The women featured in this piece are two amazing Muslim women that I feel are not that talked about enough and not that well known, in the west. i am hoping to help remedy that right away with my series
Rābiʿa al-ʿAdawiyya al-Qaysiyya رابعة العدوية القيسية
https://www.all-creatures.org/articles/rf-rabia-al-adawiyya-early-muslim-vegetarian.html
https://www.poemhunter.com/rabia-al-basri/biography/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabia_of_Basra
https://feminisminindia.com/2018/10/10/rabia-basri-sufi-woman-feminist/
https://www.gtfeducation.org/blog/Womens-History-Month-Rabia-AlAdawiyya-Sufi-Muslim-Saint.cfm
https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.503457
https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Life_and_Teachings_of_Rabia_Al_Adawi.html?id=IkOaDAEACAAJ
https://pantheon.world/profile/person/Rabia_of_Basra/
https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/rabia-al-adawiyya
https://www.secret-bases.co.uk/wiki/Rabia_Basri#Life
https://sufipoetry.wordpress.com/poets/rabia-al-basri/
Rābiʿa al-ʿAdawiyya al-Qaysiyya Arabic: رابعة العدوية القيسية she is also known as Hazrat Bibi Rabia Basri, Rabia Al Basri Rabia Basri, or Rabia of Basra.
Rabia was born in 714-718 CE in Basra Iraq to the Qays tribe she was an early Sufi Muslim, saint Sufi mystic, and poet. She followed the concept of divine love and ascension.
Rabi’a was The fourth daughter of her impoverished parents and was named Rabi’a as the word literally means fourth. Her father was a Ismail, a holy man committed to a life of poverty and lived on the edge of the desert near the town of Basra. Due to their poverty, the family had no oil in their house. On the night she was born they could not anoint as was the custom of the time. Ismail refused to beg from his neighbors and this caused his wife to weep, upset Rabia’s father had fallen asleep.
He soon had a dream in which Prophet Mohammed, may peace be upon him, told him not be sad the girl child, who has just been born is a queen amongst women and was told that his faith would be rewarded. Soon after the dream, Rabi’a’s father went straight to the Amir with tears of joy rolling down cheeks to which the Amir was delighted on receiving this message. Knowing the prophet may peace upon him, visited the man in a dream, he gave 1000 dinars and gave the family money to help raise their children. When Rabi’a was eleven years old her father died and her mother was left to raise them. The mother took her family to Basra. On the way, their caravan was attacked, her mother was killed and she and her siblings were kidnapped and sold into slavery.
Eventually, she wound up in Baghdad Iraq. She was bought and her talents were exploited by all of her owners. She was a talented singer so her master put her to work as an entertainer. One day when she was about thirty-six, she was singing at a wedding party when suddenly the song changed instead of singing to wedding guest, she was singing to Allah God. From then on she refused to sing for anyone but Allah, and this angered her master. He began to abuse her, but she still held fast to her beliefs. During the day she would do the master’s housework and at night she would pray. It is believed that her master saw a light surrounding her which left him captivated and in the morning he freed her.
Once Rabi’a was freed she went out into the desert outside of Basra Iraq and spent several years worshipping Allah becoming an ascetic, and living in semi-seclusion while also devoting her life to celibacy and dematerialization. Unlike many Sufi saints of her time, she did not learn from a teacher or master but instead turned to Allah God as her guide and teacher. According to historical reports of her life she did not own much, nothing much but a broken jug, a rush mat, a brick she had used as a pillow. She spent all night in prayer and contemplation chiding herself if she slept as she felt that it took her away from her love of Allah God.
As her fame grew, she had gained many disciples and had discussions with many renewed religious people of her time. She had also many offers of marriage, even from the Amir of Basra at the time. She refused all marriage offers, as she wanted to devote all of her time to worshiping Allah God. She performed the pilgrimage to Mecca, Rabi’a concentrated on God’s love believing and teaching that love alone is the path to Allah God. Several hours of prayer were not devoted to asking things of God Allah, but was focusing on just on worshiping Allah God.
Afterwhile she became a spiritual leader and taught both men and women her revisionary love mysticism. She focused on the teachings of Asceticism and divine love which later became a major Sufi precept. Rabi’a’s teaching was in connection with the stages of Repentance, patience, gratitude, hope, fear, poverty, renunciation, unification, trust, love. People would travel miles just to study with her. It was said that Rabi’a Loved Allah God so much that once a person asked Rabi’a if she hated Satan. She responded with “My love of Allah has so possessed me that no place remains for loving or hating any save Him”.
