Venerated Sufi Saint Rabia of Basra (vegan): The Bliss and Pleasure of Divine Love, Part 1 of 2

Rabia of Basra was a venerated Arab Muslim Saint, poet, and Sufi mystic. Hazrat Rabia spent Her whole life in devotion to God. She was the pioneer of the Divine Love doctrine in the Islam tradition. Her devotion to God was so intense, Her life was lived in complete and loving surrender to God.

Legend has it that following the death of Her parents, Rabia experienced a famine and was separated from Her three sisters. One evening, Rabia left the house to find food when She was grabbed and sold in the market as a slave. With no one to care for Her, the terrified child held onto God. She fasted and would spend the whole night in prayer and hardly sleeping during the night. One hot night, Rabia’s master heard Her pleasing prayer to the Lord. There was a light above Rabia’s head, and the Divine Light lit the whole house. Rabia preferred to leave the house to worship in solitude, so he set Her free.

Farīd ud-Dīn recorded that Rabia spent time at a Sufi hermitage when She went into the desert to pray. She was surrounded by deer-, gazelle-, and mountain goat- people listening to Her as She recited the Holy Quran.

So that both veils might be lifted from truth seekers, for them to have a sincere purpose, Hazrat Rabia wanted to unblock their way to God. Her ultimate goal was union with God. When someone asked Her to come outside to see the flowers of spring, She invited them to come inside instead in order to contemplate their Creator.

This message has also been emphasized time and again by our Most Beloved Supreme Master Ching Hai, as in the following occasions: “‘We always have to pray to the Almighty God, and dedicate all our good and failure to the Almighty, to ask Hirm to forgive our sins and give us liberation. New disciples, old disciples should all say this.’ Recommended by OU (Original Universe). Before initiation and after initiation, and all the time. And when we’re working, we dedicate that to God Almighty as well. Not us. Not that we do it. Like this, we can avoid karma. Good or bad karma, we don’t want.”