November 01, 2026

Give Away The Reward

O God! Whatever share of this world Thou dost bestow on me, bestow it upon Thine enemies, and whatever share of the next world Thou dost bestow on me, bestow it upon Thy friends; Thou art sufficient for me.

Rabia al-Adawiyya was a former slave who became one of early Islam's most fearless mystics, living in extreme poverty in eighth-century Basra and turning away wealthy suitors who offered to rescue her from it. This prayer, recorded generations later by the poet Attar, asks that her share of both this world and the next be handed to others, keeping nothing but God's presence for herself. It takes real courage to ask for nothing in return and still call that enough. Her life argues that security comes not from what we are owed but from what we are willing to release.