She was the first to introduce the concept of divine love, the idea that Allah God should be loved for Allah God’s own sake, and not out of fear as earlier religious leaders had often taught. She also taught Repentance was a gift from Allah God because no one could repent unless Allah God had already accepted them. Giving a person the gift of repentance, she also taught that sinners must fear the punishment they deserved for their sins, but she also offered such sinners far more hope of paradise, then most other ascetics during her life. It is said that she abstained from meat and was a vegetarian. She would be surrounded by animals when she meditated in the woods. One day a disciple of hers Hasan-al-Basri, who was also a Sufi teacher, had approached them in the woods which had made the animals run away. He felt sad when the animals ran away from him, and sought the advice of Rabi’a. Rabi’a then asked him what he had eaten that day, he replied animal fat and Rabia explained that animals ran away from those who eat their flesh. There is also a legend about Hassan Al Basri, who was a Muslim spiritual master of the period, thought so highly of Rabi’a, that he would often refuse to teach if she was not present.
Sufyan al-Thawri was quoted to say about Rabi’a “Take me to the teacher. For when I am apart from her, I can find no solace.” even a famous prayer is Also attributed to Rabi’a “O, Allah! 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.” She was in her early to mid-eighties when she died and was buried in Basra Iraq, Rābiʿand lived her life as an influential and intellectual woman who had successfully reached a state in which all Sufis and non-Sufi Muslims try to archive. Winning against the selfish human nature that keeps people from doing good deeds in this world.
she was an amazing Muslim woman and her story deserves to be heard
Nusaybah bint Ka’ab نسيبة بنت كعب
https://peoplepill.com/people/nusaybah-bint-kaab/
https://www.femislay.com/new-blog/2020/7/31/nusaybah-bint-kaab
https://slideplayer.com/slide/13673190/
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-12151715
http://sohabih.blogspot.com/2015/03/ummu-ammaarah-ra-lioness-of-uhud.html
Nusaybah bint Ka’ab was one of the few women of the time to pledge allegiance to Allah and his messenger. She was a member of the Banu Najjar tribe that lived in the holy city of Medina Nusaybah was the sister of Abdullah bin K’ab and the mother of Abdullah and Habib ibn Zayd al-Ansari.
She becomes one of the companions of Muhammad and would be fought beside prophet Mohammed, may peace be upon him, and his other companions may peace be upon them. She was well known for her bravery and was a very skilled warrior and it is said that Muslim soldiers would marvel at her skills with a sword. She also least sustained 12 major wounds in her battles and overcame them.
Nusaybah bint Ka’ab is most famous for her brave efforts in defending Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the Battle of Uhud. Like many other Sahabiyat, Nusaybah was initially there to aid the soldiers during battle. In the excitement of perceived victory, the Muslim archers on the hill deserted their positions and neglected Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) orders to never leave their position. This left him (PBUH), and a handful of companions vulnerable to their enemies including Nusaybah. The tide of the battle had changed.
Nusaybah bint Ka’ab then picked up a sword and arrows and rushed to the defense of the Messenger of Allah. She struck fatal blows to her opponents with her swords and shot arrows at them to protect the Prophet (PBUH). He (PBUH) himself said, “Wherever I turned, left or right, on the Day of Uhud I saw her fighting for me.” Nusaybah is most famous for her brave efforts to defend Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the battle of Uhud, where Nusaybah was there to Aid the soldiers during the battle. In the excitement of perceived victory, the archers on the hill deserted their positions and neglected Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) orders no one not abandons their positions. This left Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). a handful of companions vulnerable to attack Nusaybah picked up a sword and arrows and rushed to defend Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). She struck blow after blow to her opponents with her sword and repeatedly shot arrows at them. Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) himself had once said “Wherever I turned, left or right, on the Day of Uhud I saw her fighting for me. At the end of the battle she gotten inflicted with 13 wounds and a deep neck wound that stayed with until her death”,.
This amazing warrior woman and amazing Muslim women’s story needs to be told pronto, this is the end of this piece for now.
Interesting masks 🙂
knowledge
communities
Keep it up, sis
amuslimwomansblog 
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