on 01 Jun 2011 at 8:21 pm1Fazal Mai Francie Glickman
I feel so lucky to have known Rabia and even luckier to love and be loved by her. For my 60th birthday, she sent me a beautiful wind chime. It hangs on my porch in my new home in Asheville, NC. It is a breezy valley, so I hear the chime often and each time I think of her and my heart softens as she whispers to me. She is a beautiful soul and she continues to guide me on the path of the heart. We had a wonderful road trip though Massachusetts and New Hampshire visiting fabric stores. I have made several pieces using the fabric I purchased on that trip. I have an unfinished quilt she was working on when she died and I plan to hand quilt it. We spent many happy hours in her studio when I was at the Abode during my four years at Suluk, and many meals when I felt I had to escape the vegetarian fare. I really, really miss her.
Submitted with Love by her friend Fazal Mai/Francie Glickman
Rabia started referring to herself as my favorite sister-in-law, after
she married my brother Wali and dropped into our family fully formed
at the age of 47. It was uncanny how she fit with us and especially
with me as a friend. In the reality of the spirit she was my true
sister, a sister who loved unconditionally and gave unstintingly – a
sweet and wryly funny presence. We always had much to discuss. The way she died was a revelation to me, scales fell from my eyes. I could see
another layer into reality after witnessing her passing. In the days
and months after she left us, her life and her Sufi path unfolded
before me, moving to the Abode of the Message accelerating these
lessons. And still years later she gives me signs and remembrances and
blessings, regularly. As things are shown to me I whisper to her, is
this what you’ve experienced? And we have a Darshan of yes.
My friend Rabia helped me to find a place and a focus at the Abode. Her studio was always open for me to come & work on creative sewing projects and chat. She also encouraged me to come and live at the Abode and made it possible for me to live in Jamil. She was always kind and generous. I think of her often as I shop for fabric, see quilts and weaving supplies. It was so precious to have a friend to share my interests in cloth and creativity. I also think of her when I am looking for a parking space, as she had a special talent in that area. I feel that her kind & gentle spirit is still around. I miss her companionship and loving presence.
Rabia was a dear friend, devoted to the inner life, and to service to others. She balanced creativity in the arts and management skills in life to perfection. The qualities of Rabia were
intelligence, compassion, beauty, insight, joy, and
life. Out of her imagination and artistic skills she designed and made a patch-work jacket of silk remnants for me. It is truly a
work of art. Thank you Rabia for your friendship, courage and
talent.
Aziza Scott
Gone but not forgotten. I remember her taking me on an excursion to some artist’s estate in upper New York state. On that day, I took a photo of a small blue boat with its reflection in the water. To this day, it reminds me of her gentle, artistic spirit (with some impishness thrown in!) and how she reflected me and I reflected her. She was an absolute master at dealing with those with special needs (and who of us doesn’t have them?) Also, hilarious memories of negotiating hard with used car dealers in Pittsfield. Neither of us bought there. “Luminous Strands”…a perfect name for her studio/shop and a description of how she connected with so many.
Beloved Rabia,
Thank you for the loving and giving person you were:
driving me back and forth to work in days when my eyesight was poor; for always making Abode Friday lunch cook-slot fun with our opening circle and your words of “Let’s make something yummy!” for your insight, compassion and common sense observations as Residence Committee chair; for the road trip to Asheville to a Sufi Conference with Zahira Latifa.
But for your friendship and faith in friendship, your astuteness
and kindness, for all that, your lovely being, thank you most of all. Your light shines on….
I got to really know Rabia when she joined to Programs Office. I had lived in the Abode community and worked in Programs for maybe a year and a half before she joined us. So I knew Rabia and Wali of course, but not super well. I also did the Sunday Brunches with Mirabai opposite Rabia and Wali. This was in the Ismail and Hadi days… and just after.
Rabia joined Programs and was a wonderful and wise counselor to me in the office. She had a very intuitive and heart-felt sense of people and was so welcoming to all of our guests at the Abode; but she also had a practical streak which I appreciated in terms of planning and running events. Rabia was so bright and creative and very good and enormously helpful with publicity types of things and she and I produced the catalogue of events one year in what was a wonderful and gentle collaboration.
Rabia was mischieviously humorus without being malicious and was a good balance to my own jaded skepticism about most things. I so appreciated our talks about life and about people and about spirit which she was engaged with so dynamically and creatively. I knew her as a colleague mostly, a wise counselor, a fabulous cook but most importantly for me as
a good friend. I was deeply honored to have worked and collaborated with Rabia and shocked and saddened by her illness and passing. I miss her and think of her so often when I think of the Abode and of the Friends.
My Love and Memories of our Gentle and
Creative, and Warm Rabia.
Rabia was a beautiful soul. I met her before she moved to the Abode, and then knew her there. Such strength of character. Such ability to see the good in everyone. To never let difficulties get in her way. She is shining now in whichever heavenly realms she inhabits, and shines to and among us always.
