Middle Ages Biographies | Rabia al-Adawiyya Biography

Born c. 717

Died 801

Arab mystic

"O God, if I worship Thee in fear of Hell, burn me in Hell; and if I worship Thee in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise; but if I worship Thee for Thine own sake, withhold not Thine everlasting beauty."

Prayer attributed to Rabia

Amystic is someone who seeks direct contact with God through meditation or special insight. Mystics believe this is possible—indeed, only possible—outside the context of formal religion. But this unorthodox approach does not mean that mystics expect a "shortcut," as the life and teachings of an extraordinary woman named Rabia al-Adawiyya illustrate.

Founder of the Sufis, a sect of Islamic mystics, Rabia was sold into slavery; she gained her freedom, according to some legends, because her master was awed by a miraculous light shining above her head. She devoted her life to a quest for...