The ShinsungHwa of Rabia Al-Adawiyya (2019): Illuminating the Unseen Spirit
A Brief Commentary on Rabia of Basra’s ShinsungHwa
In this ShinsungHwa, Rabia’s spiritual core radiates with extraordinary intensity, positioned so high it nearly transcends the boundaries of the paper itself. This powerful energy emanation suggests a soul that has reached profound spiritual heights through a lifetime of devoted practice and surrender.
Powerful energy also emanates from her feet, creating a striking visual testament to her spiritual presence. What extraordinary life must she have lived to generate such forceful spiritual emanations? Perhaps her path was crystal clear to her, and she had indeed reached the pinnacle of her spiritual quest.
Quote
“O Lord, if I worship You from fear of Hell, burn me in Hell. If I worship You from hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise. But if I worship You for Your own sake, do not withhold from me Your everlasting beauty.”
_Rabia Al-Adawiyya
“True devotion is for itself: not to desire heaven nor to fear hell.”
_Rabia Al-Adawiyya
“I have made You the companion of my heart. But my body is available to those who desire its company, and my body is friendly toward its guest. But the Beloved of my heart is the guest of my soul.”
_Rabia Al-Adawiyya
“How many gifts and graces You have given me! How many favors You have fed me from Your hand! I look for Your love in all directions, then suddenly its blessing burns in me.”
_Rabia Al-Adawiyya
“Your prayers are your light; your devotion is your strength; sleep is the enemy of both. Your life is the only opportunity that life can give you.”
_Rabia Al-Adawiyya
“May Allah steal from you all that steals you from Him.”
_Rabia Al-Adawiyya
“I love Allah: I have no time left in which to hate the devil.”
_Rabia Al-Adawiyya
“In my soul there is a temple, a shrine, a mosque, a church where I kneel. Prayer should bring us to an altar where no walls or names exist.”
_Rabia Al-Adawiyya
The Woman Who Revolutionized Love and Faith
Over 1,300 years ago, when women rarely gained recognition for their ideas, a girl was born who would become one of history’s most influential spiritual teachers. Meet Rabia al-Adawiyya—a woman whose extraordinary life transformed how we understand divine love.
From Poverty to Prophecy
Born around 714 CE in bustling Basra, Iraq, Rabia was her family’s fourth child—hence her name, which means “fourth” in Arabic. Her family lived in crushing poverty. Her father often worried about affording oil for their lamp.
Legend tells us that on the night of her birth, the Prophet Muhammad appeared to her father in a dream, declaring that this child would become a great saint whose prayers thousands would seek. True or not, the prophecy proved accurate.
Disaster struck early. Famine devastated the region, killing both parents and scattering the four orphaned sisters. In those harsh times, orphaned children faced terrible fates. Rabia was sold into slavery.
The Miracle of Freedom
Slavery was brutal, yet Rabia’s faith never wavered. She worked all day, then spent her nights in prayer and fasting.
One night, her master witnessed something that changed everything. He found Rabia praying beneath a lamp that floated mysteriously in the air—as if held by invisible hands. Stunned by this miracle, he immediately freed her.
Miracle or not, Rabia’s unwavering devotion had transformed her destiny. Free at last, she retreated to the desert for years of spiritual discipline.
Love Without Conditions
Rabia’s true genius lay not just in her devotion, but in her revolutionary understanding of why we should love God. Most people worshipped from fear of hell or hope of paradise. Rabia proposed something radical: love God simply because God deserves love—expecting nothing in return.
Her most famous prayer captures this perfectly: “O God, if I worship You fearing hell, burn me there. If I worship You hoping for paradise, exclude me from it. But if I worship You for Your own sake, don’t withhold Your eternal beauty.”
Consider this: friendship based solely on getting gifts isn’t real friendship. Rabia taught that authentic divine love must be pure and selfless.
The Teacher of Teachers
Rabia’s wisdom attracted the era’s greatest scholars. Even renowned teachers like Hasan al-Basri sought her guidance. Despite living when women held no religious authority, these learned men revered her as their teacher.
One story describes several famous scholars visiting the sick Rabia. Each tried impressing her with eloquent speeches about patiently enduring God’s tests. Dissatisfied with their answers, she challenged them. Her response was profound: truly devoted souls don’t even notice difficulties—they’re too absorbed in God.
Another tale recounts how Rabia would make her thumb glow like a lantern to light her dark home for visitors, leaving them awestruck.
Simplicity and Power
Rabia chose radical simplicity. She rejected marriage proposals and embraced celibacy, dedicating herself entirely to her spiritual path. She also chose poverty, believing worldly possessions would distract from her relationship with God.
This might seem limiting, but for Rabia, it was the path to ultimate freedom. She once observed that even owning the entire world wouldn’t make someone truly rich—everything here eventually fades away.
Her approach shattered conventions. She proved women could be spiritually powerful, intellectually brilliant, and completely independent. She demolished barriers, showing that divine love transcends gender and social status.
Rabia became known as the first female Sufi saint and a founding figure of Sufism—Islam’s mystical branch emphasizing direct experience of divine love. Her ideas fundamentally reshaped Islamic spirituality and continue influencing people worldwide across all faiths.
Her Basra tomb became a pilgrimage destination for centuries. Though she lived over thirteen centuries ago, her teachings on love, devotion, and spiritual purity still inspire millions globally.
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