Hazrat Rabia Basri: A Great, Righteous Woman, Friend of Allah Almighty in Islamic Sufism

By Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam

12 January 2023

Hazrat Rabia Basri: ‘Controlling One's Heart And Restraining Forbidden Desires Is A Symbol Of Real Manliness’

Main Points

1.    One cannot remain unaffected by the personality of Hazrat Rabia Basri since it is so alluring, attractive, spiritual, and enlightening.

2.    Hazrat Rabia Basri founded a new Sufi style of thought that put the emphasis on love rather than fear.

3.    The prominent intellectuals and Sufis of her time thought it an honour to sit and listen to Hazrat Rabia Basri's sermons because of her standing in knowledge and spirituality.

4.    Among her teachings is: "Controlling one's heart and restraining forbidden desires is a symbol of real manliness"

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The respectable personalities who devoted their lives according to the Quran and Sunnah of Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) are known as Awliya [plural of Wali, saint or friend of Allah] and Sufiya [plural of Sufi]. Among these pious, respectable, and renowned dignitaries, Hazrat Rabia Basri is a very trustworthy name. One cannot remain unaffected by the personality of Hazrat Rabia Basri since it is so alluring, attractive, spiritual, and enlightening. Her brilliance and piety are acknowledged by people of vision and understanding from every culture and religion.

Hazrat Rabia Basri founded a new Sufi style of thought that put the emphasis on love rather than fear. Her biography makes it quite obvious that worship is not a business but rather exists to please God Almighty. Greed or fear-based worship is not worship; such worship is only commerce. Such worship is self-deception. She always emphasised the value of prayer and fasting, promoting spirituality and chastity. She is the first female Sufi in Islamic tradition to enjoy enduring spiritual recognition and acceptance.

She was born in the home of Hazrat Ismail, a righteous Basra resident, on a lucky night in 95 Hijri. The new-born daughter was given the name Rabia, and there were already three daughters living there. The pure women of Islam who lived a life that alternates between poverty and wealth from start to finish include Hazrat Rabia Basri. When Hazrat Rabia Basri opened her eyes, the atmosphere was one of acceptance, satisfaction, patience, and thanks for the blessings and trials coming from God Almighty. Her father used to face the trials of the period, hungry, and go through fresh aches and sorrows, but he never complained or questioned anything. The daughter of such a father would indeed be obedient and pious by nature.

From a young age, Hazrat Rabia Basri developed a devotion to the Holy Quran and the teachings of the religious elders. She grew up understanding the difference between halal and haram. When the entire family gathered for eating food one day, she refused to eat. Why doesn't she eat, Rabia's father questioned. She replied, saying, "I'm questioning whether or not this foodstuff is halal." "How is this, daughter?" the father asked. She responded, "I think we should certainly avoid this meal because it's questionable". She added that we should practise patience with hunger in this life so that we won't have to practise patience with fire in the afterlife.

She was about five years old when her parents died. Because of the severe famine that was occurring there at the time, people were forced to flee Basra. Hazrat Rabia was separated from her sisters during the relocation. A cruel person abducted her and sold her to a rich man. She used to do every single work for his house. She fasted during the day and did all the household chores. She used to pray to Allah Almighty all night long. Her owner once watched her participate in a nighttime worship service; he was upset to see the whole thing. The following morning, he released Hazrat Rabia Basri after apologizing to her.

She travelled to Kufa, a significant centre of knowledge and Islamic sciences at the time, to learn the explicit Islamic sciences and knowledge. She began by memorizing the Holy Quran there. After that, she continued her studies in Fiqh and hadith and developed her knowledge to the point where the great Muhaddith and jurists would have been shocked to hear her preach. Her court of wisdom used to be attended by eminent scholars and Sufis. Imam Sufyan Thauri, also known as Ameer ul Mumineen in Hadith, was one of them. Hazrat Malik bin Dinar likewise had high regard for the spiritual accomplishments of Hazrat Rabia Basri.

Hazrat Rabia Basri yearned for a relationship with God Almighty, just like other wise people and mystics. The Sufi mystic Hazrat Rabia is credited with being the first to express God's love in the form of a permanent and solid faith. "Hazrat Rabia Basri used to be busy remembering Allah Almighty all the time," according to Tabaqat-ul-Kubra. She showed no interest in the outside world. She used to be so terrified of hearing about punishment and hell that she would fall asleep for a long time. She engaged in repentance after regaining consciousness, and her place of devotion was frequently flooded with tears.

