Rabi'a Al-Adawiyya

Rabi’a al-Adawiyya is recognised as the first female Saint of Islam due to her major role in the early maturation of Islam, specifically, the expansion of Sufism. It was she who focused on a rigorous asceticism that required complete abandonment of ones worldly pleasures in order to detach one from the fear of hell and enter the passionate love and devotion for God. Her belief in this notion “Muhabbah” (Divine Love) and her dismissal of materialism became a strong prestige throughout her teachings and poetry. Additionally, her incomparability from the traditional female ideology of the time period challenged the specific roles of gender as delineated by Islam. It latter became widely accepted within the Sufi movement that women had gained a greater role within the religion due to Rabi'a's actions and influences.

The Sufis are not an ethnic or religious group, but a mystical movement that is found all over the Islamic world and that still has a deep influence on the varied populations of the Middle East. Sufism searches for a direct mystical knowledge of God and of his Love. Its goal was to progress beyond mere intellectual knowledge to a mystical (existential) experience that submerged man in the infinity of God. Sufism had an important part in the formation of Muslim societies as it educated the masses and met their felt needs, giving spiritual meaning to their lives and channeling their emotions. The goal of the sufi's is to reach a strong amalgamation with Allah (their god) through love and true faith.

'Mahabba' or Love as it is known, is a noble state that God has bestowed as a quality belonging to the creation, through this love, he has has touched that who seeks him. Rabi'a al Adawiya, believed that God's love is at the core of the universe and that we need to feel that love in all we do. Walking through the streets she was seen carrying a bucket of water in one hand and a burning candle in the other. When asked why, she said: "I want to set fire to

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