Rabia al-Basri (Rabia al- Adawiyya) Iraq (717 - 801) Timeline Muslim / Sufi Poems by Rabia al-Basri (Rabia al- Adawiyya) Books - Links

Rabia, sometimes called Rabia of Basra or Rabia al Basri, was born to a poor family in Basra in what is now Iraq. Her parents died of famine and she was sold into slavery.

The story is told that her master one night woke up and saw a light shining above her head while she was praying. Stunned, he freed her the next morning.

Rabia chose a solitary life of prayer, living much of her life in desert seclusion.

Her fame as a holy woman spread and people began to journey to her retreat, to ask advice, to study, to learn.

Today she is greatly revered by devout Muslims and mystics throughout the world.

Poems by Rabia al-Basri (Rabia al- Adawiyya)

• Brothers, my peace is in my aloneness
• I am fully qualified to work as a doorkeeper, and for this reason
• I carry a torch in one hand
• I have two ways of loving You:
• My joy
• O God, Another Night is passing away
• O my Lord, if I worship you
• O my Lord, the stars glitter
• Through and Through

Recommended Books: Rabia al-Basri (Rabia al- Adawiyya)

Women in Praise of the Sacred: 43 Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women	Poetry for the Spirit: Poems of Universal Wisdom and Beauty	Islamic Mystical Poetry: Sufi Verse from the Early Mystics to Rumi	Perfume of the Desert: Inspirations from Sufi Wisdom	Early Islamic Mysticism: Sufi, Quran, Miraj, Poetic and Theological Writings (Classics of Western Spirituality)
Doorkeeper of the Heart: Versions of Rabia	Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West	Women of Sufism: A Hidden Treasure - Writings and Stories of Mystics Poets, Scholars & Saints	Women of Wisdom: A Journey of Enlightenment by Women of Vision Through the Ages	Sufi Poems: A Mediaeval Anthology
First Among Sufis: The Life and Thought of Rabia Al-Adawiyya, the Woman Saint of Basra	Muslim Women Mystics: The Life and Work of Rabi'a and Other Women Mystics in Islam	Sacred Voices: Essential Women's Voices Through the Ages	Apprenticeship of the Soul

Related Links

Rabia al Basri from Oldpoetry
http://oldpoetry.com/authors/Rabia%20al%20Basri
A basic bio and several poems.

Quotes, Texts, and Mystical Poems from Rabia Al-Adawiyya
http://www.onelittleangel.com/wisdom/quotes/saint_net.asp?mc=51
Several poems and brief quotes attributed to Rabia.

Rabia Basri: The Mystic and Her Fellow Saints
http://www.khamush.com/sufism/rabia.htm
An on-line article by Margaret Smith that looks at Rabia's place within Sufi mysticism.

Beauty of Islam: Hadhrat Rabe'a al-Adawiya
http://www.beautyofislam.org/Personalities/RabiaBasri.htm
Online biography and anecdotes from the life of Rabi'a.

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