Rabia al-Adawiyya
~717–801
“Sufi love of God for God's own sake — neither heaven sought nor hell feared.”
The four dimensions in the 16-axis model where this thinker scores highest. People in this archetype tend to lean the same way.
- MRMystical Receptivity10 / 10
- ATAscetic Tendency8 / 10
- RTReverence for Tradition7 / 10
- TVTragic Vision6 / 10
The six thinkers whose 16-dimensional positions sit closest to this one. Useful as next-reading suggestions.
- Mansur al-HallajTHRESHOLD
"I am the Truth" — annihilation in God; executed for the saying.
- Junayd of BaghdadTHRESHOLD
Sober Sufism — return to the world after fana, carrying knowledge of unity.
- Mechthild of MagdeburgTHRESHOLD
Flowing Light of the Godhead — bridal mysticism in vernacular German.
- Pseudo-DionysiusTHRESHOLD
Apophatic theology — what God is not, the only honest path.
- Hadewijch of AntwerpTHRESHOLD
Beguine mystic — the storm of love (minne) as God's own life.
- Bernard of ClairvauxTHRESHOLD
Love of God in four ascending degrees; mysticism of the will.
Short exercises in the same tradition as Rabia al-Adawiyya's thought. Each takes 5–25 minutes.
Three doors lead onward.
- 01 · QUIZThe InheritorFind your archetype — discover whether you'd argue with Rabia al-Adawiyya or alongside them.CONTINUE ▶
- 02 · COMPARERabia al-Adawiyya vs Mansur al-HallajOn Mull's map Mansur al-Hallaj sits closest. See where they agree and where they part.CONTINUE ▶
- 03 · DAILYToday's SparOne philosopher, one topic, five minutes. A new one drops every day.CONTINUE ▶