Majida
I feel so lucky to have known Rabia and even luckier to love and be loved by her. For my 60th birthday, she sent me a beautiful wind chime. It hangs on my porch in my new home in Asheville, NC. It is a breezy valley, so I hear the chime often and each time I think of her and my heart softens as she whispers to me. She is a beautiful soul and she continues to guide me on the path of the heart. We had a wonderful road trip though Massachusetts and New Hampshire visiting fabric stores. I have made several pieces using the fabric I purchased on that trip. I have an unfinished quilt she was working on when she died and I plan to hand quilt it. We spent many happy hours in her studio when I was at the Abode during my four years at Suluk, and many meals when I felt I had to escape the vegetarian fare. I really, really miss her.
Submitted with Love by her friend Fazal Mai/Francie Glickman
Rabia started referring to herself as my favorite sister-in-law, after
she married my brother Wali and dropped into our family fully formed
at the age of 47. It was uncanny how she fit with us and especially
with me as a friend. In the reality of the spirit she was my true
sister, a sister who loved unconditionally and gave unstintingly – a
sweet and wryly funny presence. We always had much to discuss. The way she died was a revelation to me, scales fell from my eyes. I could see
another layer into reality after witnessing her passing. In the days
and months after she left us, her life and her Sufi path unfolded
before me, moving to the Abode of the Message accelerating these
lessons. And still years later she gives me signs and remembrances and
blessings, regularly. As things are shown to me I whisper to her, is
this what you’ve experienced? And we have a Darshan of yes.
Bashira Liz McIlvaine
My friend Rabia helped me to find a place and a focus at the Abode. Her studio was always open for me to come & work on creative sewing projects and chat. She also encouraged me to come and live at the Abode and made it possible for me to live in Jamil. She was always kind and generous. I think of her often as I shop for fabric, see quilts and weaving supplies. It was so precious to have a friend to share my interests in cloth and creativity. I also think of her when I am looking for a parking space, as she had a special talent in that area. I feel that her kind & gentle spirit is still around. I miss her companionship and loving presence.
Rabia was a dear friend, devoted to the inner life, and to service to others. She balanced creativity in the arts and management skills in life to perfection. The qualities of Rabia were
intelligence, compassion, beauty, insight, joy, and
life. Out of her imagination and artistic skills she designed and made a patch-work jacket of silk remnants for me. It is truly a
work of art. Thank you Rabia for your friendship, courage and
talent.
Aziza Scott
Dearest Rabia,
Gone but not forgotten. I remember her taking me on an excursion to some artist’s estate in upper New York state. On that day, I took a photo of a small blue boat with its reflection in the water. To this day, it reminds me of her gentle, artistic spirit (with some impishness thrown in!) and how she reflected me and I reflected her. She was an absolute master at dealing with those with special needs (and who of us doesn’t have them?) Also, hilarious memories of negotiating hard with used car dealers in Pittsfield. Neither of us bought there. “Luminous Strands”…a perfect name for her studio/shop and a description of how she connected with so many.
Beloved Rabia,
Thank you for the loving and giving person you were:
driving me back and forth to work in days when my eyesight was poor; for always making Abode Friday lunch cook-slot fun with our opening circle and your words of “Let’s make something yummy!” for your insight, compassion and common sense observations as Residence Committee chair; for the road trip to Asheville to a Sufi Conference with Zahira Latifa.
But for your friendship and faith in friendship, your astuteness
and kindness, for all that, your lovely being, thank you most of all. Your light shines on….
I got to really know Rabia when she joined to Programs Office. I had lived in the Abode community and worked in Programs for maybe a year and a half before she joined us. So I knew Rabia and Wali of course, but not super well. I also did the Sunday Brunches with Mirabai opposite Rabia and Wali. This was in the Ismail and Hadi days… and just after.
Rabia joined Programs and was a wonderful and wise counselor to me in the office. She had a very intuitive and heart-felt sense of people and was so welcoming to all of our guests at the Abode; but she also had a practical streak which I appreciated in terms of planning and running events. Rabia was so bright and creative and very good and enormously helpful with publicity types of things and she and I produced the catalogue of events one year in what was a wonderful and gentle collaboration.
Rabia was mischieviously humorus without being malicious and was a good balance to my own jaded skepticism about most things. I so appreciated our talks about life and about people and about spirit which she was engaged with so dynamically and creatively. I knew her as a colleague mostly, a wise counselor, a fabulous cook but most importantly for me as
a good friend. I was deeply honored to have worked and collaborated with Rabia and shocked and saddened by her illness and passing. I miss her and think of her so often when I think of the Abode and of the Friends.
My Love and Memories of our Gentle and
Creative, and Warm Rabia.
Rabia was a beautiful soul. I met her before she moved to the Abode, and then knew her there. Such strength of character. Such ability to see the good in everyone. To never let difficulties get in her way. She is shining now in whichever heavenly realms she inhabits, and shines to and among us always.
Majida
Woman of many LOOMS. Sorry to just now hear about her passing in 2008. It is the end of 2013, from William Hall. She made fine soup.