Book Review

Rabi‛a: The Woman Who Must Be Heard
By Jane Clarke Wadsworth
Publisher: Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 2021.
ISBN 978-93-89810-56-1

In Rabi‛a: The Woman Who Must Be Heard the author offers us a masterful study of the spiritual teachings of the early Muslim mystic Rabi‛a al-῾Adawiyya (717–801 AD) based on the latest historical research on her era and on the myriad teaching stories that have been passed down about her. The author writes,

It is clear that during her lifetime Rabi‛a was known as an early Islamic love mystic with a single-pointed focus on devotion to her Beloved Lord. Loving union with God was the goal of her life and one which she is believed to have achieved.

The author notes that at the time Rabi‛a lived, in only the second century after the death of Prophet Muhammad, “both women and men were recognized as authoritative teachers and exemplars of Islam.” As recent historical research has revealed, Rabi‛a was associated with a school of female ascetics in Basra (in present-day Iraq). One of Rabi‛a’s spiritual teachers may have been a woman named Hayyuna, known as one of the “Wise Fools” or “The Rationally Insane,” who had a “tendency to go into raptures because of her love of God.”

Rabi‛a used to visit Hayyuna regularly. One night, in the middle of her devotions, Rabi‛a fell asleep and Hayyuna kicked her awake, saying “Get up! The wedding of the Guided Ones has come! Oh, One who beautifies the Brides of the Night by means of night vigils.”

The women in this community generally called themselves “slaves of God.” By choosing a lifelong vocation as a “slave” or “servant” of God, these women had independence and respect not enjoyed by other women. “They could travel without a chaperone, mix socially with men, teach men in public assemblies, and develop intellectually in ways that were not accessible to their non-mystic sisters.” It is clear from the many anecdotes and sayings that have come down to us that Rabi‛a was, indeed, highly respected even by the most influential male religious authorities. The earliest written mention of Rabi‛a comes from the famed mystic al-Muhasibi (d. 857 AD). He wrote,

Rabi‛a al-῾Adawiyya would say at the coming of night, “The night has come, the darkness has mingled, and every lover is left alone with his beloved. Now I am alone with you, my Beloved.”

A rich oral tradition of stories about things Rabi‛a did or said continued for centuries until, four hundred years after her lifetime, Farid ud-din ῾Attar wrote his Memorial of God’s Friends, which records the lives, sayings, and deeds of seventy-two masters of Muslim mysticism or Sufism, including Rabi‛a. Scholars today believe that ῾Attar may have conflated Rabi‛a with one or more other woman mystics also named Rabi‛a, thus explaining some of the inconsistencies in the portrait he paints. Similarly, the stories depicting her as a slave may be due to the use of the expression “slave of God.” In any case, as the author points out, “With each anecdote, saying, and verse, ῾Attar conjured a vivid tapestry of Rabi‛a’s life and spiritual values, transforming her once-enigmatic figure into a guiding light for generations to come.”

This book presents the teachings of Rabi‛a through the lens of “stations,” the term used by early Sufis for stages in the spiritual path. A “station” is understood to be a permanent condition attained slowly through discipline, love, effort, and grace. A “station” is thus distinguished from a “state” – a passing moment of uplift which may come unbidden and leave as suddenly as it came. According to the author, “Within the realm of Rabi‛a’s teachings, seventeen stations emerge, marking a progression in the heart of the disciple from asceticism to sacred union.… Though the specific sequence followed or taught by Rabi‛a remains a mystery, it is widely acknowledged that she traversed the entire landscape, reaching the pinnacle of spiritual attainment.”

The author has grouped the stations in four chapters. “The Journey from Asceticism to Loving Union” covers renunciation, repentance, poverty, and scrupulousness. “From Fear to Trust and Oneness” covers fear of God, hope, patience, trust in God, and divine unity. The next chapter, “Deepening the Relationship with God,” covers sincerity and truthfulness, creating an intimate relationship with God, passionate longing for God, and humility. The final chapter, “The Final Stations to Divine Union,” covers gratitude, complete satisfaction and contentment with God’s Will, love, annihilation of the ego, and subsistence in God.

The discussion of each station begins with a saying from Rabi‛a. These pithy sayings encapsulate a wealth of spiritual wisdom in a few words. For example, the section on humility begins with Rabi‛a’s saying: “I ask God’s forgiveness for my lack of truthfulness in saying, ‘I ask God’s forgiveness.’” Similarly, the reader may reflect at length on the few words from Rabi‛a at the beginning of the section on sincerity and truthfulness: “Asking for mercy with the tongue is the business of liars.” The section on patience begins with the seemingly cryptic saying “If Patience were a man, he would be generous.” The discussion of patience that follows shows vividly how Rabi‛a was “generous” in her practice of patience:

We paid a sick call on Rabi‛a. We couldn’t speak for awe of her. We said to Sufyan, “Say something.” He said, “O Rabi‛a, pray, so the Real Most High will ease your pain.” Rabi‛a said, “O Sufyan, don’t you know that the Real Most High has willed my pain?” He said, “Yes.” She said, “You know this and still you tell me to request what is at odds with His Will. It is not proper to be at odds with the Friend.”

Each chapter is rich with powerful sayings related from Rabi‛a. In Chapter 4’s discussion of repentance, we find:

A man said to Rabi‛a, “I have committed many sins and acts of disobedience. If I decide to turn to God [i.e. repent], would He turn to me?” She answered, “No. Only if He were to turn to you, then you would be able to turn to Him.”

The author comments,

When Rabi‛a delves into the essence of repentance, with her profound words she highlights that our repentance unfolds within the divine embrace. Tawba [the Arabic word here translated as “repentance”] puts more emphasis on the positive transformation in attitude and behavior prompted by regret than on backward-looking contrition for something done or left undone. Tawba is a positive impulse that causes one to return to God.

The next chapter, explaining Rabi‛a’s teachings on divine unity, relates a story from ῾Attar about a meeting with Rabi‛a:

They said, “Do you love the presence of Majesty [God]?” She said, “I do.” They said, “Do you hate Satan?” She said, “Out of love of the compassionate, I have no occasion for hatred toward Satan…. Love of the Real has so pervaded me that there is no place in my heart for the love or hatred of another.”

Rabi‛a’s spiritual message – so consistently positive, hopeful, and encouraging, offered from her standpoint of highest spiritual attainment – will inspire all spiritual seekers on the path to God.

Salih al-Murri said in her presence, “He who persists in knocking at the door will have it opened for him.” “The door is already open,” she replied. “But the question is: who wishes to enter it?”