Muslim "nun"?

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Ora_et_Labora_1

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I am currently reading a book by Fr. Groeschel called Spitirual Passages: the Pyschology of Spiritual Development. In the chapter dedicated to the Abrahamic faiths he mention cursorily a muslim “nun”, perhaps the only one that ever existed, a Rabi’a of Bosra. He then quotes a prayer atributed to her, which is as follows:
O God, whatsoever thou has apportioned to me of wordly things, do thou give that to my enemies; and whatsoever thou has apportioned to me in the world to come, give that to thy friends; for thou sufficest me. O God, if I worship thee for fear of Hell, burn me in Hell, and if I worship thee in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise; but if I worship thee for thy own sake, grudge me not thy everlasting beauty.
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Has anyone ever heard of her? Also, is it me, or does this seem like something that St. John of the Cross would write?
 
Ora_et_Labora said:
I am currently reading a book by Fr. Groeschel called Spitirual Passages: the Pyschology of Spiritual Development. In the chapter dedicated to the Abrahamic faiths he mention cursorily a muslim “nun”, perhaps the only one that ever existed, a Rabi’a of Bosra. He then quotes a prayer atributed to her, which is as follows:

Has anyone ever heard of her? Also, is it me, or does this seem like something that St. John of the Cross would write?
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I can’t think that fear of hell or desire for heaven would be put aside by St. John. I cannot imagine a Catholic mystic being so confident in her own sanctity before God as to ask that these “safety nets” be removed in order that only the disinterested may merit heaven*. *

I have no predisposition against Islamic mysticism. I have a book by Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange which devotes a chapter to the subject. I admire the Koran having read it twice, and I am willing to consider that God may enable Muslims to arrive at high levels of sanctity through meditation upon the transcendence of the One God in which they believe. But the quote would trouble me if I heard that a Catholic saint said it. Perhaps the context might help. But as it stands it seems presumptious.
 
Islam has no place, generally, for monastics. And living as close as she did to the early period of Islam, calling her a “nun” is rather far-fetched. However, she apparently led a life of chastity and poverty and sought to serve God. She reminds me of early Christian ascetics who were before any established order, and we sometimes call them monks or nuns.

Some Sufi orders are celibate, but that is an exception, I believe. Islam considers monasticism to be an aberation and unnatural.
 
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