Doorkeeper of the Heart: Versions of Rabi A

Doorkeeper of the Heart: Versions of Rabi A by al-Adawiyya, Rabi'a. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780939660247.

Rabia al-Adawiyya, a major saint of Islam and one of the central figures of Sufi tradition, was born around 717 AD in Basra in what is now Iraq. Little is known of her actual life: she was born into a poor family and both her parents died in a famine. Separated from her sisters, homeless and destitute, she was sold into slavery but was eventually freed. In later life she became famous as a saint; she was offered money, houses, proposals of marriage, but she preferred to remain single and live in humble surroundings. The bulk of the Rabia material as we know it comes from stories of her interactions with those who came to challenge or learn from her. Uncompromising and singleminded in her devotion to the highest spritual realization, she belittled miracles that apparently happened around her, the fear of hell, and the desire for paradise. Sometimes even well-known spiritual figures, like Hasan of Basra, could be the butt of her sharper wit, deeper wisdom, and greater spiritual powe