "I seek the forgiveness of Allah for my lack of sincerity in saying (I ask Allah forgiveness)".

One day Sufyan ath-Thawry took the hand of Ga'far ibn Soliman, saying to him "Let us go to the polite one whom when I leave, I can not find anyone to be comfortable with".

Once someone looked at her ragged dress and recommended her to go to some people who would help her improve her conditions. She replied "Do not you embrace Islam? it is the glory that cannot be shamed, the richness that cannot be impoverished, and the affability that cannot be estranged. By Allah, I am ashamed of asking the worldly life from He who owns it? so how can I ask it from he who does not?"

Her morals:

Rabe'ah's heart was pure, weepy and supplicating. That prepared her to receive the Truth's lights. If she read a verse in which the hell is mentioned, she would have fainted out of fear. If she read a verse that aroused the interest to the paradise, she would hold on to it. She used to pray all the night, to be affable with Allah in her retreat and for that she would feel a pleasure that cannot be felt by kings. She used to have her shroud in front of her eyes in order not to forget the death. She used to blam herself if she lazed, saying "O, Soul! until when would you keep on sleeping, you are about to sleep and never wake up till the shouting of resurrection's day".

She used to crying so much in her prostration that the place of her head would become wet. It was from her features that she would not be in a hurry to leave her standing for the praying to Allah, rather she would prefer long standing for prayers. She used to fast most of the days, as she was humble and modest for Allah, never proud or conceited. Her faith and sincerity shielded her from falling into the snares of the devil, and protected her from being proud because of her closeness to Allah. She reached a great degree of humbleness and asceticism that cannot be reached except by the righteous people.

She became an example, to be followed, for looking forward to what Allah has of honor and grace in the endless paradise. She became a high motive for the hearts and and for the active worshiping. She used to see herself as the least of all servants of Allah. She was so humble to the extent that one day a man came to her asking for her prayers, she said to him "Who am I? may Allah have mercy on you. Obey your Lord and pray to him! As Allah answers the prayers of those who are entangled".

Her worldly life with all it has got, in her opinion, would worth less than a mosquito's wing. When she was offered to marry a rich and prestigious man, that women would be proud of, she wrote to him "... abandoning this worldly life is the comfort for the heart and the body, and desiring it inherits the worry and the sadness. So it would not please me if Allah bestowed upon me multiple times of what you have, and it kept me busy from Him even for an eye blink. Salam".

She never considered the money as a cause for joy, but she saw it as equal to dust. With her asceticism, she was regaining the consciousness to the servants of Allah in order for them to know that the measure of the prosperity and success is the faith. And we understand from this, that the wish for marriage should not be built upon desire, money love or ornament. Rather marriage should be a means for the obedience to Allah.

Her Death:

Rabe'ah died after reaching eighty years of her life time. She was exposed to great tests, but she enjoyed the affability with Allah and the joy of His obedience. She believed that a believer can have no comfort until after he dies believing. The death that she never fail to remember. She had been shrouded in a robe made of camel hair, which she used to wear while praying at night.

Her house maid saw her in a vision, after she died, wearing a dress of Istbrq and a veil of green silk which she described as "never seen anything more beautiful".

Her death was in the year 180H, it was also said in the year 185H. She was buried in Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and her grave is at the top of at-Tor mount.

Allah honored her with a pleasant and great memory which gives will and vigilance to the heedless hearts.

Ibn khalkan narrated that some one of those who loved her said "I was praying for Rabe'ah al-'Adawiyah, then I saw her in a dream saying "your gifts come to us on plates of light, adorned by handkerchiefs of light".



Writtin by Rawyah Ramadan



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