Rabia Al Adawiya was born in Basra, Iraq, She came from a poor family and was the fourth daughter thus she was named ''Rabia'' meaning the Fourth.
A famous story from her birth was that there was no Oil lamp to light the house so her father who truly trusted (Tawakkul) in Allah to the extent that he vowed that he would not beg from anyone and would only ask from Allah was sent by Rabia's mother to ask for a lamp, He went outside and pretended to go to the neighbours house but returned empty handed. Being saddened that he could not even provide for his new born, Rabia's father became thoughful and sad.
At night he was blessed to see the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in a dream who told him that his daughter is the friend of Allah (Wali Allah) and will she will guide many people to Islam. The Prophet then instructed him to go the Amir of Basra and convey to him this message that every night you recite Salutions (Darood Shareef) upon me 100 times at night and 400 times on the Thursday night, However as you have not recited last Thursday you shall have to compensate by giving 400 dinars to the bearer.
After seeing the dream Rabia's Father was delighted and emotional he hurried to the Amir of Basra and conveyed the message from the Prophet the Amir was delighted to know that he was in the sight of the Prophet and gave 1000 Dinars to the poor and paid Rabia's Father 400 dinars and instructed him to come again if he needed help as he was the beloved of Allah.
Due to a famine in Basra which made Rabia a orphan she was kidnapped while in a Caravan and sold in the market as a slave she used to do all chores and keep fasts in the day and at night remember Allah and pray, Then one night her master was awokened to see light above Rabia's head he become shocked that he was keeping a saint as a slave and called her in the morning and set her free and seeked forgiveness.
From then on Rabia went to solitude and seclusions and prayed in the wildernesses and deserts, She approached Allah by herself without a teacher or guide and sacrificed her whole being in love and awe. She kept little possessions and had a Brick as a pillow, A broken jug to do ablutions, and a mat to pray on.
She was the first to introduce that Allah should be worshipped out of love and not fear, She had many diciples and followers and had many proposals for marraige that she rejected even a proposal from the Amir of Basra himself She rejected due to that she had no time and no ''Other'' in her heart except Allah.
Her most Famous poem is given below:
"O Allah! 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.''
Rabia always stressed on repentance and how it is a mercy from god, As only the one who god gives a chance can repent.
Her Miracles:
One day Hazrat Hasan Basri saw Hazrat Rabia near a lake. He threw his prayer rug on top of the water and said: "Rabia come! Let us pray two raka'ts here." She replied: "Hasan, why you are showing off your spiritual power?, She threw her prayer rug into the air and flew up onto it and said "Come up here, Hasan, where people can see us." Then she said: "Hasan, what you did fishes can do, and what I did flies can do. But the real Power is outside these Miracles One must apply oneself to Allah alone.
Once Hazrat Rabia was on her way to Makka, and when half-way there she saw the Kaa'ba coming to meet her and she said "It is the Lord of the house whom I need, what have I to do with the house? I need to meet with Allah who says, Who so approaches me by a span's length i will approach him by the length of a cubit. The Kaa'ba which i see has no power over me what joy does the beauty of the Kaa'ba bring to me?"
At the same time the great Sufi Saint Hazrat Ibrahim bin Adham arrived at the Kaa'ba, He spent fourteen years making his way to the Kaa'ba because in every place of prayer he had performed two raka'ts of prayer
Hazrat Ibrahim bin Adham seeing that the Kaaba was not there said: " What has happened it maybe that some injury has overtaken my eyes.?" An unseen voice said to him: "No harm has befallen your eyes, but the Kaa'ba has gone to meet a woman, who is approaching this place." Ibrahim Adham said: " Who is this woman?" He being suprised saw Rabia coming and the Kaa'ba was back in its own place, when Ibrahim saw that, he said: "O Rabia, what is this disturbance and trouble which you have brought into the world?"
She replied: "I have not brought disturbance into the world, it is you who have disturbed the world, because you delayed fourteen years in arriving at the Kaa'ba." He remarked "Yes I have spent fourteen years in crossing the desert because i was in prayer." Rabia said: "You traversed it in ritual prayer (Salat) but with personal supplication (you did not think about anyone else)." Then, having performed the pilgrimage, she returned to Basra and occupied herself with spiritual exercises.
May Allah bless Rabia Qalandar and make her a intercessor for us. Ameen
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