← Explore on the interactive map

Rabi'a al-Adawiyya

Type Figure Region Iraq Time c. 714–801 Also known as Rabi'a、Woman of Basra

Rabi'a al-Adawiyya was an 8th-century Sufi mystic pioneer from Basra, Iraq, renowned for devout asceticism and her teaching of pure love for God, emp…

Timeline

  1. c. 714–740Basra · IraqBorn into a poor family, orphaned young, and once sold into slavery, she endured a difficult childhood in Basra; during night prayers a vision of piety appeared, and her master then set her free.
  2. c. 740–785Basra · IraqAfter gaining freedom she lived in seclusion in Basra, spending years in fasting, ascetic practice, and night prayer vigils, teaching selfless love for God through poetry and sayings, attracting many followers and becoming an iconic figure of the early Sufi movement.
  3. c. 785–801Basra · IraqHer reputation grew in her later years, with seekers visiting from far and wide; through her teaching of 'love for the sake of love' she influenced contemporaneous religious scholars such as al-Hasan al-Basri, and after her death became an important symbol of Sufi literature and devotional tradition.

Sources