When Rabia's Donkey Died on the Way to Hajj

It was not for lack of effort that Rabi’a Al-Adawiyya never reached Mecca. According to some reports, Rabi’a was enslaved until her owner emancipated her out of shame for keeping in servitude someone who was obviously a friend of God (waliyya). She faced a number of difficulties when she eventually set out on the pilgrimage, difficulties which seem to symbolize the spiritual journey of the aspirant to God. Rabi’a’s donkey dies unexpectedly and seemingly without cause. In characteristic Rabi’a fashion, she vents her frustration to God and proclaims to God that He was denying her the opportunity to serve Him, her only passion in life. If God wants her to drudge through the elements by foot, she will certainly do it.

In the midst of her plea, God miraculously brings the camel back to life. We understand from this story that she exemplified tawwakul (complete trust in God) when her commitment to the pilgrimage did not waver at the death of her camel.

Whether Rabi’a ever made it to Mecca, we don’t know. According to legend, Allah gave Rabi’a a vision of the Ka’ba so real it was as if she could touch it. Perhaps this symbolizes Allah mirroring the effort of the aspirant as it is only through His permission and facilitation that the believer reaches Him.

Among the wisdom that Rabi’a leaves us with is that even a means to God can become a distraction. She reminds us to love the Ka’ba, the House of Allah, without idolizing it. The House belongs to Allah, she says, Allah does not belong to the House. Meaning, while the Ka'ba has a special honor in this world, we can journey to Allah with our hearts.