Hazrat Rabia used to speak very little. When asked a question, she would give a clear, well-reasoned response. She used to discuss Quranic verses frequently and cite them in everything. When asked why, she responded, "Whatever man talks, the angels write it down. Therefore, she does not speak anything other than Quranic verses in order to prevent bad things from coming out of it, which the angels write down."

Imam Ghazali praises Hazrat Rabia Basri's brilliance in a very exquisite way in his book Ihyay-e-Uloom al-Din. The prominent intellectuals and Sufis of her time thought it an honour to sit and listen to Hazrat Rabia Basri's sermons because of her standing in knowledge, austerity, asceticism, and worship. In her meetings, they used to behave nicely and turn to her for assistance with their problems. Hazrat Rabia occupied a position of high status and authority. Everyone is surprised when a virtuous woman has a spiritual and intellectual impact in a society where mosque minarets and educational buildings are reserved for men.

She once responded to a question about why she was unmarried by saying that if she could get rid of three worries, she would get married. First, will she die with her faith intact or not? People asserted that they were unaware. She stated that the second was whether she would be assigned her list of worldly deeds in her right or left hand. The final question concerned which side of Paradise someone will enter from on the Day of Judgment. They indicated their uncertainty. Then, Hazrat Rabia questioned how a lady could want a husband if she was so worried about the Day of Judgment.

Throughout her life, Hazrat Rabia Basri had a constant fear of Allah Almighty. She used to recall God Almighty without worrying about hell or harbouring any desire for heaven. She held that one should love God without conditions and that one should remember God Almighty since He is one. The goal of this love must be to win the pleasure of Allah and His vision. She always sobbed out of love for Allah Almighty. She used to state that she had only ever loved Allah Almighty and that she feared a voice would say at the time of her death, "Rabia is not worthy of us,".

She always wore a Kurta made of rough blankets. In her will, she stipulated that following her demise, she would be buried in this Kurta. After she passed away, a pious woman had a dream in which she was dressed in a gorgeous silk Kurta. The woman wondered, "Where did the Kurta made of the blanket go?" She responded, "The Most Merciful [Rahmaan] has provided this Kurta in return for that."

Tell me a method to become closer to God, that woman pleaded. "Nothing is sweeter than remembering Allah Almighty for His nearness," Hazrat Rabia Basri responded.

Hazrat Rabia Basri often chanted the couplet, which is translated as follows:

“O my lord! Your close servants seek your nearness in the solitudes. The fishes in the sea sing praises to your majesty. The waves collide as a result of your holiness and grandeur. Because You are the independent and wrathful, everything bows before You, including the brightness of day and the darkness of night, the revolving sky, the dazzling moon, and the shining stars.”

She used to routinely recite the following prayer at night on the roof and communicate her prayers via her poetry.

"Oh my Lord, the stars are sparkling, and everyone is in their own solitary, their eyes closed in deep sleep. Here I am, alone with you. Send me to Hell If I worship You out of fear of the punishment of Hell. If I worship You in hope of entering Paradise, remove me from Paradise. But, if I worship You simply for Your sake, O Lord, don't disguise your eternal beauty.”

She would add, “A person cannot repent until his Lord gives him the blessed chance [Tawfiq] to repent and accepts him. You will turn to Him only if He turns to you."

“Ask Allah for contentment, because this is a great blessing”, she used to say.

She added, "Controlling one's heart and restraining forbidden desires is a symbol of manliness"

This outstanding lady who guided people toward righteousness and counselled them to keep going in that direction was ill for a spell and was lying on the bed of illness. Those in attendance were kind-hearted citizens of Basra who had come to pay a visit. She abruptly addressed the crowd, asking them to make room for angels. After everyone went, all that could be heard was a conversation for a short period. When the sound stopped, everyone returned and discovered that Hazrat Rabia had passed away.

Hazrat Rabia Basri—the embodiment of upright, devout women—died and was buried in Basra in the year 185 Hijri. Her life story, demeanour, and even personality serve as a role model for women. Her devotion to Allah and her practice of austerity and asceticism sends the message that everyone, male or female, has a responsibility to fulfil their obligation to serve and love God.

One could learn the following from her teachings: Worship the real God out of a yearning for paradise and fear of hell. One should emulate the virtues of endurance, patience, and contentment with one's destiny. One should live day and night in the light of God so that his or her path through the hereafter will also be lighted. The prophets have all been brought up in the arms of righteous women; she used to say while addressing the virtues of women. The real knowledge, according to her, is to recognize God Almighty through achieving Maarifa.

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A regular Columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is a Classical Islamic scholar with a Sufi background and English-Arabic-Urdu Translator.

URL:    https://newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/rabia-basri-righteous-allah-islamic-sufism/d/128856

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