About Rabi’a al-Basri
Rabi’a al-Basri was a female Muslim saint and Sufi mystic. She was the one who first set forth the doctrine of Divine Love and is widely considered to be the most important of the early Sufi poets. Much of the poetry that is attributed to her is of unknown origin. After a life of hardship, she spontaneously achieved a state of self-realization. When asked by Sheikh Hasan al-Basri how she discovered the secret, she responded by stating: You know of the how, but I know of the how-less. One of the many myths that surround her life is that she was freed from slavery because her master saw her praying while surrounded by light, realized that she was a saint and feared for his life if he continued to keep her as a slave.Browse all poems and texts published on Rabi’a al-Basri
